By Yolanda Romero
Staff Reporter

The U.S.S. Mason earned its place in American history as the first naval ship to be manned by a predominately African-American crew. Lorenzo Dufau, a Highbridge resident for the last 30 years, earned his place in American history as one of 150 black men aboard the Mason when it sailed in the Atlantic during World War II.

"I volunteered because it was the first time the United States Navy opened the doors for black men," Mr. Dufau says. "Most important, I had a family... and a man must defend his family and home."

Lorenzo Avery Dufau was born in New Orleans in 1919. Although faced with segregation, stereotypes and hatred because he was black, Mr. Dufau did not let it get the best of him.

Twenty-one years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Mr. Dufau felt the way many Americans did - it was time to defend his country. He decided to enlist.

Mr. Dufau volunteered as soon as he heard that the United States Navy had opened its doors to African-Americans and that men were needed desperately. He knew that the only thing black men were expected to do was either clean or cook, but he listened to his heart.

His basic training took place in Great Lakes, Ill., where he trained with 125 other men. He graduated in June 1943, receiving a diploma and a Signalman 2nd Class designation. Mr. Dufau was assigned to the destroyer escort Mason - the first predominately African-American ship ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. "We were just an experiment of human beings in the midst of a war and people expected us to fail," Mr. Dufau says.

"Being first was hard and being segregated was even more terrible," Mr. Dufau said. He did confront many conflicts but went on with his duties. It did not matter to him what others thought of him and his crew, they were there to protect and serve.

In spite of all the injustice that was done to him, he was part of America and was not going to take a back seat to anyone.

"Right will overcome," is his personal motto.

The Mason, otherwise known as "Eleanor's folly" because of the first lady's influence in getting the ship commissioned, was huge - 1,140 tons of steel. It stretched 290 feet bow to stern and sailed at 24 knots.

For Mr. Defau, seeing the Mason for the first time was tremendous, even though his first thought was that the ship looked small for the mission it was intended to complete. In the Mason's most storied tale of valor, after seven months at sea the ship found itself in dangerously high winds and heavy rain. As the ship approached land, the Mason's deck split and put it in danger of sinking. Within two hours, the crew had repaired the deck and allowed the Mason to continue on its mission of helping its convoy of merchant ships bound for England. In the next three days, the crew of the Mason helped out 12 more convoy ships.

Mr. Dufau saw parts of the world that he will never forget, including Plymouth, England and the Rock of Gibraltar. He remembers Northern Ireland as a place where black men were treated simply like men.

In 1994, President Clinton honored the men of the U.S.S. Mason - an honor that was long overdue. Last November in Chicago, where the crew trained, a new Navy was named in honor of the Mason, and the Pentagon has plans to commission another U.S.S. Mason.

Today, Mr. Dufau lives in Highbridge. He takes pride in telling his historic past.

Believing this country still has lessons to learn about race relations, he said before he dies he would, "like to see this nation united under God. What a great country this will truly be."

Like the Tuskegee Airmen, the Buffalo Soldiers and all those who fought for freedom, the men of the U.S.S. Mason will also be remembered. They are the ones who paved the way for others and they paved it with honor and pride.

If you'd like to learn more about the Mason and its legendary voyage, visit your nearest library or the National Archives Department of the Navy.