USVI: USS Pinckney off St. Thomas

One of the U.S. Navy's new destroyers anchored off St. Thomas near King Airport on Thursday, and it carries the name of a black hero who earned the Navy Cross for bravery.

"The DDG-91 USS Pinckney is a brand new Arleigh Burke Flight II guided missile destroyer. She is not even commissioned yet - she's that brand new," Lt. Gary Ross, deputy public affairs officer for the U.S. Navy's 2nd Fleet, said.

The 8,373-ton destroyer was christened and launched on June 29, 2002. Its home port will be San Diego, according to NavSource Naval History at www.NavSource.com.

The ship is named after Navy cook Petty Officer 3rd Class William Pinckney.

According to the U.S. Navy, Pinckney rescued a fellow crew member on board the USS Enterprise during the World War II Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in October 1942.

An explosion had killed four of the six men at Pinckney's battle station in an ammunition handling room. One crew member fell unconscious.

"Despite the suffocating smoke, flames and gasoline fumes surrounding him, Pinckney carried the sailor to safety. For his selfless heroism, Pinckney was awarded the Navy Cross," according to the Navy. Pinckney was the second black man to receive the Navy Cross.

In March 2000, Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig named the ship after Pinckney, saying, "He embodied the Navy's value of selfless service at a time when the institution undervalued black service members. His willingness to give so much and sacrifice for an institution which gave him so little, makes these acts for which he earned the Navy Cross that much more heroic."