Hometown: New York, NY
Branch: U.S. Coast Guard
Unit: USCGC Comanche
Military Honors: Navy and Marine Corps Medal
Date of Sacrifice: March 29, 1943 - Labrador Sea, near Greenland
Age: 26
Conflict: World War II, 1939-1945

On June 20, 1917, Charles David Jr. became the first generation of his family to be born in the United States. His parents Charles Sr., a carpenter, and Elizabeth immigrated to New York from Antigua, a small island in the Caribbean.

As a young man, Charles Jr. honed his skills as a cabinetmaker and carpenter, likely with help from his father. Developing a marketable skill provided a way for young Charles to take care of himself during the Great Depression (1929-1939).

In 1939, Charles married Kathleen Wiggins—also a first-generation American born to immigrants. A year later, the Davids welcomed a baby boy: Neil Adrian David. The family moved to a brownstone apartment in Harlem.

Like most Americans struggling to recover from the Depression, Charles found it difficult to find steady work and support his family. He turned to the military. Enlisting in the U.S. Coast Guard on March 6, 1941, Charles knew that he’d be separated from Kathleen and Neil, who was then three years old.

In the early 1940s, racial segregation in the military was a harsh reality. Even though the Coast Guard allowed black and white men to serve side-by-side, black men were limited to menial duties and positions that held little promise for advancement. But the promise of a steady paycheck meant that Charles could provide for his family—a welcome relief from the struggles of the Great Depression.

As a Steward’s Mate First Class, Charles David’s duties included cleaning the officers’ quarters and working in the kitchen. He was assigned to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Comanche (WMEC-202), and as a large man was an intimidating presence at first sight. But shipmates recall David as a friendly, charismatic personality and natural leader who had many friends among the 60-man crew. Many recall his love for playing blues on his harmonica.

In early February 1943, the Comanche was part of a convoy bringing soldiers across the Labrador Sea to the Narsarsuaq Air Base on the southern tip of Greenland. The trip was dangerous not only because of North Atlantic winds and high waves, but also the threat of German U-boats lurking in the icy waters.

On the night of February 3, a German torpedo ripped into the hull of the USTA Dorchester—one of the ships in the convoy that carried more than 900 soldiers and civilian workers. An estimated 100 men were killed instantly in the explosion, and the ship slipped beneath the waves within 25 minutes.

The Comanche rushed to the rescue. Hundreds of stunned and wounded men abandoned ship and fought to stay alive in the dark Arctic waters. Strong winds, high waves, and sub-zero temperatures hampered rescue efforts, and the men in the ocean would not survive for long.

Charles W. David Jr. volunteered to go over the side of the Comanche and rescue the men whose arms and legs were too numb to climb the lowered cargo nets to safety. During the difficult rescue, the Comanche’s executive officer, Lieutenant Langford Anderson, fell overboard. Without hesitating, Charles David dove into the icy waters to save him.

Along with several shipmates, David is credited with rescuing 93 Dorchester survivors. Together with the other ships in the convoy, a total of 260 men were saved.

David made it safely back to the deck of the Comanche, but the extended time in frigid temperatures took its toll. By the time Comanche made it to Greenland with its cargo of survivors, an ambulance was called to bring David to the Army hospital to be treated for hypothermia. He developed pneumonia and was lost on March 23, 1943.

For his courage and selflessness, Charles Walter David, Jr. was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. His citation reads:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy and Marine Corps Medal (Posthumously) to Stewards Mate First Class Charles Walter David, Jr., United States Coast Guard, for heroic and courageous conduct in effecting the rescue of survivors from the torpedoed S.S. DORCHESTER on 3 February 1943. When the benumbed survivors of S.S. DORCHESTER were unable, because of heavy seas and freezing winds, to make any efforts to climb on board the rescue ship, Stewards Mate David volunteered for the dangerous task of going over side and working in rough freezing water in order to assist the exhausted and helpless survivors in reaching the safety of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter U.S.S. COMANCHE. In spite of strong, sub-freezing wind and rough, near-freezing seas, he disregarded all discomforts and danger and worked with complete disregard of his own safety until he and fellow volunteers had rescued a total of 93 survivors from certain death in steadily mounting seas. The bravery, determination and disregard for his own safety displayed by Stewards Mate David in assisting in the rescue of almost 100 helpless survivors were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

On November 16, 2013, the United States Coast Guard officially commissioned the USCGC Charles David Jr (WPC 1107) in his honor.

Sources
Artist’s rendering: Craig Du Mez
The National WWII Museum: Sailor Charles Walter David Jr. Gave His Life to Save Fellow Americans
VA News: Coast Guard Veteran Charles Walter David Jr.
Military Times, Hall of Valor: Charles Walter David
Steven T. Collis—The Immortals
Naval Order of the United States: The Long Blue Line: An African American Hero in a Segregated Service
America in WWII Magazine: The Best Way To Die
Military.com: Tragic Loss, Astonishing Heroism Remembered on Anniversary of SS Dorchester's Sinking
Burial Site: Find a Grave