Navy destroyer named after Winter Park veteran

WINTER PARK, Fla. — A Winter Park veteran now has Navy destroyer named after him.  Delbert D. Black is a World War II veteran and the first master chief petty officer of the Navy.

Delbert Black died in 2000, but his wife, Ima Black, spoke to Channel 9's Cierra Putman. She will help christen the USS Delbert D. Black next week in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

“It's going to be a lot of bells and whistles on it to keep up with the modern Navy," Black said.

The 96-year-old told Eyewitness News that she still remembers first seeing her future husband at a basketball game with friends.

“I kiddingly said to them, 'I like number 13. I like his legs,'" Black said.

The two were married 50 years.

Delbert Black was the first-ever master chief petty officer of the Navy. His wife said he wanted the position to be the voice for enlisted men and women. He listened and heard the concerns of enlisted sailors and helped find solutions.

There have been only 14 master chief petty officers in the Navy.

Watch more of Ima Black's story below: 

Cox Media Group