Paul Tobin
Encyclopedia
Paul Tobin was a United States Navy
sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor
.
A native of Pleyben
, France
, Tobin joined the U.S. Navy from Brest
. By July 3, 1871, he was serving as a landsman
on the . On that day, while the Plymouth was at the Port of Hamburg, Germany
, a small boat approached the ship in a strong current. When the boat capsized, Tobin and another sailor, Quarter Gunner George Holt, jumped overboard and rescued one of the boat's crewmen. For this action, both he and Holt were awarded the Medal of Honor a year later, on October 10, 1872.
Tobin's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
sailor and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
.
A native of Pleyben
Pleyben
Pleyben is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.-Population:Inhabitants of Pleyben are called in FrenchPleybennois.-References:** -External links:**...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Tobin joined the U.S. Navy from Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
. By July 3, 1871, he was serving as a landsman
Landman (rank)
Landman was a military rank given to naval recruits.-United Kingdom:In the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom in the middle of the 18th century , the term Landman referred to a seaman with less than a year's experience at sea...
on the . On that day, while the Plymouth was at the Port of Hamburg, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, a small boat approached the ship in a strong current. When the boat capsized, Tobin and another sailor, Quarter Gunner George Holt, jumped overboard and rescued one of the boat's crewmen. For this action, both he and Holt were awarded the Medal of Honor a year later, on October 10, 1872.
Tobin's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
On board the U.S.S. Plymouth, Hamburg Harbor, 3 July 1871. Jumping overboard at the imminent risk of his life, Tobin, with a comrade, rescued from drowning one of a party who was thrown from a shore boat into a 4-knot running tide while the boat was coming alongside the ship.
See also
- List of Medal of Honor recipients during peacetime