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 Iron Works in Bath, Maine was the site of the Christening of an Arleigh Burke Class destroyer on August 1, 2026. The namesake of this latest member of this critically important class was a Navy Hospital Corpsman who received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions supporting Marines during the Korean War. The Arleigh Bruke class is the workhorse of the Navy’s surface fleet. This Christening was both a celebration of the role of the Navy Medical Corps and those who received the Medal of Honor.
William Richard “Doc” Charette was born in Ludington, Michigan in 1932. Both of his parents died when he was five and he and his sister were then raised by an unmarried uncle. After high school, he worked on a ferry in Lake Michigan and then joined the Navy in 1951. He volunteered for training as a hospital corpsman and then for service in Korea. Assigned to the 5th Marine Regiment, he found his company in a fierce battle trying to recapture Vegas Hill from the enemy. Over a twenty-four-hour period, he treated wounded Marines as enemy bombs fell, constant small arms fire ripped through the American positions and grenades blew Marines into the air. As he was tending to one of the wounded Marines, a grenade landed near his patient. “Doc” Charette threw his medical bag on top of the grenade and then used his body to shield the wounded Marine. Charette was knocked unconscious and suffered such severe bleeding from a head wound that, when he regained consciousness he was unable to see. He continued to expose himself to enemy fire in order to render assistance to other Marines, pulling one to safety out of a deep trench. Hospital Corpsman, 3rd Class Charrette was one of five Corpsman from the Korean War to receive the Medal of Honor. Charette was the only one of the five to survive the war. Described as a quiet and humble man, he initially refused to accept the medal as he felt he did not deserve it. These five Hospital Corpsmen were the only Navy enlisted sailors to receive the Medal of Honor for service in the Korean War.
William Charette went on to train Hospital Corpsmen at Great Lakes, Illinois, and was given the honor of selecting the World War II remains to be placed in the tomb of the Unknowns. “Doc” went on to the submarine service and became one of the first Independent Duty Corpsman (IDC) to serve on a nuclear submarine. He retired as Master Chief Hospital Corpsman after 26 years in the Navy. In 1999, the Charette Health Care Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, a million square foot facility, was dedicated in his honor. He retired after 26 years of service as Master Chief Hospital Corpsman. He was married for 57 years to his wife Lousie when he passed away in 2012, and they had five children: Margaret Ann, Michael, Kathryn, Laura, and Billy who predeceased his father in 1991.
DDG 130 is the 82nd Arleigh Burke Destroyer and the second Flight III to be built at BIW. Her advanced radar and Aegis combat systems make her one of the most advanced surface warfare platforms. Its keel was laid on August 29, 2024, and her construction remained on time resulting in her recent dry dock christening. The ship’s sponsors are M. Ann Henderson, Kathryn (Kati) Charette Donovan and Laura Charette Bennett, the namesake’s daughters. Due to medical issues, only Kati was able to attend her christening duties in person. Michael Charette’s daughters, Maid of Honor Michelle Charette and Matron of Honor Sara Charette Wright served as proxies for Ann and Laura and participated in the bottle break with their aunt Kati. Each of the sponsors and the Matron of Honor chose health care as a career path, evidence of Master Chief Charette’s influence on his family.
On Friday July 30, 2026, in a new Conference Center at Bath Iron Works, Prospective Commanding Officer CMDR Holcomb led a traditional Mast Stepping ceremony. Shipbuilders, Navy leadership, family, and friends placed coins and other mementos in the metal box. Retired Col. Harvey C. “Barney” Barnum (namesake the USS HARVEY C. BARNUM JR. (DDG-124), representing the Medal of Honor Society, spoke of “Doc” as someone he looked up to and who had mentored Barney, when he returned from Vietnam. Barney described “Doc” as a humble man, “a family man”, who spoke softly and received respect from all in that special group of heroes. Ann Zumwalt, President of the Society of Ship Sponsors of the United States Navy and Sponsor of USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) placed her coin and a vintage Korean Service medal with 2 bronze stars identical to those worn by both “Doc” Charette and her father, CNO Zumwalt. Also presenting was Force Master Chief Jerry Cantorna, who serves as the senior enlisted leader and director for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. Later, on Friday evening, guests attended the Sponsor’s Dinner at the Portland Sheraton, hosted by BIW and dined as gifts were bestowed on the Sponsors and the Maid and Matron of Honor.
A beautiful Maine morning with blue skies and unusually warm temperatures provided a backdrop for the Christening ceremony. The speakers included Maine Governor Janet Mills, and both Senator Susan Collins and Senator Angus King. In a memorable speech, Senator King, related that his first exposure to a Navy hero was through the namesake of his High School in Alexandria Virginia. Senator King attended Francis C. Hammond High School, named after another Korean War Navy Corpsman. Francis Hammond received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his service in December 1953, months after he was killed in battle. Acting Navy Surgeon General and Acting Chief, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Rear Admiral Matthew Case Spoke in honor of Master Chief Charette whose memory continues to be an inspiration to the over 44,000 military and civilian personnel in the Navy Medical Corps. Son, Michael Charette and Kati, the Sponsor, spoke and as Kati said, “He was my hero but he was “Dad”.” She described a man who was soft spoken, warm and loving, echoing the sentiments of fellow Medal of Honor recipient Col. Harvey “Barney” Barnum.
The keynote speech was delivered by the Acting Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Hung Cao. He spoke of the critical role the Arleigh Burke Class plays every day in the Navy and the advances present in the newest iteration of the class. The ships built in Bath are critical to our competition with global powers like China. Acting Secretary Cao said, “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 also pointed out that DDGs are a key element in the Middle East hostilities, striking fear in our adversaries. He honored the memory of Master Chief Charette, relating that in battle Marines, like those in Korea, utterly depend upon their corpsman.
Kati, Michelle and Sara then joined BIW DDG program officials and Secretary Cao at the Christening platform. Kati, Michelle, and Sara in unison said, “For the United States of America, we christen thee WILLIAM CHARETTE. May God bless this ship and all who sail in her”. Three sparkling wine bottles were then FORCEFULLY struck against the christening plate, sending spray 12 feet into the air!
Guests were treated then to a reception with endless lobster rolls and other treats, and we had a chance to spend some time with the extended Charette family.
Submitted by Ann Zumwalt (USS ZUMWALT DDG 1000)
