The recipient of the Claud A. Jones Award, presented annually since 1987, is a fleet or field engineer who has made significant contributions to improving operational engineering or material readiness of our maritime forces during the past three years. Admiral Jones' career spanned over 40 years including his midshipman days, the first 24 years largely spent on ships and with the fleet serving with distinction in engineering assignments. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for "extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession" as a result of his courageous actions in 1916, while serving as engineer on the USS Memphis, when his ship was wrecked by a tidal wave.
"The nominee must have made sustained significant contributions to improving operational engineering or material readiness of maritime defense forces culminating in the three-year period ending in the current year. Evidence of the personal involvement and an assessment of the significance of the nominee's contribution should be submitted. If, for security reasons, the details of the actions cannot be publicly disclosed, the statement should be sufficiently specific for recognition of the accomplishment by those qualified to assess it and should be endorsed by a select number of experienced senior executives with authorized access to the information."