Winter Park Navy widow helps christen destroyer named for late husband

PASCAGOULA, Miss. — The Navy destroyer USS Delbert D. Black, named for a Winter Park veteran, was christened at a port in Mississippi Saturday with about 1,200 people on hand.

“This ship is a fitting tribute to the master chief who set the tone for all of us to follow as authentic, competent and courageous leaders,” said Steven Giordano, master chief petty officer of the Navy, who served as keynote speaker.

Delbert D. Black was 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 helped christen the USS Delbert D. Black in Pascagoula, Mississippi during a ceremony.

“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 No. 13. I like his legs,'" Black said.

The two were married 50 years.

Read: Navy destroyer named after Winter Park veteran

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: 

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