February 23, 2011
The
Portland Observer Black
History Month
Page 7
Named
Reflects legacy
of officer who
broke barriers
by
C onway J ones
The USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-
class guided missile destroyer, is the first
U.S. Navy ship to be named in honor of
an A frican-A m erican com m issioned
Naval officer.
Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely Jr.
was the first African-American to serve
aboard a lighting ship as an officer, the
first to command a U.S. Navy ship, the
first to serve as a fleet commander and
the first to become an admiral.
Gravely was bom in Richmond, Va, on
June 4, 1922. He enlisted in the Naval
Reserves in 1942 and was recalled to ac­
tive duty in 1949. He served his initial
assignment in the Washington, DC area,
recruiting African Americans into the Navy.
He went on to a have a successful
career that lasted 38 years. His personal
motto was: “Education, motivation and
perseverance are a form ula for suc­
c e ss.”
G ravely's widow, Alma Bernice Clark
Gravely, was the sponsor of the ship, the
Sam uel L. Gravely Jr.
PCU Gravely.
“He had to go through a lot," she said.
"I think inside of him, he would be beam ­
ing, and he would feel so honored and so
humble. But on the outside, I think he'd be
saying: ‘You mean you're going to name
a ship after me?"'
Gravely died in 2004.
The PCU Gravely, which as commis­
sioned last November in Wilmington,
N.C., is more than 509 feet in length with
a beam of 66 feet. It draws 31 feet of
water and has a top speed of more than
30 knots. After joining the fleet with the
Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr. takes command o f the 3rd Fleet in Honolulu,
Hawaii in 1976.
name USS Gravely, it will have acomple- defensive weapons designed to support
ment of 380 enlisted men and officers,
maritime military needs well into the 21 st
The ship will be capable of simulta- century,
neously fighting air, surface and subsur-
For more information on the USS
lace battles. It contains offensive and Gravely, visitfriendsofussgravely.org.
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