The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Ensign William Homer Sigman, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Dive Bomber of Bombing Squadron NINE (VB-9), attached to the U.S.S. YORKTOWN (CV-10), in the Fleet action against the Japanese in the East China Sea, on 7 April 1945. Despite unfavorable weather and low hanging clouds that obscured the target, Ensign Sigman skillfully and courageously piloted his plane in a successful attack on an enemy cruiser. In the face of intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire from the vessel, a nearby battleship and screening destroyers, he pressed home his attack to a low altitude to secure direct bomb hits amidships. This attack contributed materially to the immediate sinking of the ship. Ensign Sigman’s outstanding courage and determined skill were at all times inspiring and in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.