Memorial dedication of the USS YF-145 held at Bare Cove Park. J.B. Mills, Hingham resident and former member of the crew, funded the etched stone to memorialize the crew that died in the tragedy. The USS YF-415 sank after an explosion on May 11,1944 killing 17 of 30 sailors on board. Mills had volunteered for USS YF-415 duty that day but was instead assigned administrative duty. He knew all the Hingham soldiers who died, all of whom were recorded to have been “Afro-Americans.” According to Jim Rose, “Mills always resented the way Blacks were treated as second class citizens in the service. Black sailors were assigned menial jobs like stewards and dangerous duty like loading ammunition.” Read more in the Friends of Wompatuck newsletter revisiting this tragic history on its 75th anniversary.
