On April 17, 1918, the merchant ship Florence H. suffered a catastrophic internal explosion off the coast of France. The sea was filled with smokeless powder boxes with many actively exploding. Amid the chaos, sailors Frank Upton and Jesse Covington from the USS Stewart dove into the water to rescue helpless survivors, fully aware they could be killed at any moment by the detonating powder. Their selfless courage saved lives and they were both awarded the Medal of Honor.

Frank Upton's Medal of Honor Citation:
For extraordinary heroism following internal explosion of the Florence H, on 17 April 1918. The sea in the vicinity of wreckage was covered by a mass of boxes of smokeless powder, which were repeatedly exploding. Frank M. Upton, of the U.S.S. Stewart, plunged overboard to rescue a survivor who was surrounded by powder boxes and too exhausted to help himself. Fully realizing the danger from continual explosion of similar powder boxes in the vicinity, he risked his life to save the life of this man.

Jesse Covington's Medal of Honor Citation:
For extraordinary heroism following internal explosion of the Florence H. The sea in the vicinity of wreckage was covered by a mass of boxes of smokeless powder, which were repeatedly exploding. Jesse W. Covington, of the U.S.S. Stewart, plunged overboard to rescue a survivor who was surrounded by powder boxes and too exhausted to help himself, fully realizing that similar powder boxes in the vicinity were continually exploding and that he was thereby risking his life in saving the life of this man.

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