Awards of
World War IIThe Navy Cross is the highest military decoration of the United States Navy, and second in seniority to the Medal of Honor in the entire United States award system.
Materials
Bronze.
Artist
James Earl Fraser.
Awarded to
Officers and enlisted men of the United States Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps.
Reasons for the award
For exceptionally heroic action in combat by a soldier or officer of the Navy, Coast Guard, or Marine Corps Infantry who cannot be recognized with the highest award—the Medal of Honor.
During World War II, 3,959 people were awarded the Navy Cross. Among them, 2,889 were enlisted in the Navy, 1,030 in the Marine Corps, 6 in the Coast Guard, 4 in the U.S. Army, 10 in the Air Force, 19 foreign nationals, and one civilian.
By the beginning of World War I, the U.S. Navy Cross system had only one award for heroic acts: the Army Medal of Honor and its Navy counterpart. But as the war progressed, heroic acts were numerous, and to somehow maintain the Medal of Honor's status, it was necessary to create a junior award for less significant, but still unequivocally heroic, acts. Thus, in February 1919, the United States Congress established a new award for the Navy – the Navy Cross. Along with it, another award was established, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, and this award was initially considered senior to the Navy Cross. Changes to the award's statutes were made in 1942, and since then, the Navy Cross has become the second-highest award available to sailors. The award was presented for a single act of service and could not be awarded cumulatively for lesser accomplishments.
The award is an equal-armed cross, 38 mm wide. In the center of the cross is a circle depicting a sailing vessel (caravel). On the reverse of the award, within a similar circle are two crossed anchors and the letters "USN" (United States Navy). Four bay leaves with berries extend from each corner of the cross. The Navy Cross is made of three parts: the cross itself and two separate medallions. A number of counterfeits, made as a single piece, also exist. The award is suspended from a blue ribbon with a narrow white stripe down the middle. When awarded repeatedly, the award is not presented, and the ribbon is supplemented with stars for the Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps, and oak leaf clusters for the Army and Air Force.