African American ordnance battalion sailors assemble 5-inch shells in a Port Chicago Naval Magazine workshop, circa 1943-44 at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago (Photo: U.S. Navy)
On the 80th anniversary of the Port Chicago disaster, the U.S. Navy on Wednesday exonerated the 50 African American sailors convicted of mutiny after they refused to load explosives onto ships following explosions that killed 320 men.
The Navy also exonerated the 208 men who initially refused, then went back to work loading explosives, but were convicted of disobeying orders.
“Today’s announcement marks the end of a long and arduous journey for these Black sailors and their families, who fought for a nation that denied them equal justice under law,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “May we all remember their courage, sacrifice, and service to our nation.”
Port Chicago was at the northern tip of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station, a busy hub during World War II in the Pacific against Japan.
Sailors were loading the S.S. E.A. Bryan cargo ship when unsafe conditions led to it and another ship exploding on July 17, 1944, killing 320 men — two-thirds of them African American — and wounding another 400. The explosion also destroyed a train and flattened the town of Port Chicago.
The cause of the blast, which was powerful enough to be felt as far away as San Francisco, was never determined.
The dangerous task loading of weapons was done exclusively by African American sailors at the base and was supervised by white commanders, who frequently pushed sailors to work harder. The disaster accounted for about a quarter of all African American deaths in World War II.
The 50 African American sailors were convicted of mutiny after refusing to go back to loading ammunition at nearby Mare Island in Vallejo in the weeks after the disaster, while white commanders were granted leave.
The Black sailors were also tasked with cleaning up the aftermath of the explosion.
The Navy said Thursday each of the sailors were sentenced to a dishonorable discharge, 15 years confinement with hard labor and total forfeitures of their pay.
During subsequent reviews of the general court martial, the dishonorable discharges were suspended and the period of confinement was reduced from 15 years to 17 to 29 months. One conviction was also set aside for mental incompetency. The Navy said by January 1946, nearly all the sailors were released and given the opportunity to finish their contracts.
“After nearly a decade fighting for justice for the Port Chicago 50, I commend the U.S. Navy and thank Navy Secretary (Carlos) Del Toro for exonerating these heroes and President Biden for his support,” said Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, D-Walnut Creek. “Today our nation stands one step closer to fulfilling its founding promise of equality and justice for all.”
The sailors were represented during their appeal by future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, for whom the East Bay Regional Park District named its nearby still-to-be-developed park on the former Navy base.
Marshall was lead counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The Navy closed the base in 1999.
Though all 50 were convicted and sentenced to prison, Marshall’s campaign was widely credited with President Harry Truman’s decision to end segregation in the armed forces in 1948.
“This is a monumental day for justice and for the families of the Port Chicago 50,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee, D-Oakland. “I appreciate the Secretary of the Navy taking this crucial action to exonerate these courageous men who were unjustly court-martialed by the Navy following the explosion at Port Chicago. On the 80th anniversary of this tragic event, it’s fitting that these men are not only exonerated, but honored for their service to this country.”
The 80th anniversary of the explosion will be commemorated this week with Port Chicago Weekend, a four-day festival of music, art, cuisine, theater, exhibits, and entertainment from Thursday through Sunday in various Bay Area cities. For more information, go to https://portchicagoweekend.org/.
