Medal of Honor: Herbert E. Schonland – World War II – November 12–13, 1942

Name: Herbert Emery Schonland

Rank: Lieutenant Commander (later Commander)
Organization: U.S. Navy
Unit: USS San Francisco (CA-38)
Place and Date: Off Savo Island, Solomon Islands – 12–13 November 1942
Entered Service At: Maine
Born: September 7, 1900 – Portland, Maine
Departed: January 13, 1984
Accredited to: Maine

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Summary of Action

During the brutal night battle off Savo Island, USS San Francisco suffered catastrophic shelling. Fires raged, decks buckled, and shell holes ripped open the ship’s sides, allowing seawater to pour into the lower compartments. Below the chaos topside — where the ship’s admiral, captain, and bridge officers were being killed in the fight — Lieutenant Commander Herbert Schonland was waging his own battle in the dark.

As damage control officer, Schonland descended into the flooding compartments where water rose waist-deep, sloshing through shattered bulkheads. With only hand lanterns to guide him and debris swirling around his legs, he inspected every breach, coordinated pumps, shored up ruptured spaces, and fought to keep the cruiser from rolling over or sinking outright.

When informed he was now the senior surviving officer aboard, Schonland checked the bridge, saw the ship’s conning already under firm control, and returned immediately to the dark, flooding decks below — choosing duty over command. For hours he worked in the blackness, restoring watertight integrity and buying San Francisco the chance to survive the night.

His calm, relentless effort in the bowels of the wounded cruiser was as vital as any salvo fired that night. Because of his actions, San Francisco stayed afloat, turned away from destruction, and lived to fight again.

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Medal of Honor Citation

Rank and organization: Commander, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. San Francisco

Entered service at: Maine

For extreme heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty as damage control officer of the U.S.S. San Francisco in action against greatly superior enemy forces in the battle off Savo Island, 12–13 November 1942. In the same violent night engagement in which all of his superior officers were killed or wounded, Lt. Comdr. Schonland was fighting valiantly to free the San Francisco of large quantities of water flooding the second deck compartments through numerous shell holes caused by enemy fire. Upon being informed that he was commanding officer, he ascertained that the conning of the ship was being efficiently handled, then directed the officer who had taken over that task to continue while he himself resumed the vitally important work of maintaining the stability of the ship. In water waist deep, he carried on his efforts in darkness illuminated only by hand lanterns until water in flooded compartments had been drained or pumped off and watertight integrity had again been restored to the San Francisco. His great personal valor and gallant devotion to duty at great peril to his own life were instrumental in bringing his ship back to port under her own power, saved to fight again in the service of her country.