Floyd Herbert Hedglin (1899 - 1918)

Born 29 Aug 1899 in Nebraska, USA

Ancestors

Died 31 May 1918 at age 18 in Lost at Sea

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Biography

Apprentice Seaman Floyd Hedglin was Killed in Action during World War I.

Apprentice Seaman Floyd Hedglin served in the United States Navy in World War I
Service started: 1917
Unit(s): USS President Lincoln
Service ended: May 31, 1918 (KIA)

Seaman Floyd Herbert Hedglin enlisted in Omaha, Nebraska on December 27, 1917; he was lost at sea in WWI on May 31, 1918

Apprentice Seaman Floyd Hedglin was lost at sea when the USS President Lincoln was sunk on May 31, 1918. The history of the ship was unusual, formerly the German steamer President Lincoln of the Hamburg-American Line, it was seized in New York harbor in 1917 and turned over to the Shipping Board then transferred to the Navy for operation as a troop transport. It made five successful voyages from New York to France carrying 23,000 American troops to France. Sadly, however, on May 31 it was struck by three torpedoes from the German submarine U-90, and sank about 20 minutes later. Of the 715 people aboard, Seaman Hedglin was one of the 26 men lost with the ship.

Seaman Floyd Herbert Hedglin enlisted in Omaha, Nebraska on December 27, 1917; he was lost at sea in WWI on May 31, 1918

He was an Apprentice Seaman on the USS President Lincoln, an ex-German liner which became a troop transport. It was torpedoed, hit three times by a U90, and sank in eighteen minutes, with guns firing at an unseen foe and the Stars and Stripes floating from the gaff. Out of the 715 individuals on board, only 26 were lost. This disaster occurred about 600 miles west of Brest, France, May 31, 1918. If you are interested on much more about the USS President Lincoln, the Rootsweb link has much more about the ship and its sinking.

Sources

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3BW-685 : accessed 8 March 2019), Floyd H Hedglin in household of Bert Hedglin, Loup Fork Precinct Howard City village, Howard, Nebraska, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 131, sheet 1A, family 9, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,930.
• https://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyUS-CasualtiesChrono1918-08Aug.htm

• https://www.google.com/search?q=Brookwood+American+Military+Cemetery&oq=Brookwood+American+Military+Cemetery&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l2.12223j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_President_Lincoln_(1907)

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66770311/floyd-h_-hedglin

• https://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyUS-CasualtiesAlphaH.htm

• http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~cacunithistories/military/USS_President_Lincoln.html