Navy's Centennial Seven
African-American officers to command submarines in the 20th Century

BALTIMORE (Feb. 21, 2009) Members of the Navy's Centennial Seven, pose with U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen. Capt. Pete Tzomes, left, Rear Adm. Tony Watson, Capt. Will Bundy, Vice Adm. Mel Williams, Capt. Bill Peterson, Rear Adm. Cecil Haney, Rear Adm. Bruce Grooms, Cmdr. Rich Bryant, Cmdr. Roger Isom. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Karen Eifert/Released)

Below is a list of Materials relating to African Americans Submariners

• Navy Brochure - Introduction to Centennial Seven >> View
• The nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine USS George Washington Carver (SSBN-656) was named in honor of an African American. The submarine honors scientist George Washington Carver (1864-1943). Commissioned in June 1966, the Carver carried out 73 patrols in the Atlantic area until mid-1991. She was decommissioned in March 1993. Source




• A Good Read - "Black Submariners in the United States Navy, 1940-1975" By Glenn A. Knoblock with Foreword by VADM Mel Williams, a submarine fleet commander and son of one of the men profiled. An historical overview of black sailors and the evolution of the Steward’s Branch, to which black sailors were eventually restricted, precede descriptions of becoming a steward and a submariner, and of life as a submariner during World War II. - Available from on-line retailers




• From the NHHC on line art exhibit entitled The Silent Service.
  An exhibit on the submarine service in World War II put together by Abbott Laboratories in 1943 to tour the United States as part of their contribution to the war effort.

  Coffee and Chow
  Thomas Hart Benton #18
  Pen and ink on paper, circa 1944
  Gift of Abbott Laboratories
  88-159-BJ

   

  Eyes almost closed in concentration as he reds a periodical spread open on his leg, a crewman munches on a sandwich and sips a cup of the ubiquitous Navy "jamoke" - coffee.

  
  
  

  Stand By to Fire
  Georges Schreiber #17
  Watercolor, 1943
  Gift of Abbott Laboratories
  88-159-JJ

   
  The crucial moment has arrived - the vital occasion for which the submarine was built and the men were trained - the firing of torpedoes at an enemy ship. In the confinement of the machinery-laden warship the tension is almost a physical presence as all watch the marksmen ready their deadly bolt.