The Merchant Shipping Act 1854 provided for rewards to lifesavers, leading to the creation of the Sea Gallantry Medal, first struck in 1855.

[4] The 1854 Act indicated that the award was to be conferred on those 'affording assistance towards the preservation of life and property in cases of shipwreck and distress at sea.

In 1854 the size was reduced to 1.3 inches (33 mm) and a suspension bar added, the medal worn on the left breast.

[12] The design of both the large and small medals is the same, with the obverse bearing the effigy of the reigning monarch with a suitable inscription.

Early issues had a separate reverse die prepared for each medal; a practice dropped from 1849 due to cost.

The name of recipient and, in most cases, the place and date of the service rendered is inscribed on the medal's edge.

No medals have been bestowed since 1968[13] and, like the SGM for British citizens, it appears that awards are no longer made,[11] although it has not been formally abolished.