b. 29/06/1852 Massachusetts. d. 25/12/1885 at sea.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 09/01/1876 Lisbon, Portugal.
In December 1873, Handran joined the Navy as a seaman. By January 9, 1876, he was serving as a Seaman on the USS Franklin. On that morning, while Franklin was at Lisbon, Portugal, Landsman Henry O. Neil fell from the ship’s lower boom into the water and was swept away by a strong tidal current. Handran and another sailor, Ordinary Seaman Edward Maddin, jumped overboard and kept Neil afloat until a boat could be sent to their assistance. For this action, both Handran and Maddin were awarded the Medal of Honor a month later, on February 15. In his letter of recommendation, the ship’s captain stated that Handran had “displayed the same sort of gallantry on several occasions.”
Handran died on December 12, 1885, at age 33 when he was lost at sea aboard the Schooner Cleopatra. This was off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and there is an “In Memory Of” marker stone for Handran in Calvary Cemetery in Gloucester.
MOH CITATION:
For gallant conduct while serving on board the U.S.S. Franklin at Lisbon, Portugal, 9 January 1876. Jumping overboard, Handran rescued from drowning one of the crew of that vessel.
BURIAL LOCATION: AT SEA – IN MEMORY OF MARKER IN CALVARY CEMETERY, GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.
SECTION 6, RANGE 2, LOT 16.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: UNKNOWN.
