Loading

Sailor, DE-529 USS Mason, WWII

According to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, on March 20, 1944, "just under two years after Newton Mason was killed, a new ship named in his honor was commissioned into the US Navy. The USS Mason (DE-529) was the second to last ship in the Evarts-class of destroyer escorts (DE). Destroyer escorts were a new class of vessels built for the US Navy during World War II."

"The USS Mason had the same equipment, engines, and weapons as any of the other Evarts-class DEs. The experiment lay in the makeup of her crew. For the first time a US Navy fleet vessel was to be crewed predominately by African American sailors." https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/uss-mason-us-navy

During my time working at Bath Iron Works (BIW), I learned about the historic USS Mason DE-529. Denied a recommended commendation for service of distinction during WWII, the sixty-seven surviving crew members finally received recognition in 1994 by President Bill Clinton for their selfless bravery in defending our country. Several years later, in 1998, Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton announced his decision to name an Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer the USS MASON (DDG-87), to be built at Bath Iron Works.

Bath Iron Works at dusk, USS Mason far right

The 37th Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer launched June 23, 2001 at Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, with members of the WWII Destroyer Escort DE-529 USS Mason in attendance as honored guests. This ship was the last to "slide" down the inclined ways at the shipyard, leading to the informal motto: First In Pride, Last to Slide". Thereafter, BIW shifted to "float offs" from their land-level transfer facility to transition the ship from land to water.

Naturally, when I stumbled upon this amazing National Archives photograph of the sailors of the USS Mason, in the midst of creating my Thankful Generations project, I knew I wanted to include the USS Mason sailor in my WWII beaded tapestry series.

Sailor, USS Mason DE-529

How does one say 'thank you' to an entire generation who committed their lives to save our world? The Thankful Generations WWII beaded tapestry project is my attempt to do exactly that.

Credits:

National Archives photo public domain; Maureen Kenney (shipyard/launch photos)