. I do think that the RN is extremely reluctant to award medals rightly or wrongly.
Historically the navy has been far more sparing in dishing out gongs than the other two services. In WW2, for example, fewer than 5,000 Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded to naval officers, in comparison with almost 22,000 DFCs. Things were more equal on the "lower deck", but here it was common practice for a ship to be awarded a number of DSMs, and these would be allocated by drawing lots, success in an action seen very much as a combined effort.
Maybe the members of an aircraft's crew should draw straws for the DFC - but somehow I can't see this happening!