Charles Lawrence Ausburne was born 26 July 1889 in New Orleans, LA. He enlisted in the Navy on 25 February 1908 as an apprentice seaman and on 1 March 1916 he began his third enlistment in the U.S. Navy. By October 1917 Charles Lawrence Ausburne was serving as an Electrician's Mate First Class on the SS Antilles, a U.S. Army transport ship.

The SS Antilles left Quiberon Bay, France on 16 October 1917, bound for America. At daybreak of 17 October 1917, the SS Antilles was hit by a torpedo from the German submarine U-62 and went down in four and a half minutes. Charles Lawrence Ausburne, with the full knowledge that his ship was sinking, bravely maintained his station at the emergency wireless in an effort to summon aid for his shipmates.

Charles Lawrence Ausburne slipped beneath the sea with his ship and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, the U.S. Navy's second highest award for valor.

The photo of the SS Antilles is courtesy of Rich Ausburn.

Rich is the grandnephew of Charles Lawrence Ausburne.

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