The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Chief Machinist’s Mate John S. Russell, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty on the occasion of a fire on the U.S.S. CLEVELAND, at sea, on 16 February 1918. Chief Machinist’s Mate Russell, with others, descended into a compartment over the aftermagazine filled with smoke and suffocating fumes and successfully extinguished the fire after forty-five minutes work.