Stevedore operations were established by the United States Army to provide movement of supplies through ports in support of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.

This group was found to be less than well qualified because most were laborers from cotton plantations in the American South, rather than being stevedores with experience handling cargo.

[3] Conversely, Robert J. Dalessandro, Gerald Torrence, and Michael G. Knapp wrote "A stevedore regiment had an aggregate strength of 2,498.

[7] Many African Americans applied to join the Army on the front lines but were often turned away, as positions in black fighting regiments were limited and in the regular army[8] only cooks and bakers with credentials were accepted, while only chauffeurs and automobile men were accepted in the medical department or quartermaster's corps, making stevedore positions desirable.

Men "accustomed to handling colored labor" were preferred; potential enlistees were required to present a letter of acceptance from the commander of the stevedore regiment to enlist.

They were in questionable health from the outset, no physical examinations having been administered at mobilization camps to weed out those who were ill or in any other way unfit for service.

"[11] New troops often reported without warning, wearing little more than rags because they had been incorrectly told the Army would issue uniforms when they arrived.

[11] Stevedores were described in December 1917 as wearing a variety of uniforms from different branches of the Army or, in some cases, blue dungaree suits and as being unarmed.

"[12] The presence of the African American stevedore regiments in Newport News led to the construction of a YMCA at Camp Hill for the use of African-American soldiers in the winter of 1918.

In early March 1918, approximately 300 troops of an unidentified stevedore regiment rioted and attempted to wreck a store north of Newport News, Virginia.

[15]: 1516 In October 1918, A Company of the 301st was cited by Rear Admiral Wilson and General McClure for setting a record by unloading and coaling the SS Leviathan in 56 hours.

[19] Stevedores unloaded supplies at American port facilities established in Brest, St. Nazaire, Bordeaux, Havre, and Marseilles (all in France).