Black Company

With the launching of Subchaser 1264 in the spring of 1944, the US Navy began a social experiment designed to test the ability of a group of African Americans to live, fight, and survive under wartime conditions on a small combatant.

Over strong opposition, PC 1264 went to sea with a crew of fifty black enlisted men and five white officers. The ship’s captain and author of this book, Eric Purdon, had only been to sea for ten days before assuming command.