Why Ardent and Acasta's captains received no VC

Why were the captains of HMS Ardent and HMS Acasta not recommended for the Victoria Cross, and can overlooked cases be reconsidered?

Very late posthumous awards are unusual. The proposed explanation for these captains is that their exceptional courage still fell within what the Royal Navy expected of them.

Ardent and Acasta fought with exceptional courage. The proposed explanation for the absence of Victoria Cross recommendations is that their captains were doing what the Royal Navy already expected, however demanding that duty was. In this interpretation, the VC required action beyond even that standard. Clarke contrasts it with the George Cross as recognition of extraordinary bravery within an expected duty; this is his characterization, without a detailed account of the awards' eligibility rules. Britain also generally avoids reopening cases for very late posthumous VCs.