Navy to name future Destroyer for WWII hero Charles French
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A World War II veteran is being recognized posthumously for his heroic actions saving his shipmates. The U.S. Navy has announced a future destroyer will be named after Navy Mess Specialist 1st Class Petty Officer Charles Jackson French.
Secretary of the United States Navy, Carlos Del Toro, announced in January 2024 at the Surface Navy Association’s 36th National Symposium in Arlington that the future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer DDG-142 will be named USS Charles J. French.
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Known as the “Human Tugboat” and “Hero of the Solomons,” French was an African American man born in Foreman, Arkansas on Sept. 25, 1919. He served in the Navy for four years aboard the Hawaii-based heavy cruiser USS Houston, reenlisting four days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. The Navy says he was assigned to USS Gregory in March 1942.
On the night of Sept. 4, 1942, near the Solomon Islands, the Navy says three Imperial Japanese destroyers and one cruiser opened fire on the USS Gregory and its sister ship, the USS Little.
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While the ships were sinking in the shark-infested waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Navy says French gathered 15 of his mostly injured shipmates onto a nearby raft, tied a rope around his waist and pulled the survivors to safety from their attackers, swimming through the night until they were able to be rescued.
French left the Navy as a Steward’s Mate 1st Class, settling in San Diego with his wife. He is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.
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French was initially recognized with a letter of commendation from the commander of the Southern Pacific Fleet, Adm. William F. “Bull” Halsey, but was recommended for the Navy Cross.
He was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal in May 2022.
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Also in May 2022, the Navy dedicated a surface rescue swimmer training pool at Naval Base San Diego in honor of French. The pool trains surface rescue swimmers to save lives; the command’s moto — “So others may live.”
“For too long, we did not recognize Petty Officer French appropriately, but we’ve begun to correct that. Recently, we renamed the training pool at Naval Base San Diego after him,” stated Secretary Del Toro at the Navy Association’s 36th National Symposium. “Today, with profound conviction and a heart brimming with long-overdue recognition, I am proud to announce the name of our newest destroyer, DDG 142, will be the USS Charles J. French.”
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In honor of Black History Month, in February 2024, the Navy also announced the commissioning of the USS John L. Canley, named after Sergeant Major John L. Canley for his “extraordinary” leadership during the Vietnam War when he ran through an onslaught of gunfire to carry his fellow wounded Marines to safety, taking control of the company when his commander was wounded. Canley was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2018.
Navy Destroyer USS Charles J. French is slated to be built starting in 2026, with the christening projected for 2029, and delivery slated for 2031.
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