46 USC § 51902 - Gallant Ship Award

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t46/s51902"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "46 USC § 51902 - Gallant Ship Award"
title_number: 46
title_name: "SHIPPING"
section_number: "51902"
section_name: "Gallant Ship Award"
chapter_number: 519
chapter_name: "MERCHANT MARINE AWARDS"
part_number: "B"
part_name: "Merchant Marine Service"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-03-26"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Pub. L. 109–304, § 8(b), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1584.)"
---


# § 51902. Gallant Ship Award

**(a)** **Awards to Vessels.—** 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)** **Awards to Crews.—** 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)** **Consultation.—** 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.

---

**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 109–304, § 8(b), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1584.)

| RevisedSection | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 51902 | 46 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.