Turpin was born on August 20, 1876, in Long Branch, New Jersey, and enlisted in the United States Navy in New York City on November 4, 1896.

[1] He was a mess attendant on the battleship USS Maine (ACR-1) when it exploded in Havana Harbor, Cuba, under mysterious circumstances on the night of February 15, 1898.

When that ship was raising steam for a departure from San Diego, California, on July 21, 1905, she suffered a boiler explosion that sent men and machinery into the air and killed 66 of the 102 sailors aboard.

[3] Eleven men were awarded the Medal of Honor for "extraordinary heroism displayed at the time of the explosion",[7] but Turpin was not among them.

[9] According to Naval History and Heritage Command, he helped to successfully raise the sunken ship USS F-4 on 29 August 1915.

He volunteered to tour Navy training facilities and defense plants to make "inspirational visits" to African American sailors.