For February, the Curator’s Corner celebrates Black History Month by telling the story of the African American and Latino gunners of Gun Tub 10, who fought bravely during the first kamikaze attack against the Intrepid.

But first, a little background: Black sailors have a long history in the U.S. Navy.  During the Colonial period, black sailors served in the Royal Navy. African American sailors fought on both sides during the Revolutionary War.  Over the next 150 years, the proportion of black sailors in the U.S. Navy constantly changed.  During wars, the Navy recruited black sailors to meet manpower needs.  At other times, the Navy attempted to ban black sailors or restrict their numbers.  In 1940, before the U.S. entered World War II, only 4,000 African Americans were serving in the U.S. Navy.  By 1945, that number had increased to nearly 170,000.

During World War II, African Americans were not initially accepted for combat duty, and instead typically served as cooks or waiters in the officers’ mess.  However, many requested and received volunteer combat assignments in addition to their regular duties.  On the Intrepid, these volunteers were given their own battle station called Gun Tub 10.  Their weapons were 20mm Oerlikon guns, the shortest-range of the Intrepid’s anti-aircraft guns.

On October 29, 1944, during combat in the Philippines, a Japanese kamikaze airplane barreled toward Gun Tub 10.  The gunners stayed at their battle station and fired at the incoming aircraft, shooting away its left wing.  The damaged plane crashed into their position, killing 10 men and badly burning others. Six of the surviving sailors were awarded the Bronze Star for valor: Jonell Copeland, Que Gant, Harold Clark Jr., James Dockery, Alonzo Swann, and Eli Benjamin.