John Henry Turpin, Chief Gunner's Mate, U.S. Navy, circa in the 1940s (NH 89471) - Original

Per history.navy.mil: John Henry ("Dick") Turpin, Chief Gunner's Mate, USN (retired) (1876-1962), one of the first African-American Chief Petty Officers in the United States Navy. Turpin survived the explosions of USS Maine (ACR-1) in 1898 and USS Bennington (PG-4) in 1905, reportedly the only person to survive both.
This photograph appears to have been taken during or after World War II. Turpin enlisted in the Navy in 1896. A survivor of the explosions on USS Maine (1898) and USS Bennington (1905), he became a Chief Gunner's Mate in 1917. Transferred to the Fleet Reserve in 1919, CGM Turpin retired in 1925. Qualified as a Master Diver, he was also employed as a Master Rigger at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, and, during the World War II era, made inspirational visits to U.S. Navy Training Centers and defense plants.