Medal of Honor: John Otto Siegel – Naval Rescue, World War I – November 1, 1918
When the schooner Hjeltenaes became a floating inferno, Boatswain’s Mate John Otto Siegel charged straight into the flames — again and again — refusing to quit until every man was safe.
November 4, 2025
Name: John Otto Siegel
Rank: Boatswain’s Mate Second Class
War: World War I (Naval Rescue)
Date of Action: November 1, 1918
Unit: U.S. Navy, USS Mohawk
Born: April 21, 1890 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Accredited to: New Jersey
Summary of Action
Amid the chaos of World War I, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk responded to a burning Norwegian schooner, the Hjeltenaes, engulfed in flames off the East Coast. As the crew hesitated before the inferno, Boatswain’s Mate Second Class John Otto Siegel refused to stand idle.
Without hesitation, Siegel climbed aboard the burning vessel and carried two trapped sailors from the fiery crew quarters to safety. The deck groaned and the air filled with choking smoke, yet he turned back a third time—determined to reach anyone still alive below decks. Moments after entering the quarters again, a steam pipe burst over the doorway, sealing his escape. Overcome by smoke, Siegel collapsed, only to be dragged out unconscious by his own shipmates from the Mohawk.
His bravery under conditions that would have driven most men back embodied the selfless courage of the U.S. Navy’s lifesaving tradition. Siegel’s refusal to abandon those in peril made him a legend of the sea — a man who faced fire itself to save others.
Medal of Honor Citation
Born: 21 April 1890, Milwaukee, Wis.
Accredited to: New Jersey.
Citation:
For extraordinary heroism while serving on board the Mohawk in performing a rescue mission aboard the schooner Hjeltenaes which was in flames on 1 November 1918. Going aboard the blazing vessel, Siegel rescued two men from the crew’s quarters and went back the third time. Immediately after he had entered the crew’s quarters, a steam pipe over the door burst, making it impossible for him to escape. Siegel was overcome with smoke and fell to the deck, being finally rescued by some of the crew of the Mohawk who carried him out and rendered first aid.
