The Victoria Cross at Sea: The Sailors, Marines and Naval Airmen Awarded Britain's Highest Honor

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.