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Gulf of Aden - December 2011
Incheon, Republic of Korea - October 2011
San Diego - July 2011
Pacific Ocean - May 2011
Pacific Ocean - May 2011
San Francisco, California - October 2010
Tokushima, Japan - February 2010
Mk-45 Mod.4 5-inch/62-caliber gun fire - Gulf
of Aden - November 2009
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - July 2008
Pacific Ocean - September 2007
Pacific Ocean - September 2007
Pacific Ocean - August 2007
Pacific Ocean - July 2006
Sydney, Australia - January 2006
Pacific Ocean - June 2005
Pacific Ocean - May 2005
Naval Base San Diego, California -
December 2004
Pacific Ocean - August 2004
Coronado, California - May 2004
photos out of the USS Pinckney
website
Mk-45 5-inch/62-caliber gun fire - 2008
Mk-45 5-inch/62-caliber gun fire - 2008
BGM-109 Tomahawk missile launch - 2009
BGM-109 Tomahawk missile launch - 2009
BGM-109 Tomahawk missile launch - 2009
Seahawk helicopter on flight deck - 2009
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Navy Cook First Class William Pinckney (April
27, 1915 – July 21, 1976):
Navy Cook First Class William Pinckney received the
Navy Cross for his courageous rescue of a fellow crewmember onboard the USS
Enterprise (CV 6) during the Battle of Santa Cruz. When an explosion killed
four of the six men at his battle station in an ammunition handling room,
Pinckney and the other surviving sailor attempted to exit through a hatch to
the hangar deck above. When the other man grasped the scorching hatch, he
fell back 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.
Bill, or ‘Bags’ to his friends, was a quiet man. If you were asked to pick
him out of a crowd as one of only four African Americans to receive the Navy
Cross in World War Two, odds are you might pick him last. Only proud to serve
in the Navy, he never talked about medals or awards. Unassuming, he was just
a man that always tried to do the right thing in his life, and succeeded.
William Pinckney was born in Dale, South Carolina, on April 27th, 1915, to
Renty and Jenny Pinckney. His father struggled to get by as a carpenter on
the many shrimp boats in the Beaufort area. Bill’s mother passed when he was
eight years old and his older sister, Ethel, raised him. A few years later
Bill would drop out of school and start working himself, only finishing the
seventh grade. Following in his father’s footsteps, he worked as a carpenter
along the waterfront, eventually partnering with his brother-in-law prior to
joining the Navy.
While attending Robert Falls Elementary School, Bill did make one important
discovery. Henrietta. Henrietta Pinckney was five years younger than Bill but
they formed a friendship that would grow into a lifetime love. He would ask
Henrietta to her first dance when she was fifteen and they were married eight
years later at the Beaufort courthouse on November 6th, 1943.
On August 3rd, 1938, William Pinckney joined the Navy to see the world. He
attended boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, and then reported to the
aircraft carrier USS ENTERPRISE (CV 6) as a Cook after completing ‘A’ School.
He served on the ENTERPRISE for three years.
At the Battle of Santa Cruz on October 26th, 1942, the carrier USS HORNET (CV
8) was sunk and the ENTERPRISE would be hit twice by Japanese bombs, killing
44 Sailors and leaving 75 wounded. It was here that William Pinckney would
earn the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions.
During the second bomb attack, a five-inch shell exploded in the magazine
William was manning, killing four Sailors instantly and knocking him
unconscious. When he came to, William found the magazine ablaze and full of
smoke. Feeling his way out, he stumbled upon Gunner’s Mate James Bagwell, who
alive but too weak to climb up the ladder to escape. Although taller and at
least twenty pounds heavier than Pinckney, William threw Bagwell over his
shoulder and started to climb. An electrical cable touched Pinckney and he
was thrown back, once again knocked unconscious. When William regained
consciousness, he fearlessly grabbed Bagwell a second time and successfully
made his way up the ladder and eventually into the hangar bay. Once Gunner’s
Mate Bagwell was safe, Pinckney went back down into the magazine, ignoring
the burns that had taken the skin off his hands, right leg, and back.
Fighting smoke and fire, he would only return from the space several minutes
later after confirming the deaths of the others inside. He then collapsed and
was treated.
When questioned about the incident, William displayed his trademark modesty
saying,“ Well, I did help a little here and there.” When asked about
returning into the fire after saving Bagwell, all he would say is,“ Yeh, I
guess that’s about right. When the first guy seemed to be surviving pretty
good, I went below to see if I could help someone else but they were all
killed and I couldn’t help anyone.”
Pinckney was treated for shrapnel wounds and 3rd degree burns in Hawaii.
While there he negotiated orders and spent the remainder of his eight years
in the Navy at the Boat Basin in San Diego, California. He returned home to
marry Henrietta and the two moved to Oceanside, California. On June 30th,
1946, William left the service as a Cook First Class.
He and Henrietta moved from Oceanside to Brooklyn, New York, where Bill
joined the Merchant Marine and Henrietta worked as a telephone operator.
William served for 26 years in Merchant Marine as a cook on such ships as the
AFRICAN MOON and SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. He was an active Mason and member of the
American Legion in New York. After retiring, the two moved back to Beaufort.
William Pinckney passed away in his home on July 21st, 1976, after a two-year
struggle with spinal cancer. He is buried at plot number 3381 in the Beaufort
National Cemetery. Henrietta Pinckney, who still lives in Beaufort, survives
him. They have no children.
Modest throughout his life, very few photos of William are available. Even at
his own wedding no photos were taken. He never spoke about his time in the
Navy or the incident in which he saved James Bagwell’s life. As far as
Henrietta is aware, William may have never known the identity of the man he
carried to the hangar bay that fateful day. When questioned about his time in
the service, Bill would often tear up, saying only that he was ‘proud to
serve’. This is now the motto of the ship that bears his name, the USS
PINCKNEY (DDG 91), built in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
‘Bags’ enjoyed the simple things. Listening and dancing to the jazz music of
Duke Ellington and following his favorite baseball team the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Bill loved attending games, eating Coney Island hot dogs and fries at every
opportunity. He loved to cook, often taking the kitchen over from his wife.
The only food he was known to despise was beets, an aversion shared by the
crew of the PINCKNEY. No beets will ever be served onboard.
One other trait of William Pinckney’s has found its way into the ship. You
can already see on the faces of every Sailor in the current crew that they
have assumed ‘Bags’ quiet modesty and are, and will always be, ‘Proud To
Serve’.
Gunner’s Mate James Bagwell
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