Ross A. Dierdorff
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The Navy Cross is awarded to Ensign Ross A. Dierdorff, U.S. Navy, for extraordinary heroism on the occasion of the collision between the U.S.S. Shaw and the H.M.S. Aquitania on October 9, 1918, when the Shaw was cut in two and set on fire. Ensign Dierdorff, of the Shaw, with other officers and enlisted men, threw overboard a large quantity of 4-inch ammunition which was on deck only a few feet from a blazing oil tank, and this while the ammunition near them was already exploding. This heroic action saved the snip from complete destruction and made it possible for her to proceed to port under her own steam in spite of the loss of her bow.