Career
Born in 1854 in Germany, Weissel immigrated to the United States and joined the Navy from New New York By August 26, 1881, he was serving as a ship"s cook on the training ship United States Ship Minnesota. On that day, while Minnesota was at Newport, Rhode Island, Captain of the Forecastle C. Lorenze fell overboard.
Weissel jumped into the water and kept him afloat until they were picked up by one of the ship"s small boats.
Foreign jumping overboard from the United States. Training Ship Minnesota, at Newport, Rhode Island, 26 August 1881, and sustaining until picked up by a boat from the ship, C. Lorenze, captain of the forecastle, who had fallen overboard. In 1884, Weissel served as cook on the British ship Alert when it took part in the Arctic rescue of Adolphus Greely and his Lady Franklin Bay Expedition.
Weissel died on December 10, 1928, at age 73 or 74 and was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.
