African Americans have served a very important part in the development of this country during wartime affairs while in the United States Navy. Blacks have been known to serve this country in times of war since before the United States even established a government. However, a lot of their accomplishments and achievements have fallen upon the deaf ears of the rest of the nation. Records go on to show that even though there was help by blacks in the Navy, it did not begin to flourish until before World War II. This may not have been the case however as many records of race in the US Navy was not recorded until shortly before World War I, so there is a thought that blacks did have a lasting impact on the United States Navy during America's earliest years. "Negroes," as they were called back then, bravely manned gunboats during the Revolutionary War, fought valiantly during the War of 1812, performed heroically during the Civil War, and gallantly distinguished themselves during the Spanish- American War. So in essence, during every major war the United States has faced African Americans have always volunteered their lives in order to help the United States Navy, even if they were not even freed African Americans. Evidence exists of African Americans serving on gunboats in the Continental Navy and in the navies of several states as they fought against the redcoats of the British. It seems that African Americans patriotic service and heroism were ignored by the rest of the country as soon as their services were no longer needed. This was typical not only throughout the Navy but throughout the United States' earliest military forces. For example, a Negro named Capt. Mark Starlin of the Virginia Navy commanded a ship called the Patriot during the American Revolution. At the end of the war, despite his outstanding battle record and tremendous signs of leadership and courage, he was re-enslaved by his old master. That account is all too common throughout military history when it comes to blacks. Many African Americans also fought in the War of 1812, hoping that if they were to fight for the Navy then they would in turn gain freedom from their slave masters. American victories in the War of 1812 were primarily naval ones, but naval records indicate that about 16 percent of all enlisted sailors would have been black. These records cannot show however the number of hopeful African Americans who gained freedom. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, hundreds of newly freed slaves flocked to Union naval service in order to leave plantations and hopefully gain freedom for their service. By the end of the Civil War, blacks had served on almost every one of the Union's nearly 700 Navy vessels. Along with blacks contributions to the Union's Navy, six African Americans, and records say, earned the Medal of Honor for their leadership in combat.
The Navy, however, seems to have overlooked many of its black sailors throughout the years. For more than a century, Navy authorities estimated that about 10,000 blacks had served in the Navy during the Civil War. Researchers of the Naval Historical Center recently discovered new evidence that changes the history of black's involvement in the Navy during the Civil War, as the real number is nearly twice as high. In a ceremony at the Navy Memorial in Washington on Nov. 17, 2000, Navy officials added that more than 8,000 neglected black sailors, including more than a dozen women, to its rolls of honored Civil War veterans. The researchers even proved the actual number of black Medal of Honor recipients was eight instead of the records only accounting for six. Naval historical records list three African American heroes during the 1860s and Civil War. Robert Smalls, 1839-1915, was a slave-pilot aboard a Confederate steamer called the Planter of Charleston, S.C. Smalls had hijacked the ship when the white crew had gone ashore and he and the Planter's slave crew delivered the Planter to the Union in 1862. Smalls was lucky, because he was among a few African Americans who were recognized for their wartime efforts. He was appointed pilot of the USS Keokuk and eventually was promoted to captain. Another African American, John Lawson, received the Medal of Honor for service on the USS Hartford during the Battle of Mobile Bay, Ala., in 1864. After the war, records note the outstanding service and patriotism of Frank Allen, who served on the USS Franklin in European waters in 1868.
After the Civil War, African Americans served in unlimited roles among the Navy's enlisted ranks. However, that's when the campaign started that encouraged blacks and other men of color to become officers' stewards and cooks. The first few decades of the 20th century brought increasing restrictions and discrimination on the role of African Americans in society and in the Navy. The enlisted rates remained open to all men, but African Americans were pushed into servant roles. African Americans were given the opportunity to serve in the Navy at this time, but they were not allowed to rise through the ranks and become high ranking officers like whites had the right to. The Navy's racial segregation policies limited African Americans' participation in World War I and, after the war, the Navy barred black enlistments altogether from 1919 to 1932. The only black sailors in uniform during that period were the ones aboard ships in 1919 who were allowed to stay to retire.
When African Americans were allowed into the Navy again in 1932, it was as stewards and mess attendants. The Navy began to rethink its policies when the nation entered World War II in December 1941. Navy officials had to deal with a shortage of manpower and well-focused political activities. Thousands of patriotic black men also eagerly wanted to join, inspired by the heroics of previous black sailors. One of the first African American heroes of the war was Dorris Miller, who had been a mess attendant on the battleship USS West Virginia during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Though he had no gunnery training, Miller took charge of an anti-aircraft machine gun when its crew was disabled. Popular legend has it that he shot down several of the 29 enemy planes claimed that day. Ship's officers also cited him for his part in rescuing sailors who had jumped or been thrown overboard. As a result of his efforts, Miller received the Navy Cross.
. The Navy would remain racially segregated in training and in most service units, but enlisted ratings opened to all qualified personnel in 1942. The first African American officers in naval history were commissioned in 1944. The twelve commissioned officers and one warrant officer became known as the "Golden Thirteen." President Truman ended formal racial segregation in the armed forces in 1948 by executive order. As a result of Truman's actions, opportunities gradually expanded for African Americans in the Navy and in American society from the late 1940s and the 1950s, a time marked by the Korean War and the Cold War. During that period, Ensign Wesley A. Brown became the first African American graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD while Ensign Jesse L. Brown became the first African American naval aviator and died in action during the Korean War.
Major changes in the Navy's approach to show equal opportunities for African Americans came between 1965 to 1972 during the Vietnam War and the civil rights struggle. Several African Americans began to experience opportunities to rise through the ranks of the Navy due to this new equalization. Samuel L. Gravely Jr. was promoted to Rear Admiral in July 1971, making him the first African American to reach this position. He retired as a Vice Admiral on Aug. 1, 1980 with this distinguished honor. Admiral J. Paul Reason also became the Navy's first African American four-star admiral on Nov. 15, 1996 due to his heroic achievements. He served as commander of the Atlantic Fleet from December 1996 to October 1999 and later retired in November 1999. Rear Admiral Lillian E. Fishburne represented the progression of African American women in the Navy as she became the first African American woman Navy flag officer in February 1998. Her most recent assignment served as the deputy director and fleet liaison to the Information Space Warfare Command and Control at the Pentagon. She is eventually retired from the Navy in January of 2001. As of Feb. 1, 2001, there were eight African American male admirals and one woman admiral and as of Dec. 31, 2000, there were 115 male captains and 22 female captains. These numbers show the signs of the Navy taking the necessary steps in order to ensure that each and every one of its members is given an equal opportunity. On the enlisted side, there are 268 male master chiefs and 15 female master chiefs. Up and coming African American naval officers include Vice Adm. Edward Moore Jr., commander of the naval surface forces in the Pacific; Rear Adm. David L. Brewer, deputy chief of naval education and training; and Rear Adm. Larry L. Poe, a defense attached in France.
Throughout the United States' military history, Africa Americans have made extreme sacrifices to help protect America's defense and to be able to achieve equal rights among racist adversaries. Even though a lot of the sacrifices and heroic tasks lead by African Americans during war times have gone heavily unnoticed, blacks have still managed to find a way to stay with the cause of the Navy and live up to its expectations in order to make the history books. Because of the tireless efforts sacrificed by the many African American men and women throughout history, blacks are now given an equal opportunity to be able to be in the Navy as well as be able to hold high positions once barred to blacks. As history progresses, African Americans will always have a lasting impact on how the Navy will operate its racial issues. With the efforts of heroism by the likes of S.C. Smalls and Dorris Miller, African Americans can now be able to progress through the Navy be the very best Midshipmen possible.
