It looks like an omission in the decorations system not having something specific for merchant navy gallantry in wartime. There are a number of awards for saving life at sea, but nothing specific for MN gallantry in the face of the enemy. OBEs and MBEs where what was dished out instead I believe. There was (still is) the George Cross, but I think it was for gallantry not in the face of the enemy so they could not get that either.
They are the neglected '4th service' so I guess being ignored for a specific gallantry decoration is to be expected.
I don't think the CWGC even bother to list merchant navy accidental deaths in wartime for the merchant navy, but they do for the armed forces. I had a WW1 MN medal pair recently, the merchant navy recipient was killed when his ship was in a collision with an American warship. Not listed. If the ship had been carrying army personnel and they had been killed then they would be recorded by CWGC, but not the merchant navy sailors. Bizarre.
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