US Navy on Wednesday exonerated 256 black sailors who were convicted of mutiny and disobeying orders following the naval base explosion at Port Chicago, California around 80 years ago. The explosion was the deadliest disaster on US soil during World War II, with 320 dead, 390 injured, and damage forty-eight miles across the San Francisco Bay Area.
The exoneration was the result of the US Navy General Counsel’s conclusion that significant legal errors occurred in the courts-martial and the proceedings deprived the defendants of their right to counsel and a fair trial. Conducting the courts-martial before the conclusion of the Navy’s Court of Inquiry report on the Port Chicago explosion also barred the martial court from hearing their defense and knowing that the report recommended substantive change in ammunition loading practices in the Navy.
President Joe Biden said in a recent statement:
After conducting a careful and deliberative review, the U.S. Navy has determined that the courts-martials for all 258 Black Sailors were fundamentally unfair, plagued by legal errors, and tainted by racial discrimination. 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. May we all remember their courage, sacrifice, and service to our Nation.
After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, there was an increased need for munition facilities. By July 17, 1944, the Port Chicago naval base was a leading munitions facility, able to load two cargo ships at the same time. However, on that same day, the two ships SS E.A. Bryan and SS Quinault Victory exploded while holding 4,606 tons of ammunition in total. It immediately killed the 320 workers there, with around two-thirds being black sailors. According to the Naval History and Heritage Command, “a pillar of fire and smoke stretched over two miles into the sky above Port Chicago … A plane flying at 9,000 feet reported seeing chunks of white hot metal ‘as big as a house’ flying past … Witnesses reported seeing a 200-foot column on which rode the bow of the ship.”
In response to the explosion, the Navy ordered black sailors to clean up the base and return to handling munitions without determining the cause of the explosion or providing safety measures on how to avoid the danger. In contrast, the Navy gave white sailors leave. 258 black sailors refused to return to work. The 208 who decided to return to work were tried and convicted of disobeying orders. The sentences they faced included discharge and reduction of pay. Fifty of the sailors called the Port Chicago 50 received mutiny convictions and therefore harsher sentences, including incarceration with hard labor, for continuing to refuse to work after disobeying orders. However, after sentencing reviews by the Navy, most sailors got their sentences reduced and two had their convictions voided.
