166:. Smith was one of the first to enter the compartment in which the three men were trapped, and he returned "between five and eight times" while trying to locate them through the thick smoke. Finding one man, named Elkins, in the farthest corner of the chamber, Smith was partially overcome by the fumes and forced to retreat. After regaining his breath, he re-entered the compartment and saved Elkins. The commanding officer of the
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later stated that, of the crewmen, Smith "did most of all to save his shipmates." For these actions, he was awarded the Medal of Honor five months later, on
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immediately following an explosion on board that vessel, 9 September 1915, and locating and rescuing injured shipmates.
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General Order No. 189: Award of Medal of Honor to Eugene P. Smith, Chief Water Tender, U.S. Navy
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suffered an explosion of unknown cause and four compartments, including the ship's
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sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the
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242:"Medal of Honor recipients - Interim Awards, 1915-1916"
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139:and by September 9, 1915, was serving as a
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119:(August 8, 1871 – March 24, 1918) was a
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217:List of Medal of Honor recipients
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