Talk:Carl Brashear/@comment-50.136.199.240-20170205020446

My father taught diving at the deep sea diving school, the Gun Factory, Washington DC. He was also part of the experimental diving unit. This was located off the Anaconda river. He tutored Carl Brashear in math, because to pass, a person had to have algebra. Mr. Brashear was not well educated. Another instructor from the same school tutored him in reading. While it is true, other races were at both the deep sea and salvage diving schools, he was the first black Salvage diver. The officers at both schools ordered the instructors to flunk Mr Brashear and any othe black diver who came to either school. My father said that he and the other Navy instructors felt this was wrong and decided to help. In order to conceal their resistance to a direct order, they never allowed test scores to be better than passing no matter how well he did. This was a way they could keep the brass from knowing that he was being helped. All the instructors from both schools knew about the tutoring and they kept quiet. Had my father and other white sailors not helped, no matter how determined Carl Brashear was, he would not have graduated. Furthermore, though Carl Brashear was the first black Salvage Diver, the first Deep Sea Diver was Sherman Byrd. A talented man and a dedicated sailor of the highest order.