USS Charles J. French

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History
Flag of the United States.svgUnited States
NameCharles J. French
Namesake Charles Jackson French
Builder Ingalls Shipbuilding
Identification Hull number: DDG-142
StatusAuthorized for construction [1]
General characteristics
Class & type Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
Displacement9,217 tons (full load) [2]
Length510 ft (160 m) [2]
Beam66 ft (20 m) [2]
Propulsion4 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines 100,000 shp (75,000 kW) [2]
Speed31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) [2]
Complement380 officers and enlisted
Armament
ArmorKevlar-type armor with steel hull. Numerous passive survivability measures.
Aircraft carried2 × MH-60R Seahawk helicopters
Aviation facilities Double hangar and helipad

USS Charles J. French (DDG-142) is the planned 92nd Arleigh Burke-class (Flight III) Aegis guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy. She is named for Charles J. French.

Contents

Naming

She is named for Steward's Mate 1st Class Charles J. French, an African American cook serving in the US Navy during WWII was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroic actions not involving direct contact with an armed enemy. US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced the name on 10 January 2024 in honor of a sailor whose heroics has long been over-looked.

Historical background

French was serving in the Pacific aboard the destroyer USS Gregory when his ship was sunk at Guadalcanal on 4 September 1942. As the crew were abandoning ship, the Japanese began shelling helpess men in the water. French collected a group of wounded shipmates onto a makeshift raft which was attached to his waist with a rope. He then spent the next eight hours swimming through the shark-infested waters towing the raft carrying approximately fifteen shipmates to safety. Despite saving these lives, and the multiple recommendations to decorate French with a higher level medal or award for his valor, such as the Navy Cross, all were rejected by the military. Instead he only received a personal letter of commendation from Admiral William Halsey. [3]

References

  1. "Charles J. French DDG-142". Naval Vessel Register. 2024-06-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class". Federation of American Scientists . FAS.org. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  3. "Navy will name a new ship for the 'human tugboat,' a forgotten WWII hero". 11 January 2024.