WWII · Battle Death Record
Oscar Peterson
Chief Watertender, U.S. Navy · Wisconsin
Medal of Honor
Personnel File — Core Information
- Name
- Oscar Peterson
- Entered the Service From
- Wisconsin
- Rank
- Chief Watertender
- Service
- U.S. Navy
- Unit / Regiment
- USS Neosho (AO-23)
- War
- WWII
- Date of Death
- May 13, 1942
- Awards
- Medal of Honor, Purple Heart
- Burial / Memorial
- Commemorated on the Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
- Grave
- Tablets of the Missing
Their story
As chief watertender in charge of a repair party aboard the fleet oiler USS Neosho during a Japanese aerial attack at the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7 May 1942, Peterson, though severely burned and lacking help after the rest of his party was wounded, closed the bulkhead stop valves with his bare hands to keep the ship afloat, suffering additional burns in the process. He died of those burn wounds on 13 May 1942 and was buried at sea off Australia.
Compiled from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National Archives (NARA) records and public sources.
This record is one of more than 200,000 in our historical archive. Some information may have been corrupted or lost over decades of data conversion. Corrections are welcome — please contact the archive.