Unit Awards and Citations

The USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680) was a physical ship, but more than that, it was a military unit of approximately 120 officers and crew at any one time, that operated the ship as the weapon it was designed to be. She was the 'sharp point of the spear' throughout the Cold War, and the men that went to sea in her during those years knew that when they left port, they were at war. A silent, unobserved war, to be sure, but war none-the-less.

It was stressful enough that there were representatives of foreign governments that were ready and willing, as they were, to pull the trigger and end each other's existence, even during those 'non-combative' actions, but they were the lesser of the enemies the men of the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680) faced. The sea itself was a harsh and unforgiving mistress, and the slightest misstep, miscalculation, or operational error would have ended their lives more rapidly than anything 'the enemy' could have done.

With that knowledge behind us, these awards and citations represent some of the most significant acknowledgement made by our nation of the expertise, diligence, courage, and devotion to duty of the men that made up the military unit called the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680).

We recognize that ribbons and medals are only faint praise compared to the admiration due these men for putting their lives on the line, hour by hour, day after day, month after month, for almost thirty years, committed to the defense of the people of the United States of America.

 

    • usnexpedNavy Expeditionary Service Medal
      • 30 DEC 1978 through 30 JAN 1979
      • 11 OCT 1982 through 26 NOV 1982
      • 21 JAN 1985 through 15 MAR 1985

 

    • meritunitcomNavy Meritorious Unit Commendation
      • 04 AUG 1977 through 10 NOV 1977

 

    • efficiencyNavy "E" Ribbon
      • 01 OCT 1978 through 30 SEP 1979

 

 

  • Secretary of the Navy Letter of Commendation
    • 11 SEP 1997 through 01 MAR 1998
    • 01 MAR 1999 through 01 JUL 1999


navexpmed_front




Not all awards are listed - some awards were the result of classified missions whose details remain classified, consequently the medal 'does not exist'.

If you have information regarding awards or citations not listed, there is a thread in the Scuttlebutt Forum >> Ship >> Facts and Figures called "William H Bates Unit Awards/Citations" where you can contribute what information and sources you have.

 

Medal and Ribbon images courtesy of GruntsMilitary.com

Show comment form
Share the good stuff, shipmate!

OPSEC Policy

The Cold War Boats Association prohibits the posting of Classified material on the the coldwarboats.org website.

Any documents, photographs, audio or video recordings, or artifacts that are currently considered Classified are not permitted, and will be removed.

Any information that could compromise the operational security of active duty personnel, commissioned ships, or their missions is not permitted, and will be removed.

Access to personally identifiable information (PII) of active-duty service members or information related to the crews of submarines currently in full or limited commission is restricted to administrators only.

Full details of the Cold War Boats Association's Security Policy can be found at: www.coldwarboats.org/security.

Questions and concerns should be directed to the Security Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Copyright Information

 
 
© 2024 Brad Williamson
and/or the
Cold War Boats Association
or respective image owners
 
All Rights Reserved
 
Permission is granted for not-for-profit reproduction
of text and images under the condition that
all attribution as to owner and source is included,
and additionally, when republished electronically, a link to is provided.
 
 

Privacy Policy

The Cold War Boats Association is committed to protecting your personally identifiable information (PII). 

This information, your PII,  includes your email, your street address, your phone number(s), your personal records (such as a DD-214) and various other related information.

Your PII will never be shared, given, sold, or rented. It will not be accessible by others, except by administrators or moderators of the www.coldwarboats.org website as necessary in the performance of their duties.

Your use of the www.coldwarboats.org website is your acknowledgement that these limitations are understood.

Full details of the Cold War Boats Association's Privacy Policy can be found at: www.coldwarboats.org/privacy.

Questions and concerns should be directed to the Privacy Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

0
Shares