THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY CARLOS DEL TORO... MAMED USS CHARLES J. FRENCH,

 Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced last week that the future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer DDG-142 will be named USS Charles J. French, after Navy Mess Specialist 1st Class Petty Officer Charles Jackson French.

Known for his heroic actions in the Pacific Theater of World War II, French saved 15 of his shipmates after their high-speed transport was sunk in combat during the Battle of Guadalcanal.

Hailed as the “Human Tugboat” and “Hero of the Solomons,” Charles French was an African American man born in Foreman, Arkansas, Sept. 25, 1919. 

He joined the Navy as a mess attendant before the United States formally entered World War II, and served four years aboard the Hawaii-based heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA 30). French left the service after his tour aboard Houston, but reenlisted four days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. He was assigned to USS Gregory (APD 3) in March 1942.

On the night of Sept. 4, 1942, in the vicinity of the Solomon Islands, three Imperial Japanese destroyers and one cruiser opened fire on the Gregory and its sister ship USS Little (APD 4). 

With his ship sinking and his fellow Sailors in shark-infested waters, the uninjured French gathered injured shipmates on a nearby raft and tied a rope around his waist in order to pull the survivors to safety. French swam through the night until friendly aircraft saw him the next morning.  

For his actions, he was recommended for the Navy Cross, but received a letter of commendation from the commander of the Southern Pacific Fleet, Adm. William F. “Bull” Halsey.

Previously, Secretary Del Toro posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal to French in May 2022.

Fabrication of the ship is projected for 2026 with a projected keel laying set for 2027, projected christening in 2029, and delivery projected for 2031.

Related Article 

Garlin Murl Conner of Aaron, Kentucky, a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on January 24, 1945, near Houssen, France.


Conner was a selectee for the military and entered the Army in March 1941 and was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in June 1944 and promoted to a first lieutenant in December 1944. 

On January 24, 1945, during a German counterattack with six tanks and 600 men, he volunteered to run straight into the heart of the enemy assault so he could get to a position where he could direct artillery on the enemy forces. He remained in a compromised position for three hours until the German attack was broken up by Allied artillery.

For his actions on January 24, 1945, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Conner was originally awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. There have been continuous efforts to have his award upgraded to the Medal of Honor since 1996. President Trump presented the Medal posthumously on June 26, 2018.

Conner died in 1998, and was buried in Memorial Hills in Albany. In 2012, the U.S. Army honored him by designating a portion of a new maintenance facility at Fort Benning, Georgia as Conner Hall.

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