Additional Coverage:
- Navy exonerates 256 Black sailors unjustly punished after deadly 1944 port explosion (newsbreak.com)
On Wednesday, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced the posthumous exoneration of 256 Black sailors who were unjustly disciplined following a catastrophic explosion at a California naval port in 1944, which exposed racial injustices within the military.
The devastating blast occurred 80 years ago, on July 17, 1944, at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine near San Francisco. The explosion killed 320 people and injured another 400, as munitions detonated while being loaded onto a cargo vessel.
After the explosion, while white officers were granted leave due to the hardship, the surviving Black sailors, who were restricted from almost all maritime roles due to segregation, were ordered to continue work. This included clearing debris and retrieving human remains at the vital World War II munitions site.
Uncertainty over what caused the explosion and the lack of improved safety measures led 258 Black sailors to refuse returning to ammunition duties. Despite threats of discipline from the Navy, which led 208 to return to work, they were nonetheless convicted in a summary court-martial for disobeying orders.
The remaining 50 sailors, later known as the “Port Chicago 50,” were charged and convicted of mutiny in a mass trial. They received dishonorable discharges, forfeited their pay, and were incarcerated. Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first Black justice on the Supreme Court, defended them as an attorney with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Del Toro praised the sailors for their courage and determination in seeking justice, stating, “Their story lives on, a testament to the enduring power of courage and the unwaverin pursuit of justice… They stand as a beacon of hope that the fight for what’s right can and will prevail.”
The exoneration comes after a review by the Navy’s office of general counsel, which found significant legal mistakes during the original trials, including improper joint trials and denial of effective legal representation. Moreover, the trials occurred before the completion of a Navy report that included crucial recommendations for safer ammunition practices which could have aided their defense.
Although all the Black sailors involved have since passed away, the decision will change their records to reflect honorable discharges, allowing their families to seek potentially owed benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
For more information on this and other stories, visit The Hill’s website.