Eli Benjamin

BiographyEli Benjamin served on board the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CV-11) during World War II. He was a plank owner, a member of the ship's commissioning crew on August 16, 1943. He was transferred off the ship for discharge on December 15, 1945. Benjamin, who was Black, worked as a steward's mate on board Intrepid, one of the few ratings available to Black sailors in a segregated U.S. Navy. His rating is listed as either steward's mate first class, STM1, or steward's mate second class, STM2, in the muster rolls and action reports.

A group of steward’s mates on Intrepid, including Benjamin, received gunnery training. These sailors manned a position called Gun Tub 10, which held six 20mm guns. On October 29, 1944, a Japanese kamikaze pilot barreled toward Gun Tub 10. The men stayed at their guns, shooting at the incoming airplane. The crash engulfed the gun tub in flames, killing 10 men and wounding 10 others. Benjamin sustained burns during the attack.

Six of the gunners, including Benjamin, received the Bronze Star for valor. One of the men, Alonzo Swann, maintained that they had been promised a higher honor, the Navy Cross, but they instead received the lesser award due to discrimination. Intrepid's newspaper in 1945 included a photograph of Benjamin receiving a medal, which is identified as the Navy Cross.

Decades later, in 1993, Swann successfully petitioned the Navy for his Navy Cross. He and other survivors finally received their medals. However, Benjamin had passed away in 1975.

Person TypeIndividual