From the Collections
A Steward’s Scrapbook: The Photographs of Thomas Edwin Murray
Comprised of African-American, Filipino, Chinese, and foreign national men, the Messman Branch of the US Navy emerged after World War I. In February 1943, the name changed to the Steward Branch with sailors holding the rank of “steward’s mate”. Responsible for serving meals, steward’s mates also cleaned officers’ cabins and performed administrative duties. Like other sailors, they were also assigned battle stations, including positions at the guns and on the bridge.
Thomas E. Murray served on board the USS Yorktown from April 1943 to January 1946 as a Stewards Mate 1/c. While stationed in Honolulu in 1944, the men ventured to a local tattoo parlor that featured a photo booth where they could commemorate their visit with a session. Murray assembled the scrapbook featuring the photos of his fellow steward’s mates. Murray later provided images for Into the Wind, the USS Yorktown’s first cruise book, as the sole African-American contributor to its publication. Employed by the F&R Lazarus & Co. department store in Columbus, Ohio before enlistment, Murray returned to Ohio after the war and passed away in 1969.
Thomas E. Murray served on board the USS Yorktown from April 1943 to January 1946 as a Stewards Mate 1/c. While stationed in Honolulu in 1944, the men ventured to a local tattoo parlor that featured a photo booth where they could commemorate their visit with a session. Murray assembled the scrapbook featuring the photos of his fellow steward’s mates. Murray later provided images for Into the Wind, the USS Yorktown’s first cruise book, as the sole African-American contributor to its publication. Employed by the F&R Lazarus & Co. department store in Columbus, Ohio before enlistment, Murray returned to Ohio after the war and passed away in 1969.
