The Human Tugboat: The Life and Legacy of Charles Jackson French

 Just after midnight on September 5, 1942, the destroyer USS Gregory (APD-3) was operating near the Solomon Islands when it came under heavy Japanese naval gunfire during the Guadalcanal campaign. Within minutes, the ship was struck repeatedly and started to sink. The order to abandon ship was given.

Among the crew was 22-year-old Mess Attendant 1st Class Charles Jackson French. French was a strong swimmer and one of the few sailors who escaped serious injury. As men struggled in the dark water, some badly wounded and unable to swim, he began gathering them onto a life raft - fifteen shipmates in total.

But they were still in danger. The current was pulling them toward nearby islands then under Japanese control. French knew that drifting toward shore meant likely capture and death.

Who Was Charles French?

Born in 1919 in Forest City, Arkansas, French moved to Omaha, Nebraska to live with his sister after the death of his parents. 

In December 1937, he enlisted in the US Navy and was assigned to USSHouston in the Pacific. As a Mess Attendant 3rd Class, he served meals to white officers and sailors and kept the mess hall clean. In 1941, his four-year contract was complete, and French returned to Nebraska. 

Then, on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked. 

Within days, French re-enlisted, joining the crew of USSGregory in March 1942. Once again, he found himself in the Pacific - only this time, during active war.

As Gregory sank, French was suddenly thrust into a test far beyond his duties as a mess attendant. In that moment, instead of drifting with the current, he acted.

French tied a rope around his waist, secured it to the raft, and swam through the night for six to eight hours. He towed the raft with all fifteen wounded sailors aboard, guiding them away from land. Survivors recalled sharks circling beneath them as French continued swimming, refusing to stop.

By morning, a US scout aircraft spotted the men, and rescue soon followed.  

Delayed Recognition

One of the men French helped save, Ensign Robert Adrian, went on an NBC radio program six weeks after their rescue and told the story. 

“I can assure you that all the men on that raft are grateful to Mess Attendant French for his brave action off Guadalcanal that night,” he said.

French was celebrated for a time, with newspapers picking up his story and the public eager to meet him. Called “The Human Tugboat” by the press, French was featured on a wartime trading card and there was even talk of a Hollywood movie. 

Ensign Adrian had also recommended French for the Navy Cross, one of the highest decorations for valor. 

Yet as the war continued, public attention shifted and the headlines faded. French received only a letter of commendation from Admiral William F. Halsey Jr. in May 1943.

At the time, racial discrimination in the armed forces often affected recognition and advancement. Although French’s story gained some national attention during the war, the formal recognition did not match the scale of his actions.

Decades later, that began to change.

In 2022, the U.S. Navy posthumously awarded French the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism. At the ceremony, Naval Base San Diego’s rescue swimmer training pool was dedicated in French's honor. 

In 2024, the Navy announced that a future Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will bear his name — USSCharles J. French — carrying forward his legacy with a new generation of sailors.

A Life Cut Short

In 1945, French returned to civilian life. He moved to San Diego, married, and had a daughter. Like many veterans of World War II, he faced challenges after service.

Charles Jackson French died in 1956 at the age of 37 in San Diego, California, not living long enough to see his heroism fully recognized.

But his shipmates testified to what he did that night, and decades later, the Navy finally matched their words with formal recognition.

Sources

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2023/02/19/he-rescued-15-sailors-in-shark-infested-waters-now-this-black-navy-swimmer-is-finally-getting-his-due/ 

https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/memorial-day-the-story-of-charles-jackson-french-a-hero-for-our-time/ 

https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/alphabetical-listing/g/uss-gregory--apd-3-0.html