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.
i have no wish to generate further acrimonious debate, but could that RN/RAF disparity be explained by the fact that RAF aircrew were engaged in combat on a daily basis, often in large numbers, whereas RN ships operated in smaller numbers and [surely?] were engaged in surface actions far less frequently?