The Navy Cross is the United States naval services' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force.SECNAVYINST 2006, 1650.1H, P. 2--22&23 The medal is equivalent to the Distinguished Service Cross of the United States Army, the Air Force Cross of the United States Air Force and Space Force, and the Coast Guard Cross of the United States Coast Guard; collectively, these awards are known as the "service crosses".
The Navy Cross is bestowed by the secretary of the Navy and may also be awarded to members of the other armed services, and to foreign military personnel while serving with the U.S. naval services. The Navy Cross was established by Act of Congress (Public Law 65-253) and approved on February 4, 1919.
History The Navy Cross was instituted in part due to the entrance of the United States into World War I. Many European nations had the custom of decorating heroes from other nations, but the Medal of Honor was the sole U.S. award for valor at the time. The Army instituted the Distinguished Service Cross and Distinguished Service Medal in 1918, while the Navy followed suit in 1919, retroactive to 6 April 1917. Originally, the Navy Cross was lower in precedence than the Medal of Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, because it was awarded for both combat heroism and for "other distinguished service". Congress revised this on 7 August 1942, making the Navy Cross a combat-only decoration that follows the Medal of Honor in order of precedence. Since the medal was established, it has been awarded more than 6,300 times. It was designed by James Earle Fraser. Since the September 11 attacks the Navy Cross has been awarded 47 times, with two having the name of the recipient held in secret. One of those secret awardings was due to Marine Gunnery Sergeant Tate Jolly's actions during the 2012 Benghazi attack.
Criteria
The Navy Cross may be awarded to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces while serving with the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard (when a part of the Department of the Navy) who distinguishes themselves in action by extraordinary heroism not justifying an award of the Medal of Honor. The action must take place under one of three circumstances: In combat action while engaged against an enemy of the United States; or, In combat action while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or, In combat action while serving with friendly foreign forces, who are engaged in armed conflict in which the United States is not a belligerent party.
The act(s) to be commended must be performed in the presence of great danger, or at great personal risk, and must be performed in such a manner as to render the individual's action(s) highly conspicuous among others of equal grade, rate, experience, or position of responsibility. An accumulation of minor acts of heroism does not justify an award of the Navy Cross.
As originally authorized, the Navy Cross could be awarded for distinguished non-combat acts, but legislation of 7 August 1942 limited the award to acts of combat heroism. Past Navy Cross awards for merit, such as to 9th Chief of Naval Operations Fleet Admiral Ernest King, were unaffected by the change in criteria.
Wear The Navy Cross originally was the Navy's third-highest decoration, after the Medal of Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. On 7 August 1942, Congress revised the order of precedence, placing the Navy Cross above the Distinguished Service Medal in precedence. Since that time, the Navy Cross has been worn after the Medal of Honor and before all other awards.
Additional awards of the Navy Cross are denoted by gold or silver inch stars affixed to the suspension and service ribbon of the medal. A gold star would be issued for each of the second through fifth awards, to be replaced by a silver star which would indicate a sixth award. To date no one has received more than five awards.
Description Medal Obverse: The medal is a modified cross pattée one and a half inches wide. The ends of its arms are rounded whereas a conventional cross patée has arms that are straight on the end. There are four laurel leaves with berries in each of the re-entrant arms of the cross. In the center of the cross, a sailing vessel is depicted on waves, sailing to the viewer's left.
Reverse: In the center of the medal, a bronze cross pattée, one and a half inches wide, are crossed anchors from the pre-1850 period, with cables attached. The letters USN are evident amid the anchors.
The earliest version of the Navy Cross (1919–1928) featured a more narrow strip of white, while the so-called "Black Widow" medals awarded from 1941 to 1942 were notable for the dark color due to over-anodized finish. The medal is similar in appearance to the British Distinguished Service Cross.
Service Ribbon The service ribbon is navy blue with a center stripe of white identical to the suspension ribbon of the medal.
Symbolism The vessel depicted on the obverse is a symbolic caravel of the type used between 1480 and 1500. Designer James Earle Fraser selected the caravel because it was a symbol often used by the Naval Academy and because it represented both naval service and the tradition of the sea. The laurel leaves with berries refer to achievement.
On the service ribbon, the blue alludes to naval service; the white represents the purity of selflessness.
Recipients
Recipients of Five Navy Crosses Only two individuals have achieved the distinction of five Navy Crosses, representing the pinnacle of sustained combat leadership. Roy M. Davenport (USN): Submarine Commander of the . He remains the only sailor to earn five Navy Crosses. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller (USMC): Marine infantry leader during World War II and the Korean War. He is the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.
Recipients of Four Navy Crosses Slade Cutter (USN): Submarine Commander noted for aggressive patrols in the Pacific theater. Samuel D. Dealey (USN): Commanding officer of the ; also a posthumous Medal of Honor recipient. Glynn R. Donaho (USN): Key figure in the Pacific submarine campaign. Eugene B. Fluckey (USN): Commander of the ; also a Medal of Honor recipient. Antone R. Gallaher (USN) Harold R. Mazza (USN): Only Naval aviator to receive four Navy Crosses. One of them for contributing to the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamato in April 1945. Dudley W. Morton (USN): Known as "Mush" Morton, commander of the .
Notable Multiple Recipients (3 or more Navy Crosses)
Submarine Service Bernard A. Clarey: Recognized for three distinct patrols of extraordinary heroism. Richard H. O’Kane: Commander of the ; Medal of Honor recipient. William H. Brockman Jr.: Awarded for his leadership during the Battle of Midway and subsequent patrols. Creed Burlingame: Commander of the during three highly successful war patrols. Frank Wesley Fenno Jr.: Awarded three Navy Crosses, including for his command of the .
Naval Aviation Noel A. M. Gayler: One of the few pilots to earn three Navy Crosses for aerial victories. Arthur R. Hawkins: A prolific Navy Ace who earned three Navy Crosses. Swede Vejtasa: Stanley Winfield Vejtasa, earned three Navy Crosses in the Pacific theater. Samuel Adams: Combat pilot awarded three Navy Crosses for Midway and Coral Sea. Herbert N. Houck: Commander of Air Group 9, recognized for strikes on Japanese naval forces. Cornelius N. Nooy: One of the highest-scoring aces in the history of the Navy. Marc A. Mitscher: Admiral and pioneer of naval aviation.
Surface Warfare and Marine Corps Evans F. Carlson: Leader of the famed "Carlson's Raiders." William A. Lee: A key figure in the Marine Corps, recognized for heroism in multiple actions. Harold C. Roberts: Distinguished Marine officer across three conflicts. Frederick C. Sherman: Admiral and carrier commander at the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Notable recipients
United States Navy
Laurence A. Abercrombie (three awards) Samuel Adams (naval officer) (three awards) James Thomas Alexander, 35th Naval Governor of Guam Adelbert Althouse, 27th and 29th Naval Governor of Guam Jackson D. Arnold Barry K. Atkins William B. Ault Bernard L. Austin, (two awards) John Arnold Austin, namesake of Matthew Axelson Edward L. Beach Jr. Richard Halsey Best Claude C. Bloch John Bradley William F. Bringle Robert P. Briscoe William H. Brockman Jr. (three awards) Phil H. Bucklew (two awards) John D. Bulkeley (also a Medal of Honor (MOH) and 2 Army Distinguished Service Crosses (DSC)s) William O. Burch (three awards) Arleigh A. Burke Creed Burlingame (3 awards) Richard E. Byrd (also an MOH) Robert Carney Charles P. Cecil (two awards), namesake of Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon Bernard A. Clarey (three awards) George Thomas Coker James J. Connell Richard L. Conolly Walter W. Coolbaugh, namesake of George Franklin Cooper Ralph W. Cousins William P. Cronan, 19th Naval Governor of Guam William Michael Crose, 7th Governor of American Samoa Randy "Duke" Cunningham Winfield Scott Cunningham Maurice E. Curts Slade Cutter (four awards) Roy M. Davenport (five awards) Albert David (two awards and an MOH) Arthur C. Davis, (three awards) Samuel David Dealey (four awards, an Army DSC and an MOH) James Charles Dempsey, (two awards) Dieter Dengler Clarence E. Dickinson, (three awards) Danny Dietz Glynn R. "Donc" Donaho (four awards) Mark L. Donald William P. Driscoll Thomas M. Dykers, (two awards) Laurance T. DuBose, (three awards) Thomas Eadie (two awards and an MOH) Henry E. Eccles Richard S. Edwards Joseph F. Enright Harry D. Felt William Charles Fitzgerald namesake of Eugene B. Fluckey (four awards and an MOH) Luis Fonseca James Shepherd Freeman Neldon Theo French namesake of Ignatius J. Galantin William Gilmer, 22nd and 24th Naval Governor of Guam George William Grider, U.S. Representative to the 89th Congress Robert Halperin William Halsey Jr. one of four WWII Fleet Admirals and namesake of and Robert W. Hayler (three awards), namesake of Arthur Ray Hawkins (three awards) Henry Kent Hewitt (two awards) Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee, (first female recipient), namesake of William A. Hodgman, 23rd Naval Governor of Guam Gilbert C. Hoover, (three awards) John Howard Hoover Frederick J. Horne John Howard Royal E. Ingersoll Jonas H. Ingram (also an MOH) Richard H. Jackson Edward C. Kalbfus Draper Kauffman (two awards) Charles Keating IV Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (posthumously, member of the Kennedy family and brother of the 35th U.S. President Ira C. Kepford (two awards) Ernest J. King, 9th Chief of Naval Operations, one of four WWII Fleet admirals and namesake of Thomas B. Klakring (three awards) Norman Jack "Dusty" Kleiss Hugo W. Koehler Edmond Konrad (two awards) George Landenberger, 23rd Governor of American Samoa John H. Lang Harris Laning William D. Leahy one of four WWII Fleet Admirals and namesake of Willis A. Lee Gatewood Lincoln, 22nd Governor of American Samoa Elliott Loughlin (two awards) Marcus Luttrell Harold John Mack John S. McCain Sr. David McCampbell (also an MOH) Benjamin McCandlish, 36th Naval Governor of Guam John McCloy (also two MOH) C. Wade McClusky Donald L. McFaul Charles H. McMorris, namesake of Luke McNamee, 10th and 12th Naval Governor of Guam, and 21st Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence Doris "Dorie" Miller (first African American recipient), namesake of and Hugh B. Miller (two awards) Marc Mitscher (three awards) John Anderson Moore (three awards) Dudley W. "Mush" Morton, (four awards) Jesse W. Naul Jr. (also two Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFC)s) Louis McCoy Nulton Edward "Butch" O'Hare (also an MOH) Richard H. "Dick" O'Kane, (three awards and an MOH) Chick Parsons (two awards) Edwin Taylor Pollock John Martin Poyer, 12th Governor of American Samoa