USS PC - 1264 USS " PC - 1264 " was a built for the United States Navy during World War II . She was one of only two U . S . Navy ships to have a predominately African - American enlisted complement during the war , the other being the . " PC - 1264 " was in service for less than two years , but the performance of her crew — and of the USS " Mason " ' s — led the U . S . Navy to reevaluate its perception of African Americans as members of the fleet . Although sold for scrapping , the ship remains at the former Donjon Marine Yard in Rossville , Staten Island . Career . The USS " PC - 1264 " was laid down at Consolidated Shipbuilding Company in Morris Heights , New York , on 7 October 1943 and launched on 28 November 1943 . The " PC - 1264 " was a United States Navy " PC - 461 " - class submarine chaser . This patrol class of submarine chaser was intended to intercept and destroy German U - boats stationed off the coast of the United States . Less expensive and faster to build than destroyers or even destroyer escorts , and requiring smaller crews , they quickly filled an important need for coastal convoy protection and anti - submarine warfare . The " PC - 1264 " was commissioned in April 1944 and decommissioned in February 1946 , serving a little less than 22 months as a U . S . Navy fighting ship . Segregated ships . On 9 December 1941 , the NAACP sent a telegram to Frank Knox , U . S . Secretary of the Navy , asking that African Americans be accepted into the navy in other than the messman branch . This request was refused . A 17 December letter from the NAACP to President Roosevelt resulted in the president turning the matter over to Mark Ethridge , chairman of the Fair Employment Practices Committee . This committee also received a negative response from the Navy Department . The president then sent a note to Secretary Knox stating : I think that with all the Navy activities , BUNAV might find something that colored enlistees could do in addition to the rating of messman . The navy ' s General Board , the group charged with the formulation of navy policy , countered with a suggestion that African Americans either be enlisted as messmen , or , " . . . if this proved not feasible , " for general service . The problem was that the navy believed that integrated units would disrupt discipline aboard ships , entirely ignoring the fact that integrated crews had worked successfully aboard U . S . Navy ships during the American Civil War . The president responded , agreeing that " . . . to go the whole way in one fell swoop would seriously impair the general average efficiency of the Navy , " but still felt that something could be worked out . On 27 March 1942 , the Board replied , " The General Board fully recognizes , and appreciates the social and economic problems involved , and has striven to reconcile these requirements with what it feels must be paramount at any consideration , namely the maintenance at the highest level of the fighting efficiency of the Navy . . . " , adding that " . . . if so ordered . . " Negro units could be used " . . . with least disadvantage . . . " in shore establishments , local defense vessels , construction units and selected Coast Guard cutters . On 7 April , the president ' so ordered , ' and the navy announced that — beginning on 1 June — Negroes could enlist for the general service . As a result , the groundwork was laid for establishing African - American crews on the USS " Mason " and the USS " PC - 1264 " . Commanding officers and POs . White officer Lieutenant Eric S . Purdon served as " PC - 1264 " s commanding officer from her commissioning on 25 April 1944 until 17 September 1945 . He was replaced by his engineering officer , Lieutenant ( jg ) Ernest V . Hardman , who served as skipper until 31 October 1945 . The third commanding officer was Lieutenant ( jg ) Jack W . Sutherland who came aboard on 31 October and helped decommission " PC - 1264 " on 7 February 1946 . From that point , until " PC - 1264 " was out of service , she was in the charge of African American Ensign Samuel L . Gravely , Jr . Ensign Gravely had first reported aboard on 2 May 1945 , and , at the time of the ship ' s decommissioning , was serving as her executive officer . " PC - 1264 " was the first sailing assignment of future Admiral Gravely , the first African American to attain that rank . In addition to the all - white officer complement , until the day Ensign Gravely reported aboard , eight white navy Petty Officer s ( PO ) , one in each specialty required on the " PC - 1264 " , were also assigned to the ship . Their job was to train the African - American crew until Lt . Purdon considered some of the men expert enough in their specialty to rate promotion to petty officer . Months later , when eight African - American crewmen were promoted in their specialties , the white petty officers were transferred . This made the " PC - 1264 " the only U . S . Navy ship with a completely African - American crew , as the USS " Mason " never replaced its white petty officers with African Americans . Training incidents . On 30 April 1944 , after four days of intensive drills , " PC - 1264 " went up the Hudson River to Iona Island to load ammunition for her guns for the first time . After loading , Lt . Purdon expected to moor there for the night , but was not allowed due to the danger from the large amount of ammunition stored there . Looking for a berth for the night , he called the duty office of the nearby U . S . Military Academy at West Point to ask if his ship could tie up at its pier . There was some confusion , as no Navy ship had tied up there in recent history . However , " PC - 1264 " , with its mostly African - American crew was made welcome , and numerous visitors walked along the dock inspecting her . In addition , the U . S . Army provided two buses , and many of the enlisted crewmen were taken on a tour of the Academy under the guidance of knowledgeable sergeants . Unfortunately for " PC - 1264 " , a number of other U . S . Navy bases and towns where the ship moored during its tour of duty did not expend the same hospitality as West Point . Especially in the southern United States , " PC - 1264 " s crew experienced various degrees of racial intolerance . For example , although most U . S . Navy seamen from nearby training facilities took their swimming tests off a pier at the municipal public beach at Miami Beach , on the day the crew of " PC - 1264 " was supposed to qualify , the city of Miami Beach refused the use of its public beach for the training of Negroes . At the Submarine Chaser Training Center in Miami , the civilian guards at the gate often took a long time inspecting the crew ' s ID cards and passes when the men were entering and leaving the base , far longer than the time spent inspecting white seamen . Then one day , this suddenly stopped . It took some time before the officers of " PC - 1264 " were able to discover why . At a local bar , white seamen of another anti - submarine patrol craft had overhead civilians talking about going down to the base to shoot up the " nigger ship . " These seamen returned to base , armed themselves with rifles and pistols without authorization and went to the gate to wait . When the nervous civilian guards asked what they were doing , the white seamen explained . After that the officers and crew of " PC - 1264 " noticed that racial harassment at this base decreased significantly . Shakedown cruise . After loading ammunition at Iona Island and leaving West Point , the ship sailed to Fort Lafayette to load depth charges . Then it reported to the United States Naval Frontier Base at Tompkinsville , Staten Island , New York , which became the " PC - 1264 " ' s home port . This base cared for the escort ships that accompanied convoys to many destinations . Once at Tompkinsville , the ship ' s crew continued training and calibrating their equipment , especially the ship ' s radio direction finder . Besides checking the structural strength of the hull and target practice on the range at Sandy Hook , the ship went through many other tests before going to sea for the first time . Finally , the " PC - 1264 " was ready for its shakedown cruise to the Submarine Chaser Training Center in Miami , Florida . Upon arrival at Miami , the shakedown inspectors gave the ship and crew a rough going over for several days . However , the crew was jubilant when the ship received a glowing report . Leaving soon after on its first independent cruise , at about 10 : 35 am the ship encountered engine trouble and was stopped dead in the water far from land . After some delay , a naval tug returned the ship to post after midnight . On 2 July 1944 , the ship ' s shakedown cruise and post - inspection was completed . " PC - 1264 " was then ordered to a three and a half - days ' exercise at the Fleet Sound School in Key West . However , as far as the Submarine Chaser Training Center was concerned , the " PC - 1264 " was ready . Fifteen members of the crew also received the ship ' s first promotions . Escort duty . After completing Fleet Sound School , the " PC - 1264 " returned to New York and reported for duty on 10 July 1944 . She was assigned to Task Unit 02 . 9 , a surface escort group based at the Naval Frontier Base , Staten Island . In the months ahead , the " PC - 1264 " would escort convoys from New York to Cuba or Key West and back again , or from Charleston , South Carolina to New York . She escorted the French submarine " Argo " from New York to Key West so that U . S . air and sea anti - submarine forces would not confuse the " Argo " with a German submarine . The " PC - 1264 " would also serve in the role of an " enemy destroyer " to provide submarines with anti - escort training , which also gave additional anti - submarine training to the " PC - 1264 " ' s crew . Its first convoy duty was Convoy NG - 448 , from New York to Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . On 21 July sonar indicated a large unidentified object nearby and , acting on standard anti - submarine procedures , " PC - 1264 " engaged the contact for three hours before leaving to rejoin the convoy , which was now safely out of range . Afterwards , she regularly escorted convoys from New York to Key West and back again . In September 1944 , the engineering section discovered a series of cracks between the engine mounts and bedplates ( girders supporting the engines ) that were welded to the ship ' s hull . These bedplates distributed the engine ' s weight along the hull . Base engineering confirmed that poor welding during construction was responsible for the cracks . The base engineer also stated that a heavy sea could shift the engines off their supports and sink the ship . As a result , the " PC - 1264 " was relieved from duty and towed to the Navy Yard Annex , at Bayonne , New Jersey . This may have saved the lives of the crew , as the convoy they were preparing to escort , later encountered a hurricane with heavy seas . In all probability , the " PC - 1264 " would have been lost . After the ship was repaired and passed sea trials , the " PC - 1264 " reported again to its Tompkinsville base . It was there , during the first week of November , that the eight white Petty Officers received orders detaching them from the " PC - 1264 " , and their places were taken by eight , newly promoted , black Petty Officers . Independent anti - submarine duty . In early January 1945 , as " PC - 1264 " and other escort ships were sailing with a convoy to Key West , the command vessel received a radio message from Eastern Sea Frontier headquarters detaching three of the ships , including " PC - 1264 " , and ordering their return to New York . While " PC - 1264 " would escort one more convoy during the war , her primary mission now was anti - submarine duty . The capture of German spies landed by " U - 1230 " during November 1944 , and the statement by one of the spies that the Germans were preparing to launch V - 1 and V - 2 rocket s by submarines against major U . S . ports , forced the U . S . Navy to respond by increasing its active anti - submarine forces . The " PC - 1264 " was part of that increase and began patrolling areas from Long Island south to Cape Charles , the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay . On 17 January , the " PC - 1264 " unloaded her ammunition , then proceeded to the Luders Marine Construction Company in Stamford , Connecticut to have her bottom cleaned and receive a new coat of paint on her underwater hull . She arrived on 18 January and was in drydock for three days . For the next three months , the " PC - 1264 " patrolled a line running north by east for twenty miles from Buoy " Able , " the farthest seaward buoy marking the mine - swept channel into New York , 45 miles away . Despite the monotony and the winter weather , the duty was pleasant , as the " PC - 1264 " spent seven days at sea and then five days in port . On 28 February , while engaged in a practice " anti - submarine ' run against Buoy Able , the " PC - 1264 " may have flushed a German submarine that was using Buoy Able as cover against sonar from patrolling vessels . As the ship neared the end of the practice run against the buoy , the sonar operator reported " Target bearing left rapidly . " Lt . Purdon quickly realized what had probably happened and the " PC - 1264 " actively engaged the target with Mark 22 Antisubmarine Projectiles . This continued for several hours , and , at one point , two crewmen claimed to have seen a submarine conning tower rise briefly then sink back into the turbulence . Eventually the signal disappeared . While Eastern Sea Frontier headquarters believed that the ship had engaged a false signal , the crew always believed that they had flushed " U - 866 " , a damaged submarine sunk two weeks later off Sable Island , east of Nova Scotia . On 23 April , the " PC - 1264 " left Tompkinsville on her last patrol . On 25 April , while at sea , the ship received new orders . " PC - 1264 " was ordered to proceed to Charleston , South Carolina and assume command of the escort ships for Convoy KN - 382 . Although " PC - 1264 " had participated in escorting many convoys , this was the first time she was to be in command of the escort group . This was an indication of the confidence Eastern Sea Frontier headquarters now had in " PC - 1264 " . On 27 April , the " PC - 1264 " , accompanied by " PC - 1149 " and " PC - 1547 " , led 30 merchant ships out of Charleston harbor . The convoy was to sail eastward to rendezvous with a smaller convoy heading north from Key West . The next morning , the 30 - ship convoy met the northbound convoy of nine merchantmen escorted by three frigates and three subchasers . The USS " Natchez " was in command of this convoy and " PC - 1264 " reported in , turned over command of the 30 merchantmen , and assumed position on the starboard beam of the joining convoys . With the arrival of the three subchasers from Charleston , two of the smaller subchasers were detached for other duties . The next afternoon , two of the frigates also left . On 29 April , the convoy encountered " U - 548 " , which was attacked by the USS " Natchez " . The convoy and the other escorts , including the " PC - 1264 " continued on course with the USS " Natchez " remaining to deal with " U - 548 " . Later that night the convoy encountered Task Group 02 . 10 , a Hunter - Killer Group , which passed down the port side of the convoy on its way assist the USS " Natchez " . Two of the destroyer escorts in this group participated in the destruction of " U - 548 " , one of the last anti - submarine actions of the war in the Atlantic . Battle of the Atlantic ends . Convoy NK - 686 started from New York with 28 cargo ships and tankers with " PC - 1264 " as one of the convoy ' s five escort ships . While the war in Europe had officially ended the day before , the Commander of Eastern Sea Frontier was not taking any chances that individual German submarines might continue the battle . As the convoy headed south toward Key West , 15 ships joined when it passed the Chesapeake Bay , while others left it for the ports of Charleston , Savannah and Jacksonville . Then , on 15 May , Eastern Sea Frontier headquarters was convinced the danger was over , and the merchantmen were dispersed to head for their destinations alone . The escort ships , Task Unit 02 . 9 . 10 , were ordered to Key West for a week ' s training before returning to New York . On the return trip to Tompkinsville , New York , where Task Unit 02 . 9 . 10 arrived on 25 May , the crews ' concern was where they were headed next , as there was still a war in the Pacific . As " PC - 1264 " remained in a crowded anchorage filled with numerous other escort vessels , the crew watched as many other submarine chasers had their K - guns , that fired the 300 - pound depth charges , removed and their 20 - mm machine guns replaced by twin - barreled guns of the same caliber . These ships were headed for the Pacific where men - of - war needed heavy antiaircraft defenses against Japanese suicide planes . Finally the word came down : From Chief of Naval Operations . To USS PC1264 . When in all respects ready for sea , and when directed by Commander Eastern Sea Frontier , you will proceed to Norfolk , Virginia , and report to Commander - in - Chief , Atlantic Fleet , for training . Upon completion of refresher training , you will proceed via Canal Zone and report to Commander - in - Chief , Pacific Fleet . The " PC - 1264 " soon had her K - guns removed from the afterdeck , and on 31 July she left for Norfolk . After an inspection by base personnel , " PC - 1264 " left for Miami and arrived at the Submarine Chaser Training Center on 5 August . " PC - 1264 " was due to remain at the Center for ten days training , but an incident cut that time short . One night , at a club that served African Americans , a small fight resulted in the club owner calling the Shore Patrol . When the three white members of the Shore Patrol arrived — a Navy Chief , another enlisted sailor , and an army MP — the chief stayed with the vehicle while the other two entered the club . There , they spotted a black sailor in an officer ' s uniform . Since impersonating an officer is a Federal offense , the MP went over to that man . The man suspected of " impersonating an officer " was actually Ensign Sam Gravely . When the MP told Ensign Gravely that the chief wanted to see him , Gravely replied , " If the Chief wants to see me , tell him to come here . " — following correct naval protocol for an enlisted man to come to an officer . The MP then grabbed Ensign Gravely out of his chair . " Take it easy , " Ensign Gravely shouted to the other men in the club who were visibly upset ; then added , " This is only a mistake . " Then to the MP , he said , " Let ' s go . " However , the word spread quickly that Ensign Gravely was being arrested . Black sailors converged on the MP and the Shore Patrol chief radioed for reinforcements . Two more Shore Patrol vehicles with more men soon arrived , to find Ensign Gravely trying to calm the men and explain the mistake to the Shore Patrol . However , Shore Patrol personnel in the two vehicles quickly emerged and forced a number of the " PC - 1264 " ' s crew into the trucks . Ensign Gravely got into the chief ' s vehicle , and all proceeded to Shore Patrol Headquarters . One of the " PC - 1264 " ' s crew ran for the ship to tell the captain what had happened . When Lieutenant Purdon arrived at Shore Patrol headquarters he found the Shore Patrol officer on duty apologizing to Ensign Gravely as the Ensign had explained the MP ' s mistake . However , the men who had moved against the Shore Patrol , seeking to defend Ensign Gravely , were charged with " Refusal to Obey Orders of Shore Patrol , " " Interference with Shore Patrol , " two charges of " Drunk and Disorderly , " and one charge of " Drunk . " The next morning at base headquarters , Lieutenant Purdon was informed that the admiral commanding the naval district wanted Lieutenant Purdon to " institute general count martial proceedings against that ensign for ' conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman ' " . Lieutenant Purdon , as the commanding officer of " PC - 1264 " , refused , citing " Navy Regulations " that a commandant of a naval district could not order a ship ' s captain to bring charges against any officer under that ship captain ' s command . The base adjutant , hearing and understanding the facts behind the incident , advised Lieutenant Purdon to restrict his men to the ship and , therefore , out of reach of the Shore Patrol and the admiral , which Lieutenant Purdon did . The " PC - 1264 " spent four more days in training and left Miami for Key West . End of the war . Key West was as far West as " PC - 1264 " ever sailed . The day after her arrival , President Truman announced that an atomic bomb had been dropped on Japan . With her orders canceled , " PC - 1264 " waited at Key West for three weeks . Eventually , the Bureau of Naval Personnel issued plans for demobilization . Lieutenant Purdon requested to be released from active duty and recommended that Lieutenant ( jg ) Ernest Hardmann , his executive officer , be given command . On 5 September , orders arrived for the " PC - 1264 " to proceed to Norfolk , where Lieutenant Purdon would turn over command to Lt . Hardmann . The " PC - 1264 " arrived at Norfolk on 10 September , and the change of command ceremony took place on 17 September . Before this ceremony , members of the crews already were being released from active duty or transferred to other stations . Also , the crew presented Lieutenant Purdon with a desk lamp with the inscription " USS PC 1264 We Will Never Fail . " Afterwards , the ship stayed at Norfolk for six more weeks , then moved to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard , just up the Elizabeth River . In early October , the " PC - 1264 " was honored by being selected as one of forty - seven representative warships for a review of the fleet by President Truman on Navy Day , 27 October . On 24 October , she sailed from Norfolk to New York , where the review was to be held . Soon after the " PC - 1264 " left Norfolk , her new commanding officer , Lieutenant ( jg ) Jack Sutherland , arrived — after traveling there from New York ! He was sent back to New York and arrived there soon after his new command . However , he would not take command until after Navy Day . The " PC - 1264 " , as the smallest vessel , was at the tail end of the Fleet review . However , President Truman , on board the destroyer USS " Renshaw " , circled the " PC - 1264 " and waved to the crew . Both before and after the fleet review , the " PC - 1264 " held " open house " for families and friends of the crew and other interested persons , especially from the African - American community which had great pride in the ship ' s accomplishments . On 31 October , Lieutenant ( jg ) Sutherland assumed command . On 4 November , the ship sailed for New London , Connecticut , where it spent all of November and half of December assisting in the training of submarine officers , as a target ship for them to practice submarine runs on . On 15 December , the " PC - 1264 " returned to Tompkinsville for Christmas leave . While on leave , Ensign Ben Shanker , the executive officer , received orders to the Pacific and did not return to the ship . When the crew returned , Ensign Sam Gravely was the new executive officer . Soon after , the " PC - 1264 " returned to New London for its submarine training duty . However , the " PC - 1264 " then received orders to return to New York " for disposal . " On 7 February 1946 , five officers and twenty - eight enlisted men stood at attention as the " PC - 1264 " was officially decommissioned . The war records of the submarine chaser " PC - 1264 " and the destroyer escort USS " Mason " considerably contributed to opening up billets for African Americans in the post - war navy . As a final honor for the " PC - 1264 " , the officer - in - charge of the final inspection party remarked , " This ship has done a better job of decommissioning — is in better shape — than any other ship , at least , here in New York . " Because of her condition , the " PC - 1264 " became the subchaser used as a showcase for prospective civilian purchasers . After the war . After " PC - 1264 " was decommissioned , she was transferred to the Maritime Commission for final disposition . , she was extant — albeit in poor repair — at the former Donjon Marine Yard in New York . Two 1990 - era photographs show her heavily rusted , but still afloat amid other hulks . Like many officers , Lieutenant Purdon left the U . S . Navy after the war but remained in the Naval Reserve . He worked as an intelligence analyst for the Central Intelligence Group until 1948 , when he was recalled to active duty . He retired in 1963 with the rank of commander . Eric Purdon then held civilian jobs with the Commerce Department , Office of Economic Opportunity and the Job Corps , and was also an author . He died in 1989 .