Master Warrant Officer Robert Gary George, M.M.M., M.B., C.D.
Medal of Bravery
MWO Robert G. George, 33, of Tupperville, Ontario, the senior hull technician aboard HMCS Kootenay, organized and directed damage control and firefighting parties after an explosion in the engine room. HMCS Kootenay, one of seven "Restigouche"-class destroyer-escorts in the Canadian navy, was conducting full-power trials on October 23, 1969, in the western approaches to the English Channel with eight other Canadian ships. At 8:21 in the morning, there was an explosion in the engine room. Intense heat, flame and smoke engulfed the engine room almost immediately and spread to adjacent passageways and to the boiler room. MWO George took charge of organizing the damage control parties, sprayed one of the ammunition magazine areas and then flooded it to prevent possible explosion. He led the attempt to fight the fire in the engine room through the forward hatch, at one point getting as far as the foot of the ladder into the engine room before being forced back. He remained in an area of the ship which could have received further damage in order to direct firefighting activities.