The Presidential Unit Citation may be awarded by the Secretary of the Navy—in the name of the President of the United States—to any ship, aircraft, or naval unit, or any Marine Corps aircraft, detachment, or higher unit, for outstanding performance in action against an armed enemy of the United States on or after 7 December 1941. It was authorized by Executive Order 9050, 6 February 1942.

Sixteen Fletcher-class destroyers received Presidential Unit Citations in World War Two. Click on the links below to view the text of each citation:

446 Radford 449 Nicholas 450 O’Bannon 516 Wadsworth 547 Cowell 552 Evans 662 Bennion Destroyer Squadron 23, “Little Beavers”   570 Charles Ausburne   571 Claxton   572 Dyson   512 Spence   509 Converse   478 Stanly

Task Unit 77.4.3, “Taffy III,” including   532 Heermann   533 Hoel   557 Johnston

PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION

Awarded to: Any ship, aircraft or naval units, any Marine aircraft detachment or higher unit, for outstanding performance in action on or after October 16, 1941. Time limits for recommendations or awards: No time limit. Gratuity: No gratuity provided. Authorized by: Executive Order 9050, of February 6, 1942, and General Order No. 187, of February 3, 1943.

General Order 187 is quoted as follows:

1. Executive Order No. 9050 which authorized and directs the Secretary of the Navy to issue, in the name of the President, to Navy and Marine Corps Units for outstanding performance in action is quoted: EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 9050 “By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States and as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, it is ordered as follows: “1. The Secretary of the Navy is hereby authorized and directed to issue a citation in the name of the President of the United States, as public evidence of deserved honor and distinction, to any ship, aircraft, or other Naval Unit and to any Marine Corps aircraft, detachment, or higher unit, for outstanding performance in action on or after October 16, 1941. “2. Appropriate insignia of such form and design as may be determined by the Secretary of the Navy may be displayed by any ship, aircraft, naval unit, or any Marine Corps aircraft, detachment, or higher unit, to which such citation is issued. “3. After any Naval or Marine Corps unit is so cited on two or more separate occasions for outstanding performance in action occurring on or after October 16, 1941, such insignia shall become part of the uniform of such unit, and shall be issued to officers and men who may thereafter become members of such unit; and such insignia may be worn at all times by individuals who were attached to the unit so cited on one of the two or more occasions in connection with which the citation was issued, whether they thereafter serve with such unit or with a different unit. “Franklin D. Roosevelt. “The White House, February 6, 1942. 2. Commanding officers of forces afloat will make recommendations to the Secretary of the Navy via official channels for the Presidential Unit Citation for such units of their commands as from time to time they deem worthy of such distinction. Recommendations will be confined to cases wherein the unit performs services in action above and beyond the high standard expected of our forces and is considered outstanding as compared to services of other comparable units engaged in the same or similar actions. Each recommendation will be submitted separately and will be accompanied by sufficient data forming the basis of the recommendation to enable the Navy Department Board of Decorations and Medals adequately to consider the case. 3. The insignia of the Unit Citation authorized by the above Executive Order shall be in the following form and design: a. A burgee pennant design of blue, gold and scarlet of twenty-seven (27) units on the hoist by fifty-seven (57) units on the fly, with the gold measuring thirteen (13) units on the hoist and forty-eight (48) units on the fly centered between the blue above and the scarlet below. b. For ships, aircraft units, tank units, etc., a bronze plaque is authorized to be displayed, such plaque to be of appropriate size and to have the Unit Citation Insignia centered in the upper part and the citation engraved below it. Individual planes, tanks, etc., of a cited unit are authorized to paint the design of appropriate size in a suitable place upon the plane, tank, etc. c. For companies, battalions, regiments, etc., awarded the Unit Citation, a battle streamer of appropriate size with the citation engraved upon the standard is authorized. d. Should a unit be cited more than once, for each additional citation in addition to the first for which the insignia is authorized, there shall be added one blue star up to a total of five stars. Stars will be displayed upon the gold part of the insignia. The additional citation for each star is authorized to be engraved upon the plaque. e. In time of peace ships shall carry an additional display of pennant of the insignia design to be displayed at some place on the top hamper to be visible to other units. f. Should a cited ship be lost, provision shall be made for the display of the plaque by the namesake, if appropriate, with a notation of when and where the ship was lost; or in the event that no new ship is named for the one cited and lost, the plaque will be sent to the United States Naval Academy for appropriate display. 4. The uniform insignia of the unit citation shall be as follows: a. A ribbon bar similar to those worn for service medals except that the ribbon shall be 1½ by ½ inches. The ribbon shall consist of three horizontal stripes, the top stripe blue, the center stripe gold, and the lower stripe scarlet, the blue and scarlet stripes to be ⅛ inch in width and the gold stripe to be ¼ inch in width. Citation stars ¼ inch in diameter will be place upon the gold stripe and will be blue. The citation ribbon shall be work on the left breast between personal decoration ribbons and service medal ribbons. b. When medals are worn on the uniform, the Presidential Unit Citation insignia will be worn on the right breast of the uniform. When so worn, the size of the ribbon shall be 1½ in length, ½ inch in width, and the blue and scarlet bars ⅛ inch in width, the gold bar ¼ inch in width, and the blue citation stars indicative of additional awards shall be ¼ inch in diameter. c. No ribbon or other uniform insignia will be worn at any time for the first citation of a unit. d. After the second or subsequent citations personnel are authorized to wear the ribbon of the citation as follows:   i. Personnel attached to the unit on one of the two or more occasions in connection with which the citation was awarded shall wear the citation ribbon with one star permanently, regardless of the station assignment.   ii. Personnel attached to the unit on two or more of the occasions in connection with which the citation was awarded shall wear the citation ribbon with two stars to denote two citations, and an additional star up to a total of five stars to denote each additional citation, such insignia to be worn permanently regardless of station assignment.   iii. Personnel who subsequently join a unit which has been cited on two or more occasions shall wear the citation ribbon without star and only while attached to that unit. Frank Knox Secretary of the Navy