The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Chief Boatswain’s Mate Gardiner Conover, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Member of the Armed Guard of the U.S.S. Moreni in an engagement with an enemy submarine on 12 June 1917. Though wounded early in the engagement, Chief Boatswain’s Mate Conover continued to remain with his gun’s crew, and by personal example and advice encouraged them to continue the fight, and was one of the last to leave the ship when she was abandoned.