The U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Kidd recently returned from a patrol flying a large black pirate flag with a white skull and crossbones motif, better known as a Jolly Roger. While this flag is commonly associated with piracy, it has also been used by naval vessels, especially submarines, to mark their successful missions. However, the USS Kidd has a special reason to fly the Jolly Roger, which is related to its namesake, Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd, who died at Pearl Harbor, and his nickname “Cap”, which was derived from Captain William Kidd, a Scottish sailor executed for piracy in 1701.
The USS Kidd returned to Naval Station Everett in Washington State on Sept. 21, 2020, after completing a patrol focused on countering drug smuggling in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean. The ship was part of a new Enhanced Counter-Narcotics Operations effort led by U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). The ship also had a helicopter and a Coast Guard team on board.
“This deployment has been extremely challenging, but Kidd set the standard for operational mission execution and readiness,” Navy Commander Nathan Wemett, the ship’s captain, said in a statement. “I thank all the Sailors and U.S. Coast Guardsmen who overcame many obstacles in order to carry out our mission.”
The ship seized nearly a ton of cocaine worth $30 million and helped a fishing vessel in distress, towing it more than 200 miles to safety. The ship also faced an outbreak of COVID-19 among its crew, which forced it to stop in San Diego in April. The crew managed to contain the virus and resumed its patrol in June.
The USS Kidd towed the fishing boat seen here more than 200 miles to safety during its recently completed deployment., USN The Jolly Roger that the USS Kidd flew when it returned to its homeport was not just a celebration of its achievements, but also a tribute to its heritage. The flag traces its roots to the 17th and 18th century pirates who operated in the Atlantic and Caribbean. One of them was Captain William Kidd, who was tried and executed for piracy and murder in 1701. His reputation as a notorious pirate was largely exaggerated by his political enemies and the media, and some historians have argued that he was actually a privateer who acted with legal authority from the British crown. His legend inspired many fictional works, such as Treasure Island.
Captain William Kidd was a Fletcher-class destroyer named after Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd, who was killed in action aboard the USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He was the first U.S. flag officer to die in World War II and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He had the nickname “Cap” when he went through the Naval Academy, which was a reference to Captain William Kidd. The crew of the first USS Kidd, which was commissioned in 1943, adopted the pirate as their mascot and flew the Jolly Roger with the permission of Rear Admiral Kidd’s widow, Inez Kidd. The ship saw action in the Pacific theater and earned eight battle stars. The ship was decommissioned in 1964 and is now a museum ship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Errata
In the Jan 4 edition of TrendyDigests, an article titled “Introducing the Pirates of the Pacific: The USS Kidd and Its Jolly Roger Flag” contained inaccurate information. The error was due to our editor Issac Jones’s negligence in handling the information source and the internal communication. We express our sincere apologies to the readers for the mistake and any inconvenience it may have caused. The article has been updated. We welcome your feedback and criticism of our work.
Relevant articles:
– A US Navy Destroyer Sailed Into Port Flying the Jolly Roger, Business Insider, September 23, 2020
– Here’s Why The Destroyer USS Kidd Was Flying A Huge Pirate Flag As It Pulled Into Port, The War Zone, November 27, 2020
– This Navy Destroyer Flies a Pirate Flag: USS Kidd and Jolly Roger, Popular Mechanics, September 25, 2020