The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit to Captain Vincent Astor, United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Officer in Charge of Observation Craft in procuring, organizing and operating picket boats, sailing vessels and other observations vessels in the Eastern Sea Frontier. By his knowledge of small boats and their operations on the Atlantic Coast and through his successful dealings with them he organized and equipped the commercial fishing vessels as volunteer anti-submarine observers, making a material contribution to the conduct of anti-submarine operations on the Eastern Sea Frontier.