New February 2002: Photo Gallery Additional
information on Of related interest: The Story of William Tillman.
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The Maritime Administration Salutes African Americans for War Time Service in the U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Maritime Service • African Americans served in every capacity aboard ships, at a time when the United States Army and Navy employed policies of racial restriction and segregation. For example, at the beginning of World War II, African Americans could serve only as messmen in the Navy. • Of the approximately 2,700 Liberty ships built during World War II, 17 were named for outstanding African Americans. The first, in honor of Booker T. Washington, was christened by Marian Anderson in 1942. Captain Hugh Mulzac, an African American, served as master of the ship for four years, delivering troops and supplies to the war zones. Adrian T. Richardson, John Godfrey, and Clifton Lastics also captained mixed-race crews during that war. |