John Henry Turpin

Biography

John Henry Turpin (August 20, 1876 – March 10, 1962) was an American sailor in the United States Navy who survived the catastrophic explosions of two U.S. Navy ships: USS Maine in 1898, and USS Bennington in 1905. Turpin was one of the first African Americans to hold the rank of chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy, becoming a chief gunner's mate on the cruiser Marblehead in 1917. He was transferred to the Fleet Reserve in 1919 and retired in 1925.

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