Bath Iron Works christens latest destroyer carrying the name of Navy hero
Kathryn “Kati” Charette Donovan (right), sponsor of the future USS William Charette and daughter of the ship’s namesake, along with Maid of Honor Michelle Charette (left) and Matron of Honor Sara Charette Wright (far left) break bottles of sparkling wine on the bow of DDG 130 Saturday. Ann Henderson and Laura Charette Bennett, also ship sponsors and daughters of the namesake, could not attend the ceremony so Charette’s granddaughters performed the christening in their stead. They are supported by, from right, Ben Goulette, Matt Ames and Drew Marshall, DDG 130’s chief superintendent, program manager and hull manager respectively. (Courtesy of Bath Iron Works)
BATH — Master Chief Hospital Corpsman William Charette was a hero who received the Medal of Honor for saving lives in the Korean War. But to his children, who broke sparkling wine bottles over the bow of a Navy destroyer named for Charette on Saturday morning at Bath Iron Works, he was “Dad.”
And to his fellow servicemembers who bore witness to his selflessness, he was “Doc.”
“My father was my hero, but more so, he was my dad, and he made all of us feel completely safe, completely loved,” said Kathyrn Charette Donovan, William’s daughter and one of the official sponsors of the new ship. “He showed me every day that true strength is found in kindness, humility and caring for others.”
Around 1,500 people — the Charette family, shipbuilders and their family members and local, state and Navy officials — gathered at the dry dock at Bath Iron Works to christen BIW’s latest destroyer, which will officially be named USS William Charette when it’s delivered to the Navy.
The event celebrated Charette’s bravery, as well as the work of thousands of Maine shipbuilders who built the William Charette, also known as DDG 130, BIW’s 43rd Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer.
A native of Michigan, William Charette enlisted in the Navy in 1951 and volunteered to go to Korea in 1953. Barely a month later, his unit was tasked with retaking a strategic hill near Panmunjom from Chinese and North Korean forces.
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During heavy combat, Charette treated several injured Marines. When tending to one man, Charette threw himself on the Marine to protect him from an enemy grenade, which blew apart Charette’s own medical kit and left him injured and unconscious.
Regaining consciousness, Charette continued to treat others, using his clothing as bandages and exposing himself to enemy fire to carry wounded men to safety.
For his actions, President Dwight D. Eisenhower presented Charette with the Medal of Honor in 1954. He went on to serve for many more years in the Navy’s nuclear submarine program before retiring in 1977 after 26 years of service. Charette died in 2012 near his home in Florida.
Streamers fill the air while the U.S. Navy Brass Band plays Anchors Aweigh following the christening of the future USS William Charette (DDG 130) at the Bath Iron Works dry dock Saturday. (Courtesy of Bath Iron Works)
“(William Charette) loved the people he served with, and he was proud to wear that uniform,” his son, Michael Charette, said Saturday.
The morning’s speakers — which included Gov. Janet Mills and Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King — underscored the importance of funding American shipbuilding, the future of which came into question recently during National Defense Authorization Act talks.
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“At a time when our nation urgently needs more surface combatants and is looking to overseas, this American shipyard is answering that call, delivering each destroyer to the Navy faster than the last,” BIW President Charles Krugh said. “This ship is built by American shipbuilders for American sailors to defend American families.”
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Also speaking at the christening, Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said the work done by BIW shipbuilders is “critical.”
“The Chinese Communist Party are constructing a significant fleet designed to challenge American access, coerce our allies and contest freedom of navigation throughout the Pacific,” he said.
As bottles broke and red, white and blue streamers rained from overhead, many shipbuilders in the audience were celebrating the culmination of roughly six years of work. BIW will launch the future William Charette next week. It will then have to complete sea trials before it is officially transferred to the Navy.
That won’t be the last some BIW employees will see of the ship.
“We continue to take care of (the ships) for the rest of their lives,” said Hannah Checca, who maintains destroyers in BIW’s lifecycle engineering department.
Checca, of Woolwich, brought her two kids, Kate, 9, and Brady, 8, along to experience the Bath Iron Works shipyard for the first time Saturday. Christenings are a rare opportunity for the outside world to access the normally secured yard.
“It’s really big,” Kate Checca said, looking up at the 9,200-ton William Charette.
A common phrase repeated Saturday was “Bath built is best built.” Hannah Checca said Bath’s shipbuilders take that to heart.
“I think everybody who works here is invested in being here, and we’re proud of what we do,” she said.
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Katie covers Brunswick, Bath and Freeport for the Times Record. She was previously the weekend reporter at the Portland Press Herald and is originally from the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York. More by Katie Langley
