The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest

military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion. Civil decorations award ...

awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army's Distinguished Service Cross, the Air and Space Forces' Air Force Cross, and the Coast Guard Cross. The Navy Cross is bestowed by the

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

and may also be awarded to members of the other armed services, and to foreign military personnel while serving with the U.S. Naval Service. 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 World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Many European nations had the custom of decorating heroes from other nations, but the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

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 The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to Sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritorio ...

, 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

11 September 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

the Navy Cross has been awarded 47 times, with two of them 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

. 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 The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...

Fleet Admiral

Ernest King Ernest Joseph King (23 November 1878 – 25 June 1956) was a Fleet admiral (United States), fleet admiral in the United States Navy who served as Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (COMINCH) and Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) during Worl ...

, were unaffected by the change in criteria.

Wear

The Navy Cross originally was the Navy's third-highest decoration, after the

and the

. 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 and symbolism

; Medal Obverse: The medal is a modified

cross pattée A cross pattée or cross patty (, ), also known as a cross formée or cross formy, or even a Templar cross, is a type of Christian cross with arms that are narrow at the centre and often flared in a curve or straight line shape to be broader at th ...

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. The vessel is a symbolic caravel of the type used between 1480 and 1500. 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. 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 Navy blue is a dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color name, ...

with a center stripe of

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

identical to the suspension ribbon of the medal. The blue alludes to naval service; the white represents the purity of selflessness.

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

(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 This is a list of Governor (United States), governors, etc. of the part of the Samoan Islands (now comprising American Samoa) under United States administration since 1900. From 1900 to 1978 governors were appointed by the Federal government o ...

* 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 * Antone R. Gallaher (four awards) * 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 Admiral An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

s 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 John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...

* Royal E. Ingersoll *

Jonas H. Ingram Jonas Howard Ingram (October 15, 1887 – September 9, 1952) was an officer in the United States Navy during World War I and World War II. He commanded the United States Atlantic Fleet during World War II and was a recipient of the Medal of Hon ...

(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

, 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 George Bertram Landenberger (May 12, 1879 – January 15, 1936) was a United States Navy Captain and the governor of American Samoa, from May 12, 1932, to April 10, 1934. Landenberger commanded many ships during his naval career, as well as two na ...

, 23rd Governor of American Samoa * John H. Lang * Harris Laning *

William D. Leahy William Daniel Leahy ( ; 6 May 1875 – 20 July 1959) was an American naval officer and was the most senior United States military officer on active duty during World War II; he held several titles and exercised considerable influence over for ...

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 *

Marc Mitscher Marc Andrew "Pete" Mitscher (January 26, 1887 – February 3, 1947) was a pioneer in naval aviation who became an admiral in the United States Navy, and served as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force in the Pacific during World War II. E ...

(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 * Lawson P. Ramage (two awards and an MOH) * DeWitt Clinton Ramsey * Joseph M. Reeves * George S. Rentz, namesake of * Frederick Lois Riefkohl * Samuel B. Roberts * Samuel Robison * Dean Rockwell * Maurice H. Rindskopf * Tony F. Schneider,''University of New Mexico NROTC Sun Line'' Vol.IV No.1 November 1965 (two awards) * Frank Herman Schofield * David F. Sellers * Benedict J. Semmes Jr. * Forrest P. Sherman * Rodger W. Simpson (two awards) *

Harold Page Smith Admiral Harold Page Smith (February 17, 1904 – January 4, 1993) was a United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is th ...

* Charles P. Snyder * Raymond A. Spruance * Giles C. Stedman * George L. Street III (also an MOH) * Felix Stump (two awards) * John Thach (two awards) * Robert J. Thomas * John H. Towers * Charles R. Train * Richmond K. Turner *

Frank B. Upham Frank Brooks Upham (7 September 1872 – 15 September 1939) served in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War and as an admiral during World War I. Biography Born at Fort Apache, Arizona, Fort Apache, Arizona Territory Upham wa ...

* Stanley W. Vejtasa, (three awards) also a USN

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

* Corydon M. Wassell * Ivan Wettengel, 25th Naval Governor of Guam * James E. Williams, (also an MOH and two

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

s) * Adam Williams (awarded as Adam William Berg) * Royce Williams * Clark H. Woodward (also two Distinguished Service Medals) * Harry E. Yarnell

United States Marine Corps

* Robert H. Barrow (also an Army Distinguished Service Cross (DSC)) * John Basilone (also a

(MOH)), namesake of * Victor Bleasdale (two awards and an Army DSC) * John F. Bolt * Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (also an MOH) * Martin Brandtner (two awards) * William Perry Brown Jr. (two awards) * James Carson Breckinridge * Marion Eugene Carl (two awards) * Evans Carlson (three awards) * Clifton B. Cates (also two Army DSCs) * Brian Chontosh * George R. Christmas * Julius Cogswell, (also an Army DSC) * Andrew F. Cook Jr., namesake of * Dallas H. Cook, namesake of * Alfred A. Cunningham * William H. Dabney * Joseph W. Dailey * Daniel Daly (also two MOHs and an Army DSC) * Ray Davis (also an MOH) * James Devereux * William A. Eddy * Merritt A. Edson (two awards and an MOH) * John W. Frederick Jr., ( Vietnam War POW) * Raymond Frybarger Jr., namesake of * Guy Gabaldon * Patrick “Bob” Gallagher, namesake of * Roy Geiger (two awards) * Herman H. Hanneken (two awards and an MOH) * Robert M. Hanson (also an MOH) * Myron Harrington Jr. * Leo D. Hermle (also an Army DSC) *

Thomas Holcomb General (United States), General Thomas Holcomb (August 5, 1879 – May 24, 1965) was a United States Marine Corps officer who served as the seventeenth Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, Commandant of the Marine Corps from 1936 to 19 ...

* Edward Buist Hope, (also an Army DSC) * Henry L. Hulbert (also an MOH and an Army DSC) * George Victor Jmaeff * Bradley Kasal * Treddy Ketcham * Victor H. Krulak * Henry Louis Larsen (two awards) * Kurt Chew-Een Lee * Justin LeHew * William K. MacNulty * Victor Maghakian * William Edward Campbell March *

Karl Marlantes Karl Arthur Marlantes (born December 24, 1944) is an American author and Vietnam War veteran. He has written four books: '' Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War'' (2010), ''What It Is Like to Go to War'' (2011), ''Deep River'' (20 ...

* Pete McCloskey * John McNulty (U.S. Marine Corps) (also an Army DSC) * Raymond Murray (two awards and an Army DSC) * Peter J. Ortiz (two awards) * Rafael Peralta * Edwin A. Pollock * Lewis "Chesty" Puller, (five awards and an Army DSC) * Paul A. Putnam * John H. Quick (also an MOH and an Army DSC) * Kenneth L. Reusser (two awards) * John Ripley * Harold C. Roberts (three awards) * Ford O. Rogers *

James Roosevelt James Roosevelt II (December 23, 1907 – August 13, 1991) was an American businessman, Marine officer, activist, and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician. The eldest son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor R ...

* William H. Rupertus * John H. Russell Jr. * Al Schmid * Harry Schmidt *

Harold G. Schrier Harold George Schrier born " Harold George Schreier"(October 17, 1916 – June 3, 1971) was a United States Marine Corps Lieutenant colonel (United States), lieutenant colonel who served in World War II and the Korean War. In World War II, he was ...

* Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. (also an Army DSC) * Robert Taplett *

Alexander Vandegrift Alexander Archer Vandegrift (March 13, 1887 – May 8, 1973) was a United States Marine Corps highly decorated four-star general (United States), general, Medal of Honor recipient, and a Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, Commandant of ...

(also an MOH) * Lew Walt (two awards) *

Jim Webb James Henry Webb Jr. (born February 9, 1946) is an American politician and author. He has served as a United States senator from Virginia, Secretary of the Navy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Counsel for the United States ...

* John H. Yancey (two awards) * George Yarborough, namesake of * Jeremiah Workman

United States Army

* Stephen J. Chamberlin * Rex T. Barber * Thomas George Lanphier Jr. * John W. Mitchell * John U.D. Page

United States Coast Guard

* Frederick C. Billard * Raymond Evans * Elmer Fowler Stone * Philip F. Roach

Non-U.S. recipients

* Nikolai Basistiy, Soviet Union (Soviet Navy, 1943) * Gordon Bridson, New Zealand (Royal New Zealand Navy, 1943) * Campbell Howard Buchanan, New Zealand (Royal New Zealand Navy, 1943) * Ernesto Burzagli, Italy (Royal Italian Navy, 1919) * Harold Farncomb, Australia (Royal Australian Navy, 1945) * Israel Fisanovich, Soviet Union (Soviet Navy, 1944) * Donald Gilbert Kennedy, New Zealand (British Solomon Islands Protectorate Defence Force, 1945) *

Seizō Kobayashi Admiral was a Japanese naval commander, commander of the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy (1931–1933) and the 17th Governor-General of Taiwan (1936–1940). Early life and career Kobayashi was born in 1877 in Hiroshima and pursue ...

, Japan (Imperial Japanese Navy) * Émile Henry Muselier, France (Free French Naval Forces, 1919) * Peter Phipps, New Zealand (Royal New Zealand Navy, 1943) * Ronald Niel Stuart, first

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer to receive both the American Navy Cross and the British

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

(Royal Navy, 1927) * Ivan Travkin, Soviet Union (Soviet Navy, 1942) * Tran Van Bay, South Vietnam (Army of the Republic of Vietnam, 1967) * Nguyen Van Kiet, South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam Navy, 1972) * , Soviet Union (Soviet Navy, 1944)

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Navy Cross – Criteria, Background, and Images
{{Authority control * Awards and decorations of the United States Coast Guard Awards and decorations of the United States Marine Corps Awards and decorations of the United States Navy Awards established in 1919 Courage awards Works by James Earle Fraser (sculptor)