If you ever catch a sleek, gray Navy destroyer coming into port with a gigantic black flag flying above it with a skull and crossbones, you may think you have stepped onto the set of a pirate film. But if it’s the USS Kidd, that flag is not a publicity stunt—it’s a revered tradition that makes her stand out from every other vessel in the U.S. Navy.
The tale starts with Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, whose bravery became legendary on December 7, 1941. As commander of Battleship Division One, he was on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. When the bombs began to fall, he ran to the bridge to assume control. He was killed in action, and his loss marked the first American flag officer who died in World War II. He was posthumously decorated with the Medal of Honor. And that’s where his legacy went off on its own unexpected trajectory.
When the first USS Kidd, a Fletcher-class destroyer, commissioned in 1943, her crew completely ran with the pirate theme. This wasn’t strictly about Captain William Kidd, the legendary Scottish privateer—the nickname “Cap” had been Isaac Kidd’s since his Naval Academy days. With the widow of Kidd’s permission, Inez, the crew painted a pirate on the smokestack and hoisted the Jolly Roger. It made the Kidd the sole U.S. Navy ship officially permitted to fly a pirate flag. As author Blake Stilwell once explained, “The Kidd gets a pass because of tradition—the most powerful force in the Navy.
With time, the Jolly Roger, which was originally a flag of fear and piracy on the open seas, had a new connotation. Both World Wars saw Navy subs flying the flag after missions, but for the Kidd, it was different. Its crew earned the nickname “Pirates of the Pacific,” saving crashed pilots and “ransoming” them back to their carriers for ice cream. The pirate flag wasn’t about rule-breaking—it was about friendship, toughness, and respect for a fallen hero.
And the USS Kidd more than lived up to that spirit. She spent fierce battles in the Pacific in World War II, rode out a vicious kamikaze attack, and earned twelve battle stars. She was later put back into commission for the Korean War, continuing her tradition in an ever-changing world. In it all, the Jolly Roger remained flying high—a symbol of her singular identity and combativeness.
When the Navy finally decommissioned the Kidd, she was placed in retirement as a museum ship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Of the 175 Fletcher-class destroyers constructed for World War II, only four exist—and the Kidd alone is restored to original wartime configuration. People can walk her decks, catch sight of the painted pirate on her smokestack, and feel echoes of history all about them. In addition to the vessel, the affixed Veterans Museum commemorates all Louisiana veterans, making the Kidd a living, breathing memorial to service and sacrifice.
It takes a lot to keep an old ship like this afloat. In 2024, the Kidd was floated off her specially designed cradle in the Mississippi River and towed to a Houma, Louisiana, shipyard for a once-in-a-century renovation. The project consists of critical hull repairs, the return of even more World War II-era features, and the upgrading of her cradle so she can more easily withstand the rise and fall of the river. As ship’s superintendent Tim NesSmith said, taking the Kidd to drydock is like taking grandma to the doctor—it’s all about getting her in good enough shape so she can continue to go. “Ships are much like people,” he explained. “They have to come to the shipyard so their hulls can be inspected, to ensure they’re not thinning out or leaks forming—anything that might cut their lifespan short.”
But this is not only a restoration of steel and paint. It’s also about respecting every sailor who served aboard her—including Black sailors whose stories have long been unknown. Since the Navy desegregated in 1948, the lives of these sailors have been drastically different, and the museum is striving to restore original areas and capture their lives, ensuring these tales aren’t forgotten with time.
The Kidd’s life is also being documented in a film, which sheds light on her service, her conversion into a museum, and the work that continues in order to maintain her legacy. Producer Brandon Maher put it best: We need to remember the sacrifices of those who served because the freedom we have today was won by the people before us.
So the next time you spot a Navy destroyer with a pirate flag flying, know it’s not just a lighthearted tip of the hat to the past. For the USS Kidd, however, the Jolly Roger is a mark of pride—a salute to courage, tradition, and the indomitable spirit of the sailors who served.