Naval Victoria Crosses (VCs) have been awarded to deserving service members in places as far apart in time and distance as the Baltic in 1854 and Japan in 1945; in the trenches from the Crimea to the Western Front; in harbors from Dar es Salaam to Zeebrugge; and from the Barents Sea to the Java Sea.
They have been earned in battleships and trawlers; in submarines below the water and aircraft above it; on horseback; and on foot. Age, rank, race, and country of birth were not prerequisites. Yet every recipient had one thing in common--uncommon valor.