The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Commander [then Lieutenant] Kenneth George Schacht (NSN: 0-74895), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession as Damage Control Officer and First Lieutenant of the U.S.S. PERCH (SS-176), during the SECOND War Patrol of that submarine in the Java Sea area from 2 February 1942 until the ship had to be scuttled after sustaining damage in an attack by Japanese forces on 2 March 1942. During a thirty-three hour period of extreme enemy countermeasures and despite increasing fatigue, extreme conditions of tropical heat, humidity and foul air, he fought courageously, with inspiring leadership and able supervision to repair damages to his ship which progressively multiplied until they became fatal and necessitated making the decision to abandon and scuttle the ship. When this decision had been made and while under enemy shellfire from a short range, well knowing the risks involved in scuttling a submarine already heavy with water and full of leaks and which might at any moment be hit by shells, Commander Schacht voluntarily stayed behind to scuttle the ship assisted by but one man. In order to successfully accomplish this he proceeded aft to the engine room, a considerable distance from the only open hatch, opened the main ballast tank emergency vents and then made a dash for the conning tower. Arriving at the hatch after its edge was beneath the surface, he was the last man to leave his ship, fighting his way out through the hatch. His coolness and high devotion to duty contributed directly to the saving of many of his shipmates’ lives, and indirectly by successfully scuttling the ship and depriving the enemy of a knowledge of its secrets saved the lives of many others. His conduct throughout was an inspiration to the officers and men in his ship and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.