As we commemorate Black History Month in 2025, we shine a spotlight on the courageous men who defended Intrepid against its first kamikaze attack: the crew of Gun Tub 10. Oral histories with former crew members Eugene Smith and Henry Mouzon preserve this vital story.
Eugene Smith and Henry Mouzon served in the Supply Department on Intrepid during World War II. At that time, the U.S. Navy was segregated. On combat ships like Intrepid, Black men could only work as stewards, cooking and cleaning for officers. However, some stewards were also trained as gunners, part of the ship’s crucial line of defense. An all-Black gun crew operated Gun Tub 10.
On October 29, 1944, a Japanese aircraft came hurtling towards Intrepid, the first kamikaze attack on the ship. Ten men were killed in the attack, almost all of them Black gunners from Tub 10. In the video below, Smith and Mouzon, along with other shipmates, describe the attack.
These first-hand accounts were collected through the Intrepid Museum’s oral history program. Since 2013, the Museum has recorded interviews with former crew members and other key voices that illuminate the history of Intrepid, Growler, Enterprise and Concorde.
Hearing directly from Smith and Mouzon gives Museum staff and visitors a richer understanding of crew member experiences. These veterans wrestle with complex feelings about serving in a military that asked them to put their lives on the line without offering them equal treatment or opportunity.
As we honor these men, we are reminded that their story is more than just a tale of wartime heroism. It is a testament to perseverance in the face of both enemy fire and systemic inequality. Learn more about the crew of Gun Tun 10 and their decades-long fight for recognition at the Intrepid Museum or online via the Museum’s mobile guide.
Cover photo: National Archives
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