DE CLASSIFIED
USS MASON
In honor of Black History Month, we are exploring the history of the USS MASON. USS MASON DE-529 was the first ship predominantly manned by African Americans during WWII. Join Xavi as he walks us through the decks of the MASON as her sailors were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for a country that saw them as less than human. One of her sailors remarked “I had to come all the way across the ocean to a foreign country before I got to enjoy the feeling of being an American.”
Follow along with our transcript and check out the photos on our website.
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Gun crew aboard MASON - Photo by DEHM
Crew of the MASON - Photo from DEHM
USS MASON DE-529 - Photo by DEHM
20 mm gun crew, USS MASON - Photo by DEHM
MASON crew boarding their ship. Photo by DEHM
Photo by DEHM
MASON crew member by Depth Charges. Photo by DEHM
Galley Crew aboard MASON. Photo by DEHM
MASON Signalmen at work. Photo by DEHM
Signal Flags aboard MASON. Photo by DEHM.
MASON crew. Photo by DEHM
MASON at launching. Photo by DEHM.
USS MASON in Dazzle Camo. Photo by DEHM
20 March 1944: Boston, Mass. - The commanding officer, Lcdr William M. Blackford, passes a group of the African American sailors lined up for USS Mason's commissioning ceremony at the Boston Navy Yard. Photo by Bill Gonyo, Navsource.org