History

The Order of Naval Merit (Orden del Mérito Naval) was established on 8 July 1954. It is conferred upon Naval personnel in recognition of outstanding service and merit to the Dominican Navy.

It is awarded in four divisions according with the service rendered by the recipient. The Valour Medal is awarded for bravery; the Distinguished Service Medal is awarded for instructing naval personnel, professionalism, and dedication; the Honour Medal is awarded for holding high ministerial positions, authorship of texts used in naval training, scientific studies, and so on; and, the Merit Medal is awarded for teaching in naval schools, professionalism, and academic excellence. It is not clear the order of precedence between these divisions.

Each division consist of four classes based on the rank of the recipient. I Class is awarded to Generals and Officers; II Class is awarded to Captains, Commanders, and lieutenant commanders; III Class is awarded to lieutenants; and IV Class is awarded to enlisted men.

In Medal Book, the Order of Naval Merit is classified into types according with the services rendered by the recipient. The Valour Medal is Type I, the Distinguished Service Medal is Type II, the Honour Medal is Type III, and the Merit Medal is Type IV.

In Type I, it is not clear if the composition of the Valour Medal denotes the class.

This award is associated with a solid purple ribbon with 2 yellow stripes.

There is limited information regarding this item.