Sept. 12, 1971: Alameda Sailors Organize Stop Our Ship for USS Coral Sea

52 years ago, September 12 1971, sailors stationed at Naval Air Station Alameda began a petition demanding that the USS Coral Sea aircraft carrier not deploy to Vietnam, escalating the Stop Our Ship movement begun by antiwar sailors in San Diego.

Radical antiwar activity at NAS Alameda began the previous year with the founding of Bay Area Movement for a Democratic Military. BAMDM, who sought to organize GIs to end the Vietnam War, was instrumental in organizing the Stop Our Ship movement.

The petition quickly gained about 1,000 signatures, leading to a crackdown by Naval authorities. SOS organizers were discharged or confined to ship. A strong civilian support movement was built, with large rallies and vigils held outside NAS Alameda.

As it became clear the ship would not be stopped from deploying, dozens of sailors took refuge in Berkeley’s University Lutheran Church. Berkeley City Council passed a law offering sanctuary to sailors who refused to deploy (organizers estimated as many as 300 did not sail).

SOS organizing continued at sea, with sailors holding antiwar rallies in Hawaii and the Philippines (with hundreds of Filipinos in attendance). SOS members also undertook a sabotage campaign, pretending to repair planes, briefly “crippling the efficiency” of the USS Coral Sea.