
Historical Information | ||||||||||||
Caption | Bruce McCandless receiving the Medal of Honor from Ernest King aboard USS San Francisco, 12 Dec 1942 in San Francisco, California, United States. The medal was for night actions off Savo Island, Solomons, 12 Nov 1942. ww2dbase | |||||||||||
WW2-Era Location Name | San Francisco, California, United States | |||||||||||
Date | 12 Dec 1942 | |||||||||||
Photographer | Unknown | |||||||||||
Source Information | ||||||||||||
Source | ww2dbaseUnited States Navy | |||||||||||
Identification Code | 80-G-31578 | |||||||||||
Related Content | ||||||||||||
More on... |
| |||||||||||
Photos on Same Day | 12 Dec 1942 | |||||||||||
Colorized By WW2DB |
Colorized with Adobe Photoshop |
|||||||||||
Licensing Information | ||||||||||||
Licensing | Public Domain. According to the United States copyright law (United States Code, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105), in part, "[c]opyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government". Please contact us regarding any inaccuracies with the above information. Thank you. |
|||||||||||
Metadata | ||||||||||||
Added By | David Stubblebine | |||||||||||
Photo Size | 1,188 x 951 pixels |
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Please help us spread the word: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Visitor Submitted Comments
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
Search WW2DB

News
- » The Emperor of Japan Planned to Honor WW2-era Japanese POWs in Mongolia (4 Jul 2025)
- » US State Lawmaker John Winter Caught Using Racial Slur "Jap" and Apologized (11 Jun 2025)
- » Köln/Cologne Evacuated After Discovery of WW2 Bombs (4 Jun 2025)
- » Race, Holocaust, and African-American WW2 Histories Removed from the US Naval Academy Library (7 Apr 2025)
- » US Government Plans to Purge WW2 Information (17 Mar 2025)
- » See all news
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,178 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 45,089 timeline entries
- » 1,245 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 376 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 261 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,480 photos
- » 365 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil."General Douglas MacArthur at Leyte, 17 Oct 1944
Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!
15 Oct 2016 10:30:04 PM
Lt Cmdr McCandless’ Medal of Honor citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and exceptionally distinguished service above and beyond the call of duty as communication officer of the U.S.S. San Francisco in combat with enemy Japanese forces in the battle off Savo Island, 12–13 November 1942. In the midst of a violent night engagement, the fire of a determined and desperate enemy seriously wounded Lt. Comdr. McCandless and rendered him unconscious, killed or wounded the admiral in command, his staff, the captain of the ship, the navigator, and all other personnel on the navigating and signal bridges. Faced with the lack of superior command upon his recovery, and displaying superb initiative, he promptly assumed command of the ship and ordered her course and gunfire against an overwhelmingly powerful force. With his superiors in other vessels unaware of the loss of their admiral, and challenged by his great responsibility, Lt. Comdr. McCandless boldly continued to engage the enemy and to lead our column of following vessels to a great victory. Largely through his brilliant seamanship and great courage, the San Francisco was brought back to port, saved to fight again in the service of her country.