William Leroy Messmer

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to William Leroy Messmer, Commander, U.S. Navy, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commander of a Minesweeper Group of thirteen vessels in action against enemy forces off Porto Empedocle, Sicily, 9 – 10 July 1943. Assigned the extremely hazardous mission of clearing a channel through an active hostile minefield, Commander Messmer directed the operations of his command with expert tactical ability and brilliant initiative, aggressively returning the continuous fire of enemy shore batteries without retarding the progress of his forces. When another ship of the formation was mined, he skillfully supervised difficult rescue activities and the subsequent towing of the severely damaged vessel into port. By his superior technical knowledge he was largely responsible for successfully opening an unloading harbor vital to the support of our assault troops. His conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Navy of the United States.

Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 325 (April 1944)