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Navy Cross

When the United States entered the First World War, the country had no other meritorious decoration than the Medal of Honor. It had no decoration to recognize heroic actions that could not apply for the Medal of Honor. To fill this gap, the US Army instituted the Distinguished Service Cross and the Distinguished Service Medal in 1918. The Navy and Marine Corps followed somewhat later.
On February 4th 1919, the Navy Cross was instituted by act of Congress as the third highest Naval decoration after the Navy Medal of Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.

This made the medal not very popular. Most servicemen regarded it as a minor decoration.
The Navy Cros was made retroactive till April 6th 1917. On August 7th 1942, the Congress upgraded the medal and placed it directly under the Medal of Honor. It then became a combat-only recognition.

The Navy Cross was designed by James Earl Fraser. Through the years it knew some differences. The medal itself has always been the same. It is a three part construction. The cross and the front and the back of the medallion are struck separately and soldered together. The earliest version (1919-1928) wears a ribbon with a very narrow white stripe on the blue cloth. The medal has mostly a dull, greenish bronze colour. The later issues (1928-1941) have a more custom .5" white stripe on the ribbon and are of a more darker, gunmetal bronze.
The cross is designed as a modified cross that measures 1,5 inches wide. The ends of the arms are rounded. On each re-entrant arms of the cross can be found a bunch of laurel leaves with berries to represent achievement. In the centre is depicted a sailing vessel on waves, sailing to the left. The ship is a so called Caravelle, symbolic for sailing ships of the 14th century.
The reverse bears crossed anchors of the pre-1850 period, with attached cables. In the mid can be found the letters USN.
The ribbon is in Navy Blue with a white stripe in the center, to represent the Navy service and the purity of selflessness.

The Navy Cross may be awarded to any person who, while serving with the Navy or Marine Corps, distinguishes himself in action by extraordinary heroism not justifying an award of the Medal of Honor. The action must take place under one of three circumstances: while engaged in action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or, while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict in which the United States is not a belligerent party. To earn a Navy Cross the act 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 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.

Replicas are almost without exception struck out of one piece instead of the original three piece construction. During the years 1941-1942 a variation was seen that was nicknamed "Black Widow" with a blackened finish of the medal. Most of these awards were awarded posthumously. From the mid of World War Two the more original dull bronze finish was once more adapted.

Abel, Brent Maxwell* May 16th, 1916
† December 26th, 2005

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Abele, Mannert Lincoln (USN)* July 11th, 1903
† August 16th, 1942

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Grid List
NameDate of birthDate of deathAwards
Padberg, John William  
Paddock, Merlin N.15-03-191716-04-1945
Page, John Donald  
Page, John Edward  
Pagel, Joseph Lloyd  
Paland, Richard Warren  
Palermo, Carlo  
Palmer, Fitzhugh Lee, Jr.  
Palmer, Frank L.  
Palmer, George Goldston  
Pancake, Lee Sylvester  
Panther, Richard D.  
Paquet, Freeman, Jr.  
Paredes, Osbaldo Rivera  
Parham, William B.  
Parish, Herman Olliff  
Parish, Warren Griffith  
Parker, Alton Enoch  
Parker, Edward Nelson "Butch"28-07-190415-10-1989more
Parker, Edwin B., Jr.  
Parker, Raymond D.  
Parker, Robert Brownwell  
Parker, Thaddeus  
Parker, Walter G.  
Parker, Wayne Albert  
Parker, William H.  
Parker, William Whiteford  
Parks, Floyd B.  
Parks, Lewis Cmith  
Parks, Verrill G.  
Parmelee, Erwin Clark  
Parmiley, Norman B.  
Parrish, Warren Coleman  
Parrott, John Oliver  
Parrott, Robert L.  
Parsons, Charles  
Paskoski, Joseph John  
Patrick, Goldsbrough Serpell  
Patterson, William Webb10-01-1924 
Pattie, Donald Archie09-04-191827-01-2014
Pattison, William Joseph  
Pauk, John Frederick00-00-192500-06-2014
Pauley, Chester, Jr.  
Paulos, Jim J.  
Paxton, Norman L.  
Payne, Frederick Rounsville, Jr.31-07-1911 
Payne, Owen  
Payne, Richard B.  
Paynter, William Kuen  
Pearce, Harry P.  
Peatross, Oscar F.  
Peck, George William  
Peiffer, Carl David  
Pendleton, Walton Barclay24-11-189709-12-1972
Penland, Joe Robert  
Pennell, Edward S. 00-00-1998
Penninger, Fred B.  
Pennoyer, Paul Geddes, Jr.  
Percy, George A.  
Percy, Gilbert  
Perkins, Charles E.  
Perrault, Howard E.  
Perry, Frank Chase  
Perry, John W.  
Perry, Lucas John  
Perry, William W., Jr.  
Peters, Dale L.  
Peters, James McClellan  
Petersen, John Donald  
Petersen, Wallis Frederick  
Peterson, Dale W.18-11-191909-05-1943
Peterson, Earl Donald03-04-192120-12-1975
Peterson, George Edmund02-04-190205-04-1989
Peterson, Herbert Augustus07-04-1900 
Peterson, John D.  
Peterson, Richard Ward19-12-190814-04-1999
Peterson, Robert James "Pete"12-08-191714-02-1966
Peterson, William Edgar, Jr.10-05-1907 
Petrie, Clarence E.  
Petritz, George K.  
Pettengill, Ralph  
Pettit, Robert Lee  
Pettus, Frances C.  
Pfannkuch, Orville E.  
Pflum, Raymond J.  
Philip, George, Jr.14-04-191216-06-1945
Phillips, Charles Emery  
Phillips, George Lincoln18-11-1903 
Phillips, John Lloyd, Jr.  
Phillips, John Spinning28-02-189517-12-1975
Phillips, Richard Heldsden  
Philpott, Gordon C.  
Phipps, Peter00-00-190918-09-1989
Piaseczny, William L.  
Pierce, Francis E., Jr.  
Pierce, George Ellis  
Pierce, Harold G.  
Pierce, John Reeves03-11-190610-01-1943
Pierce, Warren H.  
Pilcher, Warren Fitch, Jr.07-08-1917 
Pilewski, George S.  
Pinckney, William27-04-1915 
Pinkerton, David W., Jr.  
Pinney, George Robert08-01-192219-09-2011
Pinter, Alponse A.  
Pittman, William Robinson  
Pitts, Ray Maurer  
Plant, Ray U., Jr.  
Platt, Calvin  
Ploss, Richard S.  
Plumley, Merwyn C.  
Poepper, James Raymond02-02-192425-12-1964
Pohtilla, William Carl17-11-191826-07-1991
Poitras, Edwin William04-09-1922 
Polakowski, Casimir R.  
Polk, Harold E.  
Polk, Lucille O.18-10-1912 
Polk, Marley Ollen  
Pollock, Daniel C.  
Pollock, Edwin Allen21-03-189905-11-1982more
Pond, Kenneth Arthur 10-09-1942
Pool, Chester J.  
Poole, Minor Butler  
Porras, Charles Victor, Jr. (USN)  
Porter, George E., Jr.  
Porter, William Whitaker  
Portz, Warner P.  
Post, William Shuyler, Jr.  more
Potter, Albert Marshall, Jr.  
Potter, Charles S. (USN)  
Pottersnak, Charles J.  
Pottorff, David M.  
Poulin, Andrew Victor00-00-1921 
Poulson, Oscar, Jr.  
Pound, Harold Clay "Froggy"20-12-190301-03-1942
Pound, Henry T.  
Powell, Ernest A.  
Powell, Robert Francis  
Powell, Ward F.  
Powell, William Thomas  
Powers, Bernard J.  
Powers, Charles R.  
Powers, Harry Adams  
Powers, James J.12-05-1917 
Powers, Oswald A.  
Powers, Robert A.  
Prahar, Temple F.  
Prater, Leonard Rolla  
Prater, Luther Delano, Jr.  
Pratt, Richard R.  
Pratt, Theodore C.  
Prendergast, George, Jr.  
Prendergast, James F.  
Presley, Frank H.00-00-1920 
Presley, Sam Davis  
Pressler, Louis Philip, Jr.18-01-191625-02-1990more
Preston, Benjamin G.  
Preston, Benjamin S., Jr.  
Prewitt, Vance Carlyle  
Price, John Dale  
Prickett, Samuel Lee, Jr.  
Pritchett, Benjamin F., Jr.  
Prosek, Gilbert George  
Prosser, Bruce  
Pucci, Ralph Francis  
Puckett, David Oliver  
Puller, Lewis Burwell "Chesty"26-06-189811-10-1971more
Putnam, Paul Albert00-00-192600-00-1953
Pyne, George C.  

Sources