The history of Caribbean achievement is filled with extraordinary individuals whose courage, determination, and accomplishments helped transform institutions and open opportunities for generations that followed. Among these pioneers stands Captain Hugh Nathaniel Mulzac, a son of St. Vincent and the Grenadines whose remarkable journey from a small Caribbean island to the command of an American merchant vessel helped break one of the most stubborn barriers of racial discrimination in the United States maritime industry.
Born in 1886 on Union Island, in the Grenadines, Mulzac developed an early interest in the sea. He pursued his maritime education in Swansea, Wales, qualifying as a ship’s officer and beginning a career that would take him across the world’s oceans. His ambition was to become a ship’s captain, a position requiring extensive knowledge, professional training, discipline, and exceptional responsibility.
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After serving aboard commercial vessels during World War I, Mulzac became an American citizen in 1918. In January 1921, he achieved a historic distinction, becoming the first Black man to earn an unlimited United States shipmaster’s license, qualifying him to command merchant vessels of any size.
But his professional achievement encountered the harsh reality of racial discrimination. Despite his qualifications, American shipping companies refused to employ him as a captain. For approximately two decades, he was forced to accept positions below his qualifications, frequently working in ships’ steward departments.
Mulzac also became associated with Marcus Garvey’s Black Star Line, serving aboard the Yarmouth, an enterprise conceived as an expression of Black economic independence and international enterprise.
His long-awaited opportunity finally arrived during World War II.
In 1942, at the age of 56, Mulzac was appoin-
ted captain of the Liberty ship SS Booker T. Washington, the first major American oceangoing vessel named in honor of an African American. The ship was christened on September 29, 1942, by the celebrated African American opera singer Marian Anderson.
Even then, Mulzac faced another challenge. He was initially offered command of an all-Black crew, but he refused to accept a segregated ship. He insisted upon a racially integrated crew, demonstrating that his struggle was not simply for personal advancement but for equality and opportunity for others.
His determination prevailed.
Under his command, the Booker T. Washington completed 22 successful round-trip wartime voyages, transporting thousands of troops and vital supplies across dangerous waters. Its integrated crew, representing numerous nationalities, became a powerful demonstration of professional cooperation and racial equality during a period when segregation remained deeply entrenched in American institutions.
Following the war, Mulzac again encounter-
ed discrimination and difficulties securing
employment at sea. Nevertheless, he conti-
nued advocating for workers’ rights and racial equality. He later returned to maritime service and recorded his experiences in his 1963 autobiography, A Star to Steer By.
Captain Hugh Nathaniel Mulzac died in 1971, leaving an extraordinary legacy of maritime achievement, professional excellence, and principled resistance to discrimination.
For St. Vincent and the Grenadines, his story is a source of national pride. For the Caribbean diaspora, it is another reminder of the remarkable contributions Caribbean-born pioneers have made to the development of American society.
Mulzac did more than command a ship. He challenged an unjust system, demonstrated the power of professional excellence, and helped open doors that had long been closed to Black seafarers.
Lest we forget Captain Hugh Nathaniel
Mulzac, the Vincentian who sailed beyond the barriers of his time and helped change the course of maritime history.
— From the Archives of Carib News
