In her lifetime, Dr. Margaret Brooke achieved a couple of firsts. She was the first Canadian woman to be decorated for gallantry during World War II and she was the first living Canadian woman to to have a ship named after her. Dr. Brooke passed away at the age of 100 shortly after receiving the news in 2016.

Her namesake, the HMCS Margaret Brooke, is expected to launch next year. It’s an offshore patrol vessel that will sail mostly in the Arctic. Former Lieutenant Commander of HMCS Unicorn, Matthew Dalzell, says Dr. Brooke was named a member of the Order of the British Empire after her efforts to save a shipmate.

The SS Caribou was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Newfoundland and sank quickly into the frigid water. Some crew members were able to hold on to the ropes of a capsized lifeboat including Brooke and her friend, Sub-Lieutenant Agnes Wilkie. Her friend became unconscious from hypothermia after about 3 hours, but Brook continued to hold on to her with one arm until daybreak, even through the large swells, and then a wave took Agnes Wilkie away. Of the 237 passengers on the SS Caribou, 101 people were rescued.