Early Life Clement Miner Lawrence was born in 1897 to William Miner Lawrence and Lavinia Oliver. He grew up in the early twentieth century, a period in which many young Americans were inspired toward national service by the U.S. Navy and the expanding U.S. Coast Guard.

Military Service Clement enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and attained the rank of Petty Officer First Class. His primary rate was Quartermaster, a rate responsible for navigation, piloting, and maintenance of charts and instruments. In 1918 he was serving aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa, which had been transferred to the U.S. Navy for wartime duty during the First World War.

Death in the First World War On 26 September 1918, while in the Briston Channel, returning to port after escorting a convoy from Gibraltar, the cutter Tampa was torpedoed by a German submarine. The ship sank with the loss of all 131 on board, including 111 Coast Guardsmen, 4 U.S. Navy personnel, and 16 passengers and British naval ratings. Clement Lawrence was among the casualties. The sinking of the Tampa was one of the greatest single losses of life in Coast Guard history.

Legacy Clement’s name is recorded among the Coast Guardsmen who died in World War I. The loss of the Tampa is still commemorated annually by the Coast Guard, and those who perished with her are honored for their service.

Ann Abel, a relation of Clement, and Commandant Papp

On May 23, 2013, Coast Guard Commandant Robert Papp, Jr. presented the Purple Heart, posthumously to families of Quartermaster Clement Miner Lawrence, who lost his life in the sinking of the Coast Guard Cutter TAMPA in World War I.