Carl Brashear
| Carl Brashear | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 19, 1931 Tonieville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | July 25, 2006 (aged 75) Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S. |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
|
| Years of service | 1948-1979 |
| Rank | Master Chief Petty Officer |
| Commands held |
USS Hunley (AS-31), Master Diver USS Recovery (ARS-43), Command Master Chief / Master Diver |
| Awards |
Navy and Marine Corps Medal Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal |
Carl Maxie Brashear (January 19, 1931 – July 25, 2006) was a United States Navy sailor. He was the first African American to become a U.S. Navy Master Diver, rising to the position in 1970 despite also having an amputated left leg.
Brashear was born on January 19, 1932, in Tonieville, Kentucky, the sixth of eight children to sharecroppers McDonald and Gonzella Brashear. In 1935, the family settled on a farm in Sonora, Kentucky. Brashear attended Sonora Grade School from 1937 to 1946.
Brashear enlisted in the U.S. Navy on February 25, 1948, shortly after the Navy had been desegregated by U.S. President Harry S. Truman. He graduated from the U.S. Navy Diving & Salvage School in 1954, becoming the first African-American to attend and graduate from the Diving & Salvage School and the first African-American U.S. Navy Diver.
While attending diving school in Bayonne, New Jersey, Brashear faced hostility and racism. He found notes on his bunk saying, "We're going to drown you today, (n)!" and "We don't want any (n) divers." Brashear received encouragement to finish from Boatswain's Mate First Class Rutherford, and graduated 16 out of 17.
Brashear first did work as a diver retrieving approximately 16,000 rounds of ammunition that fell off a barge which had broken in half and sunk to the bottom. On his first tour of shore duty in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, his duties included the salvaging of airplanes (including one Blue Angel) and recovering multiple dead bodies.
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