FRENCH-CHARLES

                                                           A  HISTORIC  SWIM

On the night of September 4-5, 1942, USS GREGORY and a companion APD were returning to their anchorage at Tulagi after transferring a Marine Raider Battalion to Savo Island.  The night was inky-black when four Japanese warships prepared to bombard Henderson Field on Guadalcanal and at 0056 on the morning of September 5, the two APDs saw the initial flashes of gunfire.  A US Navy pilot also saw the gunfire and unfortunately mistakenly dropped a string of flares almost on top of the two APDs.  GREGORY immediately brought all her guns to bear but was desperately overmatched.  In less than 3 minutes into battle she was dead in the water with her two boilers burst and her decks a mass of flames.  The word was passed to abandon ship.  Charles Jackson French, then a STM2, joined his shipmates in the water as the ship sank some 40 minutes after the battle began.  Reports indicate that when most of the crew was in the water the Japanese began shelling again - not at the two crippled ships but at the crews in the water. 

French, a powerful 22-year old Negro mess attendant, became a hero to his shipmates that night.  A young Ensign was the only officer on the bridge to survive the sinking.  Hearing voices, he found a life raft filled with about fifteen men, many of whom were wounded.  After a discussion that they were drifting toward a Japanese held island, French volunteered to swim the raft away from shore.  Although the Ensign said what French was proposing was impossible and he would only be giving himself up to the sharks that they could see in the water surrounding them, French responded that he was not afraid, was a strong swimmer, stripped off his clothes and asked for help to tie a rope around his waist.   Once in the water French proved he was a powerful swimmer and swam an estimated six hours or more, all the while towing the raft toward Guadalcanal where they were spotted by an American landing craft which came to their rescue.  After the story of French's remarkable swim became public it appeared in newspapers and on national radio.  A series of educational cards was published by Gum Inc. concerning exploits during World War II and French's swim was featured in their Card #129.

During the early 1950s, French was interviewed by a retired Navy Chief Steward who later published the book, Black Men and Blue Water, and in it the following are excerpts of some of French's remarks:

When GREGORY was hit by them planes a lot of us got off before she sunk.  I was on a raft and we started drifting towards land.  I knowed that if we got close enough them Japs would kill us.  We had been told they would soon as kill a man already wounded as anybody else.  So, I being lucky enough to not get hurt jes put a line around my middle and started paddling away from the beach.  Then I got the hell scared outta me.  I noticed sharks circling around a waitin for they dinner.  So I thought what's worse them sharks or them Japs, at least them sharks will be quick.  So I jest keep paddling.  I nearly peed on myself when one of them sharks teched my feet. I jes froze and tried to surface and float, git my feet outta the water.  They wuz a whole lot of other folks in the water, some of um hurt purty bad.  I guess them sharks decided to not have 'scairt-nigger' for lunch.

 

When we wuz picked up and the hurt ones wuz taken to be worked on, we wuz taken to the rest camp with the others.  They came up wid some of that 'race shit,' that 'you a culud boy, you can go over there where the culud boys stay.'  Then some of them white boys what wuz on the raft and other sailors from the GREGORY's crew said, 'He ain't going no where!  He is a member of the GREGORY's crew and he damned well will stay right here with the rest of us.  Anybody who tries to take him anywhere had betta be ready to go to general quarters with all of us.'  The boy who did all the talking was from either Alabama or Georgia so for near on to five minutes there be a standoff, us covered with oil and grime in our hair and all over our clothes, in our eyes, and them clean master-at-arms folks.  We musta looked like wildmen.  Anyway, one of the master-at-arms said, 'Them fools mean it.  Just leave them alone.  We got other folks who need help.'  Them crackers retreated, tucked they tails and left!

After the story appeared in the papers, the world learned that French was an orphan from Foreman, Arkansas, who had enlisted in the Navy in 1937.  He received a royal welcome from citizens of all races as he appeared before enthusiastic crowds at bond rallies and a high decoration seemed assured.  However, as in the case of many other African-American war heroes, he would receive a lesser reward than anticipated.  When finally issued in May 1943 it came in the form of a Letter Of Commendation from ADM William F. Halsey, then commander of the Southern Pacific Fleet.  It read:

For meritorious conduct in action while serving on board a destroyer transport which was badly damaged during the engagement with Japanese forces in the British Solomon Islands on September 5, 1942.  After the engagement, a group of about fifteen men were adrift on a raft, which was being deliberately shelled by Japanese naval forces.  French tied a line to himself and swam for hours without rest, thus attempting to tow the raft.  His conduct was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service.

During the above described interview the author noted that French exhibited intense emotions when describing the incident that had happened years before.  French's shoulder shook and tears coursed down his cheeks.  The author said the only explanation he got from French was, "Them white boys stood up for me."  The author wrote that it appeared French returned from the Pacific Wars stressed out from seeing too much death and destruction, was possibly discharged with mental problems and left to fend for himself.  French was claimed by alcoholism in his later years and at the early age of 37 he died on November 7, 1956.  He was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)