The Navy Cross (Vlootkruis in Afrikaans), post-nominal letters CN (Crux Navalis) is a military decoration which was instituted by the Republic of South Africa in 1987.

[3][4][5] The Navy Cross, post-nominal letters CN (Crux Navalis), was instituted by the State President in 1987.

[3][6] The cross was initially awarded for exceptional ingenuity, resourcefulness and skill, and extraordinary leadership, dedication, sense of duty and personal example and courage in mortal danger in non-combatant situations.

A Bar, instituted in 1993, could be awarded in recognition of further similar displays of courage, leadership, skill, ingenuity or tenacity in danger.

[5] The position of the Navy Cross in the official order of precedence was revised three times, to accommodate the inclusion or institution of new decorations and medals, first upon the integration into the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, again when decorations and medals were belatedly instituted in April 1996 for the two former non-statutory forces, the Azanian People's Liberation Army and Umkhonto we Sizwe, and again when a new series of military decorations and medals was instituted in South Africa on 27 April 2003, but it remained unchanged on all three occasions.