A Sea Service Ribbon is an award of the United States Navy, United States Marine
Corps, United States Coast Guard, the United States Army, and the National
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration which recognizes those
service members who have performed military duty while stationed on a
United States Navy, Coast Guard, Army, or NOAA vessel at sea and/or members of
the Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard who have been forward-deployed with
their home unit. Additional awards of the Sea Service
Deployment Ribbon, Naval Reserve Sea Service Ribbon, Coast Guard Sea Service
Ribbon, Army Sea Duty Ribbon, and NOAA Corps Sea Service Deployment Ribbon are
denoted by bronze and/or silver service stars on the ribbon.
Army Sea Duty Ribbon The Army Sea Duty Ribbon was established
April 17, 2006. It may be awarded to active duty soldiers who complete two
cumulative years of sea duty on a Class A or B United States Army Vessel. Duty
aboard U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command, NOAA
vessels, or aboard Army leased or foreign and non–military vessels may
also qualify if soldiers serving on those vessels have a formally assigned
primary mission that is accomplished underway, are in an active status, and
are approved for creditable sea service by the Career Sea Pay Office. The Chief
of the Marine Qualification Division is the approval authority for award of the
ASDR to eligible service members. The ASDR may be awarded retroactively to
those personnel who were credited with qualifying service, as defined in
regulations, after August 1, 1952. Subsequent awards are authorized upon
completion of an additional two years of cumulative sea duty under qualifying
conditions. U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. Army National
Guard soldiers must have two creditable years in a U.S. Army watercraft unit,
including a minimum of 25 days underway annually as well as two annual training
exercises underway on a Class A or B army vessel; or a 90-day deployment
aboard an army vessel underway. Subsequent awards are authorized upon
the completion of additional qualifying periods of sea duty. For mobilized
soldiers, one year of sea duty as a mobilized soldier will be credited
toward one creditable year as long as minimum underway requirements are met.
The Army Sea Duty Ribbon is 1 3/8 inches wide, composed of vertical stripes. The
edges are 3/32 inch in navy blue, bordered by 5/32 inch scarlet stripes,
followed by 5/32 inch stripes of old gold, bordered by 3/32 inch stripes of
teal blue, next to 1/8 inch stripes of grotto blue, bordered by 3/64 inch
stripes of soldier red, and a 1/32 inch center stripe of old gold. Subsequent
awards are denoted by bronze and silver service stars.
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon The Sea Service Deployment Ribbon is a
service award of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was
authorized in May 1980 and retroactively authorized to 15 August 1974, coinciding
with a temporary suspension in authority for award of the National Defense
Service Medal between that date and 2 August 1990. It was the first type of
sea service ribbon established in the U.S. Armed Forces.
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, aircraft squadron, air
wing or air group, detachment, battalion, Marine Expeditionary Unit,
Marine Air Ground Task Force, 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; or 6 months stationed overseas in a forward deployed location.
Staffs of embarked Destroyer Squadrons, Amphibious Squadrons, Amphibious
Readiness Groups, Expeditionary Strike Groups, Carrier Strike Groups and
similar units deployed within time period requirements are also eligible
for award. 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 since August 1974. When a U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps
aviation squadron qualifies for the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the squadron
is authorized to paint and display the ribbon and award stars on the exterior
or interior of their hangar or squadron spaces to designate the number of
deployments conducted throughout the active life of that squadron since
August 1974. Navy Reserve Sea Service Ribbon
The Navy Reserve Sea Service Ribbon was created in May 1986 and is awarded to
any member of the U.S. Navy Reserve who, while serving as a drilling Selected
Reservist or a Training and Administration of the Reserve/Full Time
Support officer or sailor, completes twenty-four cumulative months of duty on
board a U.S. Navy Reserve Force surface ship or assigned to a
deployable/regularly deploying U.S. Navy Reserve Force Aviation Squadron. A 3/8
inch bronze star is awarded for the second through the fifth award of the
ribbon; a 3/8 inch silver star is worn for six awards in lieu of five bronze
stars. The term “Navy Reserve Force Ship”
refers to any U.S. Navy commissioned warship under the operational or
administrative control of the Navy Reserve, or a self-propelled auxiliary,
boat, or other surface craft operated under the operational control of fleet
or type commanders. The term "Navy Reserve Force Aviation
Squadron" refers to any Navy Reserve flying squadron that operates naval
aircraft, is considered a command at sea, routinely deploys or is capable of
deploying overseas, and is considered a "hardware" unit under the operational
control of Commander, Naval Air Force Reserve or fleet or other type
commanders. The Navy Reserve Sea Service Ribbon is
also granted to members of embarked Navy Reserve staffs, provided that at least
half of the embarked reserve drills qualified as underway drills.
The Navy Reserve Sea Service Ribbon is not eligible for service performed by
Marine Corps Forces Reserve members, or Navy Reservists who were called to
active duty, but the service performed by those personnel would qualify towards
the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon or the Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service
Ribbon as applicable. Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon
The Coast Guard Sea Service Ribbon is a United States Coast Guard decoration
that was created in 1984. It is awarded to those members of the Coast Guard who
serve more than twelve cumulative months of sea duty on board a U.S. Coast Guard
cutter, attached to a Fleet Training Group, or on board certain other Coast
Guard vessels and non-Coast Guard vessels embarked) that are under
official Coast Guard orders. Additional awards, displayed as service stars, may
be awarded for a further three years of sea service.
NOAA Corps Sea Service Deployment Ribbon The NOAA Corps Sea Service Deployment
Ribbon is a NOAA Commissioned Corps award established retroactive to 1
January 2002. It is awarded to NOAA Commissioned Corps and Public Health
Service Officers who have served twelve months accumulated sea duty, which may
also include temporary duty at sea, that includes at least one 90 consecutive-day
deployment. Subsequent awards may be earned for additional twelve-month
accumulations of sea duty, so long as they also include an additional 90
consecutive-day deployment. Previously, the Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
was awarded. Those NOAA Corps members who previously earned the Navy Sea
Service Deployment Ribbon with replace it with the NOAA version, unless they
earned the Navy version while serving in the Navy.
See also Awards and decorations of the United
States military References
External links Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual
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