Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-73
§51902 Gallant Ship Award
Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle V— - Merchant Marine › Part Part B— - Merchant Marine Service › Chapter CHAPTER 519— - MERCHANT MARINE AWARDS › § 51902
Summary
Transportation Secretary can award a Gallant Ship Award to any vessel, including foreign ones, that helps save life or property at sea. The Secretary can give a plaque (with a replica kept) and ribbon bars to the captain and crew. Awards for foreign vessels must be made after consulting the Secretary of State.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §51902
Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Secretary of Transportation may award a Gallant Ship Award and a citation to a vessel (including a foreign vessel) participating in outstanding or gallant action in a marine disaster or other emergency to save life or property at sea. The Secretary may award a plaque to the vessel, and a replica of the plaque may be preserved as a permanent historical record.
(b)The Secretary of Transportation may award an appropriate citation ribbon bar to the master and each individual serving, at the time of the action, on a vessel issued an award under subsection (a).
(c)The Secretary of Transportation shall consult with the Secretary of State before awarding an award or citation to a foreign vessel or its crew under this section.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 5190246 App.:2003.Pub. L. 100–324, § 4, May 30, 1988, 102 Stat. 576. In subsection (a), the words “a vessel (including a foreign vessel)” are substituted for “a United States vessel or to a foreign-flag vessel” to eliminate unnecessary words.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 51902
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73