Awards, Citations and Recognition
earned by the
U.S.S. Little Rock and her Crew
Page last updated: 16 May 2012
This page is an attempt
at cataloging all of the awards and citations earned by the U.S.S.
LITTLE ROCK during her lifetime. This will include ALL verifiable
awards received by the ship and those awarded to individual crew
members during their tour(s) on the Little Rock.
Your input is important to making sure that all such recognition is
displayed here.
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| This section lists the
Unit Awards & Campaign Medals
earned by the U.S.S. Little Rock. The official document that details
all Navy Unit Awards and Campaign Medals is OPNAVNOTE
1650. From this document we
know the USS Little Rock received the following two awards: #1. Navy Expeditionary Service Medal (Cuba)
Qualifying dates: 03 Jan 1961 - 23 Oct 1962 U.S.S. Little Rock's participation dates: 20 Jan 1962 through 26 Jan 1962 #2. Navy "E" Ribbon 0l Jul 1974 through 30 Jun 1975 (See Notes 1. and 2.) Note 1: The Navy "E" Ribbon denotes permanent duty on ships or in squadrons that won the battle efficiency competition after July 1, 1974. This ribbon replaces the "E" patch previously sewn on the right sleeve of the uniform. Note 2: The U.S.S. Little Rock also won the Battle "E" award for Fiscal Year 1961. No ribbon was authorized at that time for winning the Battle "E" competition. See Command Excellence & Efficiency Awards below. Note 3: OPNAVNOTE 1650 says in part: .... "All personnel permanently attached to or serving with cited units listed..... during the period designated, or any part thereof, are entitled to the award. Eligibility may be established by documentary evidence in service records, such as orders to officer personnel or page four service record entry for enlisted members. Note 4: Eligibility for retired, discharged or Fleet Reserve personnel must be determined by the Navy Liaison Office, National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63231-5100 or the Navy Personnel Command. |
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| A. Campaign and
Expeditionary Medals A campaign / expeditionary
medal
is a military decoration awarded to a member of the military who
serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a
geographical
theater. These medals are similar to service medals but carry a higher
status in that the award usually involves deployment to a foreign
region
or service in a combat zone.
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Medal |
The Navy Expeditionary Medal is an award of the United States Navy which was first created on 05 Aug 1936 by Navy Department General Order (N.D.G.O.) #84 of the Department of the Navy. The Navy Expeditionary Medal is awarded to Navy personnel who have operated in foreign territory to engage in operations, both combat and non-combat, for which no other campaign medal has been awarded. Two service medals have been authorized for Navy and Marine Corps personnel who served in Cuban waters during the period of tension that culminated in the Cuban quarantine of 1962. The Navy Expeditionary Medal was authorized for service performed between 03 January 1961 and 23 October 1962 Personnel who were attached to Little Rock, and who actually participated in the given operation, are eligible for the Navy Expeditionary Medal. This includes personnel attached to a squadron or unit embarked. (Members of rear echelons, transients, observers and personnel assigned for short periods of Temporary Additional Duty (TAD) or Training Duty (TD) are not normally eligible for the award.) USS Little Rock personnel who were aboard for the period 20 Jan 1962 through 26 Jan 1962 are authorized to wear the medal. Multiple awards of the Navy Expeditionary Medal to an individual are denoted by service stars. One bronze star is added for each subsequent award after the first, with a silver star used in lieu of five bronze stars. Note: The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal was also authorized for service in the Cuban quarantine from 24 October through 31 December 1962. The USS Little Rock did not qualify for this award. |
Ribbon |
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| B. Command Excellence Awards |
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| Command
Excellence Awards indicate that the ship that bears them has proven to
be superior in a certain field of operations. |
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The Battle Efficiency Award
(now called the Battle Effectiveness Award), is awarded annually to
U.S. Navy ships and other units that win their battle effectiveness
competition.
The award signifies the overall readiness of the command to carry out
its
assigned wartime tasks as determined over the course of a yearlong
evaluation.
The competition measures the ship's overall ability to meet all its
mission objectives.
Ships and units winning a Battle “E” are authorized to paint a white "E" on their stacks or elsewhere. The E is twice as large as the other E's and is the only award with shadow. For each subsequent consecutive award a "hashmark" is painted below the white E. Winners of five consecutive E's replace the white E and four hashmarks with a Gold "E" with a silver star above the "E". The “E” and any hashmarks are removed in the year the ship or unit first fails to win the award. Prior to 1976, personnel of ships and units that won the Battle "E" were authorized to wear a small cloth "E" on their uniform sleeve, with hashmarks and color corresponding to that displayed on their ship or unit. Starting in 1976 personnel were authorized to wear the Navy "E" Ribbon and Battle "E" Device (See below.). The U.S.S. Little Rock won the Battle "E" in FY61 (01 Oct 1960 - 31 Sep 1961) with a score of 91.26. Personnel aboard the Little Rock during that period are entitled to wear the Battle E Ribbon. |
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| Medal (None Authorized) |
Navy "E" Ribbon
The Navy "E" Ribbon was established in July of 1976 by Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf. The award, commonly known as the Battle "E" is based on a year-long evaluation of individual Navy ships, submarines, aviation and other units, and is awarded annually to units that win their battle efficiency competition. The criterion for the Battle Efficiency Award is overall readiness, and recognizes sustained superior performance in an operational environment within a command. Personnel of ships and units that win the Battle "E" are authorized to wear the Navy "E" Ribbon and Battle "E" Device. Before 1976, they wore a small cloth "E" on their uniform sleeves, with hashmarks and color corresponding to that on their ship or unit. The ribbon denotes permanent duty on U.S. Navy ships or in squadrons that have won a battle efficiency competition. For each award of the Navy "E" Ribbon, one Battle "E" device is authorized for wear on the Navy "E" ribbon, up to the third award. For the fourth and all subsequent awards, the E with wreath device is worn, with no further devices added to the ribbon. The ribbon, itself, is also commonly referred to as the "Battle E" ribbon. |
Ribbon |
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| Medal (None Authorized) |
Navy "E" Patch
Prior to July 1976 the Battle "E" the crew of ships winning the Battle "E" competition wore a small cloth "E" patch on right sleeve of their uniform, with hashmarks and color corresponding to that displayed on their ship or unit. |
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Other Common Command Efficiency Awards
In the case of the above awards, an "E" of the stated color is painted on the ship, with a hashmark of the same color to signify consecutive awards. In the case of five consecutive awards, a star of the same color will be painted, replacing the service hashmarks. All awards, except the Battle E, are 20 inches in length and 25 inches in height without shadow. Command Excellence Awards are painted and displayed on the port and starboard side of the bulwark aft of the Battle "E" Additional
Common Command Awards
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| 2. Ribbons & Medals
Awarded to Individuals |
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| This section lists Official
Ribbons & Medals
presented to crew members while they were aboard the U.S.S.
Little Rock. This list includes only Ribbons and Medals that
were actually earned while
on board the Little Rock. The list is in the order of precedence. That is, the order in which the medals/ribbons are to be worn. The see the complete order of precedence for all military awards, go to "Grunts Military". |
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| Medal (Picture not available) |
On 18 August 1963 the USS Little Rock's helo rescued an Italian woman after the boat in which she was a passenger capsized. Helo Detachment members Lt(jg) Leif A. Elstad, the pilot, received a Silver Commendation of Naval Valor Medal (Italy), Crewman Charles R. Adams ADR3 who jumped to rescue the woman received a Bronze Commendation of Naval Valor (Italy), and crewman G.C. Woody ADJ2 received a Commendation of Naval Valor (Italy). The awards were presented on behalf of the Italian government by Italian Vice Admiral Francesco Baslini at the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno, Italy when the Little Rock was in La Spezia. (Note: The ship's newspaper "Talosman" stated that the awards received were as follows: Lt(jg) Elstad, Bronze Medal of Naval Valor, ADR3 Adams Silver Medal of Naval Valor, and ADJ2 Woody a Commendation of Naval Valor.) Click HERE for more stories involving Lt. Elstad Click HERE for picture of the Helo Detachment |
Ribbon |
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| Medal (Picture not available) |
On 18 August 1963 the USS Little Rock's
helo rescued an Italian woman
after the boat in which she was a passenger capsized. Helo Detachment
members Lt(jg)
Leif A. Elstad, the pilot, received a Silver Commendation of Naval
Valor Medal (Italy),
Crewman Charles R. Adams ADR3
who jumped to rescue the woman
received a Bronze Commendation of
Naval Valor (Italy), and crewman G.C.
Woody ADJ2 received a Commendation of Naval Valor (Italy). The awards
were presented on behalf of the Italian government by Italian Vice
Admiral Francesco Baslini at the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno,
Italy when the Little Rock was in La Spezia.
(Note: The ship's newspaper "Talosman" stated that the awards received were as follows: Lt(jg) Elstad, Bronze Medal of Naval Valor, ADR3 Adams Silver Medal of Naval Valor, and ADJ2 Woody a Commendation of Naval Valor.) |
Ribbon |
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Medal |
The Navy Good Conduct Medal was established by SECNAV on 26 April 1869 to recognize the "all-around" good Navy enlisted person, well qualified in all phases of conduct and performance......... Eligibility Requirements: After 1 November 1963 any 4 years of continuous active service as an enlisted person in the Regular Navy or Naval Reserve. Per NAVADMIN 305/95, After 1 January 1996, the qualifying period of eligibility is 3 years vice 4 years for service terminating after that date........ Attachments. A bronze star, 3/16 inch in diameter will be worn on the suspension ribbon and bar to denote subsequent awards. |
Ribbon |
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| Medal (None Issued) |
D. Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon The Sea Service Deployment
Ribbon (SSDR) is a decoration of the United States Navy established in
May 1980 and retroactively authorized to 15 August 1974. It is awarded
to officer and enlisted personnel of the United States Navy and Marine
Corps
The Sea Service Deployment Ribbon is granted to any member of the U. S. Navy or U. S. Marine Corps assigned to a deployable unit (e.g. a ship, aircraft squadron, detachment, battalion, or other unit type that operates away from its assigned homeport) and is forward-deployed for a period of either 90 consecutive days or two periods of at least 80 days each within a given 12-month period. When a ship's crew qualifies for the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the ship is authorized to paint and display the ribbon and award stars on the port and starboard side of the bulwark aft to designate the number of deployments conducted throughout the commissioned life of the ship. This is one of few Naval service awards that has no corresponding medal. The Sea Service Deployment Ribbon will be awarded retroactive to 15 August 1974. However only one award may be earned for the period 15 August 1974 to 1 January 1979 regardless of the number of years of sea duty or number of deployments made. |
Ribbon |
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| Medal (None Issued) |
On 18 August 1963 the USS Little Rock's helo rescued an Italian woman after the boat in which she was a passenger capsized. Helo Detachment members Lt(jg) Leif A. Elstad, the pilot, received a Silver Commendation of Naval Valor Medal (Italy), Crewman Charles R. Adams ADR3 who jumped to rescue the woman received a Bronze Commendation of Naval Valor (Italy), and crewman G.C. Woody ADJ2 received a Commendation of Naval Valor (Italy). The awards were presented on behalf of the Italian government by Italian Vice Admiral Francesco Baslini at the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno, Italy when the Little Rock was in La Spezia. |
Ribbon (None Issued) |
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| 3. Special Awards and Recognition to
USS Little Rock |
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| The following are
special awards and special recognition made by the US Navy, and by
others, to the U.S.S. Little Rock. |
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All Hands magazine announced in its February 1962 edition that the U.S.S. Little Rock was one of the seven ships in the Atlantic Fleet to win the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for FY 1961. That year the award was presented by the U.S. Navy's Chief of Naval Operations to seven ships in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and to seven ships in the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award was established in 1917 by the (New York) Tribune Association. It was initiated by a contribution which accompanied the following letter:
Prior to World War II income from this fund was used to pay prizes annually to turret and gun crews making the highest scores in short-range battle practice, and to submarine crews making the highest scores in torpedo firing. Since the end of World War II, the Navy has emphasized readiness and fitness of the ship rather than competition between individual departments. Accordingly, the income from the trust fund has been used to promote battle efficiency by its payment to ships which stand first in the intra-type battle efficiency competitions. It has been the policy to rotate eligibility for the award annually among the various type commands. The award includes a small monetary stipend (about $1500 in 2004). Commanding officers receiving the award must put the money into the ship's recreation fund, where it can be spent on athletic equipment, prizes for athletic or marksmanship competitions, recreation room furniture, dances, parties, and similar recreational activities. |
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In June 1976 the USS Little Rock received the Commander
Sixth Fleet "Shipshape and Sharp in 76" award, for best maintained ship
in Sixth Fleet during Bicentennial Year. |
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| 4. Special Awards and
Recognition to Individuals |
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| The following are
special awards and special recognition made by the US Navy, the U.S.S.
Little Rock, and by others, to individual crew members while they were assigned to the Little Rock. |
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A. Bronze Man Award The Bronze Man Award was unique to the U.S.S. Little
Rock. Nothing specific is known about its origin. However, Captain J.
R. Payne in the August 1962 issue of "The Talosman" says "Within the
next few weeks I will announce a procedure whereby deserving men of the
Little Rock will be recognized for outstanding job performance." It
seems that the award was given out at the discretion of the Captain,
and that there was no
designated quantity of awards to be given in a particular time frame.
Likewise it seems that these awards were sometimes presented singly to
only one crew member, and at other times the award was presented to
several
crew members at the same time.
Each award had a "Serial Number", and from that we know that there were at least 35 Bronze Man awards made over its life. Below are the details, as far as we have them for each of the 35 awards.
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B. Letters of Commendation
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| 5. Certificates (non-official) |
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A. "Plankowner"
Certificate.
This certificate was issued to USS Little Rock crew members who were on
the commissioning
crew of the USS Little Rock when the ship
was commissioned on either: 17 Jun 1945 (as CL92),
or 03
JUN 1960 (as CLG4). |
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B. The "Last Cruise" Certificate. This certificate certifies a USS Little Rock crew member as being on the decommissioning crew of the USS Little Rock when the ship was decommissioned on either: 24 Jun 1949 (as CL92), or 22 NOV 1976 (as CG4). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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C.
The "Spanish
Main"
certificate commemorates cruising the Caribbean
Sea. It does not appear that this certificate was ever issued while
the Little Rock was in service, although tradition has it that all crew
members who were deployed anywhere in the Caribbean are eligible. (See Note 1. below.) |
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| D. "Equator Crossing"
Certificate. The "Neptuni Regis"
certificate is issued as a means of com- memorating
the crossing of the Equator either north-bound or
south-bound. Eligible crew of CL-92 during the
South
America cruise. Eligibility dates are: 05 November 1945, or
09
March 1946. (See Note 1. below.) |
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| E. "Rounding Cape Horn"
Certificate. Sometimes called the "Mossback" certificate commemorates
rounding (or "doubling" Cape Horn, South America. USS Little Rock
CL92 crew on board on 23 Jan 1946 received this certificate. (See Note 2. below) |
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F. "Panama Canal Transit"
Certificate. Referred to as the "Order of the Ditch" certificate
commemorates a crewman's transit
through the Panama Canal from the Atlantic Ocean to
the Pacific Ocean (or vice versa). Eligible date for CL-92 crew is 15
Mar
1946. (See Note 1. below.) |
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G. "Straits of Gibraltar
Transit" Certificate sometimes referred to as the "Order of the
Rock" certificate is issued in commemoration of a sailor making a transit
through the Straits of Gibraltar. Known dates of transit
by USS Little Rock CL-92 and CLG-4 are: Spring 1946, Fall
1946, 20 Nov
1947,
02 Mar 1948, 18 Feb 1961, 16 Aug 1961, 09 May 63, 15 Dec
63, 14 Dec
1964,
Spring 1965, Jan 1967, 26 Aug 1970, Dec 1971,
Apr 1972, Aug 1973, 1974,
1975,
Sep 1976. (See Note 1. below.) |
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H. "Suez Canal Transit"
Certificate, usually referred to as the "Safari to Suez" certificate
commem- orates a transit through the
Suez Canal. USS Little Rock CLG-4 crew members who were aboard for
the
re-opening of the Suez Canal ceremonies on 05 June 1975 are eligible
for
this certificate. (See Note 1 below.) |
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I. "Arctic Circle
Crossing" Certificate. This certificate, sometimes referred to
as the "Blue Nose" certificate commemorates the crossing
of the Arctic Circle. Eligible "Blue Nose" Little Rock crew members
would
have been aboard for crossings on any of the following dates: 30 Nov
1946, 03 Dec 1946, 29 Sep 1965 or 14 Sep 1972. (See Note 1. below.) |
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 "Salty Helohopper" Certificate (Click image to enlarge.) |
J.
"Order of the
Salty Helohopper". This certificate was awarded to individuals
who flew as passengers in the Little Rock's helicopter. The certificate
reads in part: "Be it known by all
these present that (passenger's name) sucessfully and with suave (nay,
foolish !) intrepidity did transfer by HELICOPTER from USS Little Rock
at sea, to (place or ship name).... "
"I took the helo ride over to the Stickell to repair their crypto receiver, but I did come back after 3-4 hours or so. While I really was a "radar" guy, I attended a crypto repair school in Portsmouth while the ship was in Norfolk earlier in 1964. I did luck out that they had all of parts and was able to fix their gear--it wasn't a wasted trip. I think that was why I was given that joking award for the helo ride. I hate to think what would have happened if their receiver was beyond repair." |
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Note 1: It does not appear that a certificate was ever issued by Little Rock for this event. If you did in fact receive one of these while on board Little Rock, please contact the Webmaster. Note 2: The Little Rock on the 23 Jan 1946 reached South Latitude 56º 06.5'. This is NOT sufficiently far south to qualify for the "Red Nose" certificate for sailors who have crossed the Antarctic Circle at 66º 30' South latitude. |
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| What's Missing? Do
you know of an award, or special recognition, presented either to the
ship or to one or more of her crew? Send us the details and we'll see that it gets added. |