Quick Facts
Biography
Rade Grbitch or Rade Grbić (Serbian Cyrillic:Раде Грбић; December 24, 1870- March 5, 1910) was a United States Navy sailor of Serbian descent (born in the Austrian Empire), and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.
Biography
Grbitch was born December 24, 1870 in Austria-Hungary and joined the Navy from Ohio. He was Serb from Dalmatia. On July 21, 1905, a boiler exploded aboard the USS Bennington (PG-4) while it was at San Diego, California and sank. During the explosion 66 sailors were killed and almost everyone else on the ship was injured. For his actions during the explosion he received the Medal of Honor January 5, 1906.
He died on March 5, 1910 and is buried in San Francisco National Cemetery
San Francisco, California. His grave can be found in plot A, 44.
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 24 December 1870, Austria. Accredited to: Illinois. G.O. No.: 13, 5 January 1906.
Citation:
On board the U.S.S. Bennington, for extraordinary heroism displayed at the time of the explosion of a boiler of that vessel at San Diego, Calif., 21 July 1905.