The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to P & F Lawrence W. Ferris, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism upon the occasion of a fire on board the SC-59 at the Navy Yard, New York, on 17 September 1918. Two depth bombs were in the Y-guns and six more on the after deck. The fire was very violent, the names reaching as high as the masthead. P & F Ferris with three others went on board without orders and removed the bombs from the Y guns, these bombs being so hot at the time that the paint on them was blistered.