Specially Meritorious Service Medal

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DEVICE(s)
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Description:

1. Congress authorized the Specially Meritorious Service medal in March 1901.
2. The medal was intended to recognize acts of non-combat meritorious service accomplished during the Spanish-American War. 
3. It could be awarded to any member of the U.S. Navy, or United States Marines, and was presented for acts of gallantry or heroism, not involving armed combat with an enemy, while operating in the territorial waters of Cuba in the year 1898. The medal was primarily awarded to those who had rescued sailors (both U.S. and Spanish) from burning ships following the Battle of Santiago at Santiago, Cuba.
4. There were only 93 known awards, and it is considered one of the rarest military decorations.  
5. By 1935, the Specially Meritorious Service Medal had adopted the status of a commemorative medal; as late as 1942 it still appeared on official US Navy award precedence charts, between the Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation.
6. An actual  order from the Navy, declaring the decoration obsolete, was never published.

Background:

1. The Medal(s) shown above are the SAME medal.  The one on the left is the one that was awarded.  The one on the right was awarded to Paymaster William W. Galt, USS Raleigh (C-8).  It has a silver ring engraved “US Naval Campaign Spanish War.”  Paymaster Galt's medal was modified from the original design.  The reason for the modification is likely because Galt’s act of “Extraordinary Heroism” was not performed in the West Indies. Coincidentally it was the same day the US Congress formally declared war on Spain.  
2. The Medal
   1. Obverse
      The medal is n the shape of a Maltese cross. 
      In the center of a dark bronze cross pattée one and three-sixteenths inches wide, a medallion seven-eighths of an inch in diameter. The outer eighth-inch of the medallion, which is raised and forms a circle around the medallion, contains the raised inscription, U.S. NAVAL CAMPAIGN WEST INDIES. A small five-pointed star appears at the base between the words U.S. and INDIES, and an identical star appears between the words CAMPAIGN and WEST. The other words are separated by a bullet. In the center of the medallion there is a fouled anchor canted to the right and surrounded by a wreath of oak bearing nine acorns (to the right) and laurel (to the left). The wreath is tied at the bottom by a bow.
      The arms of the cross bear the following words: on the left arm, "SPECIALLY"; on the upper arm, "MERITORIOUS"; on the right arm, "SERVICE"; and on the lower arm, "1898". The edge of each arm is raised and contains a decorative border on the inside. 
      The anchor denotes naval service, and the wreath represents strength (oak) and victory (laurel). The inscription denotes the purpose of the medal. The small five pointed star represents military service.
   2. Reverse
      The reverse is blank and was used to inscribe the recipient's name along with a brief citation.
   3. Ribbon
      The ribbon to the Specially Meritorious Service Medal, 1898, is dark red and stands for sacrifice.
   4. Devices
      No devices were authorized for this medal.
3. Information from
   The information about Paymaster Galt's medal is from the Naval History and Heritage Command.
   The Call of Duty : Military Awards and Decorations of the United States of America by John E. Strandberg