Proudly We Served

by Kelly, Mary Pat

  The Blackford family had originally come from Virginia; in fact, the Blackfords were prominent in the state’s history as educators and physicians. Though the navy’s personnel department did not know this, Blackford’s great-grandmother, Mary Berkeley Minor Blackford (1802–1896), was a celebrated abolitionist. Her story is told in Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory (Harvard University Press, 1951), subtitled the “Story of a Virginia Lady Who Taught Her Sons to Hate Slavery and to Love the Union.” The author, Dr. L. Minor Blackford, a cousin of William Blackford’s described “the forcefulness displayed by Mary Blackford in her relentless fight against slavery.” Quoted in the book are the writings of Mrs. Blackford, including this passage:

  I only know of one insurrection before this of Nat Turner’s, and of none since. And I am sure that with an hundredth part of the wrongs they suffer we white people would have risen in arms fifty times.

  How the practice of injustice hardens the feelings is perfectly wonderful; what is done under our own eyes would shock us to the last degree were it not for this hardening process. I am convinced that the time will come when we shall look back and wonder how Christians could sanction slavery.

  I have been this morning to witness the departure in the Steam boat from this place to Norfolk on their way to Liberia of one hundred and eight liberated slaves. . . . Thus opening a way, I humbly trust, for great good to Africa and to this country.

  Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory also contains copies of the letters the slaves freed by the Blackford family wrote back to them from Liberia, in which they keep Mrs. Blackford informed of their progress and urge her to “tell all who want to come, come.” Still, the sons of Mary Berkeley Minor Blackford served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Charles Blackford wrote to his mother in 1853: “I admit the full force of all you say of the evils of slavery: But would my going North cause these evils to recur less frequently? The same reasons which you apply to me should make all holding my opinions leave the South,—and suppose they did! Who would there then be to regulate public opinion? Who to prevent even more flagrant acts of injustice and cruelty? Who to lighten their yoke? You certainly would not have all to leave!”

  Her son Lancelot Minor Blackford was headmaster of the Episcopal high school for forty years. His son, John Minor Blackford, sent his son, William Blackford, from Seattle to Virginia to attend this school. This fact, and his attendance at the University of Virginia, leads Capt. William Blackford’s son, Dr. Mansel Blackford, to surmise that his father was familiar with his abolitionist great-grandmother. Her thinking may have continued to influence the family. Dr. Blackford says, “My father was not a crusader.” Still, Mary Berkeley Minor Blackford’s portrait hung over the mantle of the Blackford family home. Perhaps a crusader is exactly what the Mason crew did not want. “He treated us man to man,” was the judgment of more than one crew member.

  Captain Blackford was promoted from the command of the Mason to duty at Great Lakes. When the war ended, he applied to join the regular navy, but his physical condition, particularly his weight, disqualified him. The entrance application had a remarks section that requested information about his “background which would be pertinent to his future assignment.” He wrote about his experience in the adverse weather conditions of the Aleutians and then added this sentence, “Have escorted eight transatlantic convoys.” No elaboration. No description of his crew as different than any other, just a summary of his responsibility: “Command and morale of crew.”

  Bill Farrell, from Chicago, was the engineering officer on the Mason. His self-identification probably rests more directly on his being an engineer than on being white. He spoke about his experiences from his hospital room. His love of the engine room on the Mason and his memory of the camaraderie of the men who served there seemed to strengthen him. The energetic “Steady Eddie” the men had described emerged as he spoke.

  Bill Farrell: I was assigned to the DE-529, the USS Mason. While we were waiting for the crew to assemble, I stayed down in Florida to take several different courses. I took “Navy Courts and Boards,” which is why I was assigned to the Mason as senior member of the Summary Court Martial Board. I was also the chief engineer, recreation officer, athletics officer, and welfare officer because it was a small ship.

  At that time it was to be a white crew on the Mason, but one day we were called in by the navy people in Florida and told that the navy had decided to put a black crew on the ship. We were asked for our comments at that time, asked what we thought. We were already a fairly close nucleus of people. There were probably eight officers altogether in Florida. We told them that we would like to think about it, to talk among ourselves. The only reason we did that was because we had this one fellow from Texas, and we didn’t want him to be the only one who might say “no.” The navy told us that it wouldn’t be held against us if we chose not to go on the Mason.

  We decided that we’d all say “yes” or all say “no.” We talked about it with all the officers. Kitts, the guy from Texas, had no objection at all! So we told them okay, we’d take it. The navy did not want a person who was prejudiced serving on the ship. As a matter of fact, we had to sign some sort of a document that stated we were given the opportunity of not accepting these orders, that we were taking them, and that we had no prejudice about the whole thing (see Appendix B). So that was fine.

  Blackford (letter to his parents): USS MASON (DE 529) 15 January 1944: Pre-commissioning work is progressing slowly but steadily and every day shortens the time when Jane and I will part. The volume of detail work is terrific and I am sure if all the printed forms were utilized for fuel the ship could sail around the world. We have a good office force of about 30 men set-up here, but most of the crew are still at training school. They are doing very well according to all reports (one is enclosed—please mail it back). Am delighted with the colored men who are here now—they know what they are doing and can really put out the work. We are setting up a ship’s band which will be something, as many of the men have had band experience and the Navy will provide instruments.

  Graham: While in Boston, waiting to go aboard the Mason, we were billeted in the Fargo Building. I really did enjoy the base. I had no trouble with white sailors on base, but off the base, white American sailors in the continental United States, Europe, Africa—any place we met—always had some derogatory remarks about my race, which I am very proud of, or my ship, which I have always been proud of. Returning from liberty one night in Boston, walking towards the main gate, I asked a white sailor, “What ship are you from mate?” He replied, the USS Bermingham (which happened to be the Mason’s sister ship). I said that I was from the USS Mason.

  “Oh, that’s the nigger ship,” he said. The fight was on. We both had on white uniforms. When the fight was over we both were a bloody mess. He was the loser. The whole time we were fighting the marine guard watched, but he didn’t utter a sound or make any moves!

  Blackford (letter to his parents): USS MASON (DE 529) 15 January 1944: It will probably be the middle of March before we finally get away from here for shakedown, though possibly two weeks sooner. Will be under Commander Atlantic Destroyers for a while—then a long trip Westward.

  The Mason was supposed to be sent to the Pacific and, in fact, was even painted with jungle camouflage. But the events of the summer of 1944 changed her direction. She would escort convoys supplying the D-Day invasion and its aftermath.

  Blackford (letter to his parents): USS MASON (DE 529) 15 January 1944: Am very much pleased with the ship. (Should be!—cost $7,000,000.) We have all the scientific gadgets aboard that can be put in the space available. Will have 12 officers and around 200 men. We are about 300 feet in length and quite good looking with streamlined bridge and stack, etc. Our armament, though not too heavy, should prove effective for the type of work for which we are designed. Our evaporation will provide all the fresh water that anyone could possibly use aboard. The Quarters are ample but certainly not lavish. I have a private bath and quarte
rs separate from the rest of the wardroom officers’ cabins. We are fortunate in having quite a few experienced officers aboard—from all parts of the world. As far as fighting experience goes the exec, Lt. Commander Ed O. Ross, is well acquainted with the busy ports along this coast having had command of an Atlantic P.C. which operated for a time in the Mediterranean during some hot action. Was worried about the East Coast for a while because most of the skippers around here know all the channels into the different ports, from experience.

  Farrell: I was a fairly young engineer, and I loved the equipment in the engine room. It was beautiful. I had these big diesels to run the generators and make power. They drove these big motors, 1,500-horsepower motors. When the ship went on commission, it was so pretty down there. All the engines were painted this gray; navy gray I guess they call it, battleship gray. I remember the ship’s service switchboard was canary yellow, with brown around the meters and trims. The propulsion board was beige. The bulkheads were all white, and the bilges were zinc chromate. Everything was so beautiful. I resolved right then that that was the way the engine room was going to stay. It was going to look just like that when we decommissioned it. And it did.

  Sometimes we’d have a little engine trouble and have to work four to six hours getting things back in condition. Of course, there’d be a lot of mess around, a lot of oil and grease on the bulkheads. But we weren’t finished repairing the engines until we washed down all the bulkheads on the thing. It was good.

  Graham: When we went aboard, we didn’t have hot water, we didn’t have running water. There were plumbers, electricians, and lines all over the ship when we went aboard. But I was there. I was aboard the Mason!

  The composition of the crew of the Mason made the commissioning of the ship newsworthy.

  New York Times (3/21/44): NEW NAVY CREW MOSTLY NEGRO—(Boston, March 20)—The destroyer-escort Mason, first United States naval vessel with a predominantly Negro crew, was commissioned today at Boston Navy Yard. The crew of 204 includes forty-four whites. Later the vessel will be manned entirely by Negroes specially trained for destroyer-escort duty. The Mason was named for Ensign Newton H. Mason, a hero of the battle of the Coral Sea, and was sponsored by his mother, Mrs. David N. Mason, Scarsdale, N.Y.

  The press in the black community saw the event in broader terms.

  Atlanta Daily News: FIRST RACE-MANNED WAR SHIP IN SERVICE—(Boston)—With a cold bitter wind accompanying a steady snowfall on this first day of spring the first U.S. Naval vessel with a predominantly Negro crew, the Destroyer Escort USS Mason, was placed in full commission Monday at Boston Navy Yard by Captain Roman C. Grady, U.S.N., captain of the yard. This is the larger of the two new anti-submarine vessels with crews largely composed of Negroes.

  Lieutenant Commander William M. Blackford, USNR, of Seattle, Washington, assumed command of the ship as soon as Captain Grady published the commissioning orders of the navy department. His crew presently consists of 160 Negroes and 44 whites. It is anticipated that as soon as Negro personnel can be trained and qualified they will replace the white ratings in their specialized billets, so that the entire crew eventually will be Negroes.

  Governor Saltonstall and Mayor Tobin spoke briefly after the impressive ceremony as did Julian D. Steele, director of the Armstrong Hemenway Foundation and local president of the NAACP, who previously had presented the crew with a number of musical instruments, for which he was warmly thanked.

  The parents of the late Ensign Newton Henry Mason, USNR, pilot of the Coral Sea battle for whom vessel was named, were also present and Mrs. Mason presented a plaque and picture of her son to the ship, following the commissioning. Their home is in Scarsdale, New York.

  There was a moistness in the eyes of some of the colored workers who with their white comrades braved the bitter cold to witness the ceremony but above and beyond all a note of pride, for absenteeism is low among them and they had kept this secret.

  They sensed that not only was this something they had helped fashion with their own hands and skill to be manned by their own boys but that this was their opportunity to show the world they were just as capable under a welder’s hood as machine gunning an enemy plane and just as efficient at turning lathe as running down an enemy submarine.

  Blackford (commissioning speech): Governor Saltonstall, Admiral Theobold, Captain Grady, Mayor Tobin, officers and crew of the USS MASON, ladies and gentlemen. The Commander in Chief desires that the following letter be read to the men of the MASON:

  FROM: The Secretary of the Navy

  TO: Commanding Officer, USS MASON (DE-529)

  SUBJECT: Readiness for War Service

  1.The Secretary of the Navy congratulates you, your officers and crew on being assigned to duty in the USS MASON. He takes this occasion to impress on each of you the seriousness and importance of your responsibilities in the days and weeks ahead.

  2.Immediately after her shaking down period, the USS MASON will be assigned to duty wherever she is then most needed. It is entirely possible that you will proceed directly into combat. Your first action may be by day or by night, against any type of vessel or aircraft possessed by our able and ruthless enemies.

  3.The only training period assured to you is from now until [the time] you report to the USS MASON ready for duty. Take full advantage of every facility and every hour to attain maximum readiness for war during your shakedown.

  4.Your future Fleet, Force, and Unit Commanders must rely on the USS MASON as an effective fighting unit from the hour when she reports to them for duty. It is your task to justify their confidence.

  FRANK KNOX

  I am fully cognizant of the responsibilities entailed in assuming command of this ship. I am sure that we are off to a good start. Most of you have been to sea before in local defense craft and small ships. You have been selected to man the USS MASON on the basis of previous meritorious service. You have demonstrated to me your ability and desire to learn by the excellent manner in which you have tackled the job of outfitting and preliminary training here at Boston and at Norfolk. The real job is just beginning. It will only be after months of hard work and ceaseless drills that we can attain that degree of fighting efficiency required of a first line ship.

  Ensign Newton Henry Mason, for whom the ship was named, has given his life in a fearless devotion to duty. For this he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Ensign Mason was awarded the American Defense Service Medal (Fleet Clasp) 1939–1941, and the DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS with the following citation: “For extraordinary achievement in serial combat as pilot of a fighter plane in action against enemy Japanese forces in the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 7 and 8, 1942. With utter disregard for his own personal safety, Ensign Mason zealously engaged enemy Japanese aircraft, thus contributing materially to the defense of our forces. In this action he gallantly gave up his life in the service of his country.” We are very proud to carry his name.

  Now I wish to especially thank Captain Grady and the Boston Navy Yard organization on behalf of the officers and crew of the MASON for the excellent start they have given us. The well-organized Supply Department and Pre-Commissioning Detail, as well as the planning and various construction departments, have greatly facilitated the job of getting the ship ready for duty. We wish to thank the civilian yard employees for carrying out the unusually high standards of construction which are apparent in this ship. We also wish to thank Dr. & Mrs. Mason and our other guests for being with us today. Your interest in the USS MASON is sincerely appreciated.

  Blackford (letter to his parents): USS MASON (DE 529) 23 March 1944: Well, the big doings are over now and we are down to hard work. The commissioning went off perfectly in the middle of a snowstorm [see Appendix C]. I certainly couldn’t keep up with the Mayor and Governor in speech making but think I held my own anyway. Dr. and Mrs. Mason gave us a plaque and oil portrait of Ensign Mason for our wardroom. A colored society gave us enough musical instruments to form a ship’s band.

  Farr
ell: I was recreation officer, and we decided we were going to have a ball for the crew to celebrate the commissioning. We went around and had a little committee set up. I invited the governor of Massachusetts and the mayor of Boston, and both of them came to our pre-commissioning ball on the Mason.

  Someone on the crew knew about a school in a suburb of Boston, a finishing school for black girls. Most of our guys were from out of town; they didn’t really know people around Boston. So we invited girls from the school down for the pre-commissioning ball. They attended the ball, beautiful girls, dressed to the teeth. We had a nice party.

  DuFau: Commissioning was such a regular event in that navy area, they probably had connections with all of the local organizations. But I remember there was a ballroom where the regular enlisted men and the officers used to go.

  Graham: The day that we had the commissioning, it was so cold.

  DuFau: It was icy cold.

  Graham: We were anxious to hit the beach to get on liberty, and a lot of us didn’t hang around for any kind of dance. I know I didn’t. That’s when the photographer wanted certain color caps put on. I happened to have on a blue cap. When he said he wanted a blue cap, we all raced back to the lower deck and got on white caps, in order to get off the ships right away.

  Blackford (letter to his parents): USS MASON (DE 529) 23 March 1944: It feels pretty good to be back on a ship at last, especially a real warship. We have started out by observing all the regular customs and ceremonies aboard ship, as our crew seems to like things a little more that way than other DE’s. With this many in the crew they can’t all be good though, and I was forced to hold a couple of courts today. A lot of this strict way of doing things is fairly new to me but we are off to a good start. I believe that by bearing down a little more than necessary at first we can ease up later. I think that the crew is better than average and is developing some spirit. There has been a lot of bunk said about Negro crews. We can’t see that they are any different from others if treated the same, but will know more later. They are anxious to make a name for themselves. [They] actually work harder. It’s quite obviously a good change for me if it works out as I expect.