Port Chicago Naval Magazine

Port Chicago Naval Magazine Driven by wartime demands, loaders worked around the clock. Yard engines pushed rail cars full of munitions onto the 1,200-foot pier (right). National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior National Memorial California Loader teams at each of the ship's holds used muscle and steam winches (above) to wrestle bombs, shells, and mines from the cars into the holds. ALL PHOTOS: U.S. NAVY Ifound myself flying towards the wall.. Cyril Sheppard was reliving the first explosion. Then the next one came right behind that. Phoom! ... Men were screaming, the lights went out and glass was flying all over the place. For Sheppard and other seamen a mile away from the munitions loading pier, the monstrous blast was traumatic enough. Loaders and others at the pier that night— 320 men—lost their lives. The 1944 Port Chicago explosion was the result of unsafe loading practices. When some loaders refused to return to work under the same conditions, the U.S. Navy put them on trial for mutiny. All the munitions loaders at the base were African American, making the explosion and trial a little-known but important chapter in the history of U.S. civil rights. North VALLEJO Site of M a r e Island . Naval Shipyard BENICIA BAY C/JA/ DA Q! n SAN RAFAEL _ m . ^, . f o r t Chicago Naval M a g a z i n e National Memorial BAY CONCORD RICHMOND <-„., SAN FRANCISCO WALNUT CREEK BERKELEY BAY PACIFIC OCEAW OAKLAND SAN FRANCISCO 0 hS ° 1 10 Kilometers ,—J 1 10 M i l e s After the accident these black sailors had been transferred across the bay to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. On August 9th they were marched toward the USS San Gay to again load munitions. The blast reduced part of the pier to c rubble; the rest disappeared. The sterr section of Quinault Victory (upper .. fright) was thrown 500 feet. THE WORK With war threatening in the Pacific, the U.S. Navy needed to boost its West Coast capacity for storing and loading munitions. Port Chicago on Suisun Bay offered a deepwater terminal, rail connections, and isolation from highly populated areas. The December 1941 Pearl Harbor attack spurred on construction, and the facility was ready to load ships a year later. The seamen assigned as loaders were all African American, a reflection of naval policies at the time. The Navy had recently allowed African Americans to train in duties outside their traditional roles as stewards, stevedores, or cooks, but even in time of war most were assigned to these menial jobs in segregated units. At Port Chicago the black munitions loaders were supervised by white officers and black petty officers. Already chafing under segregation, the seamen grew increasingly apprehensive about the nature of the work. Neither they nor the officers had special training in handling munitions. Worse, officers placed bets on whose team could load the most tonnage. The facility also ignored advice from a local longshoremen's union and the U.S. Coast Guard regarding safer loading practices. THE EXPLOSION By July 1944 Port Chicago had widened its pier so two ships could be loaded. On the night of the 17th the E.A. Bryan was almost full. The Quinault Victory had arrived that day; loading would start at midnight. Sixteen rail cars lined the pier, filled with 1,000-pound bombs, depth charges, and sensitive incendiary bombs. Also at the pier were a marine guard; ships' crews; a few civilians, including the rail crew; and a Coast Guard fire boat crew. No one is sure what happened next—only that at 10:18 pm there was a tremendous explosion, followed seconds later by a much larger one that obliterated ships, pier, cars, and humans. The blast's debris-filled cloud rose 12,000 feet into the air. Its shock wave was felt for 40 miles, and falling debris damaged most of the homes and businesses of the town of Port Chicago, over a mile away. The base's injured were taken to nearby hospitals, while other survivors were left with the grim work of recovering their crewmates' remains. THE "MUTINY" Survivors anticipated 30 days leave—as their officers had received—and transfer to other duty, but the Navy granted neither. Instead they were sent to Mare Island Naval Shipyard and on August 9 were marched to the shipyard's munitions pier to resume loading. Initially 258 refused, saying they were afraid to load. Threatened with death by firing squad for mutiny during war, 208 yielded. They were given bad conduct discharges after serving out their terms. The 50 who persisted faced the largest mass mutiny trial in naval history. The prosecutor's case turned on what he called "collective" acts to subvert established authority. The defense argued that while the 50 had refused to load, this was the result of each man's fear and not a conspiracy to overthrow a superior. NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall publicly asked hard questions about the base's safety practices, but the 50 were convicted and given sentences of 8 to 15 years. After the war the Navy granted clemency to the 50 and put them on ships to finish out their enlistments. Though their convictions were not overturned, their acts of civil disobedience brought to light the injustice of racial segregation in the military. Remembering the Fallen The 320 men who died in the Port Chicago explosion represented a cross-section of the base's workforce: 202 African American enlisted personnel working as loaders that night (15 percent of all African American deaths in World War II); nine of their officers; 64 members of the U.S. Maritime Service (crewmen on E.A. Bryan and Quinault Victory); 33 members of the U.S. Navy Armed Guard (military personnel assigned to cargo ships in wartime); three civilian Navy workers and three civilian contractors; five U.S. Coast Guard fire boat crewmen, and the Marine on guard duty that night. Their deaths called attention to safety problems at munitions facilities. The Navy began addressing the issues of both safety and segregation in the months following the tragedy. The Toll U.S. NAVAL MAGAZINE S2c James C. Akins CM3c Clarence Allen, Jr. Lt. (jg) Maxie L. Anderson * S2c Leslie K. Asahe S2c Isaiah Ash, Jr. Sic David Bacon, Sr. S2c Henry W.Bailey* CM3c Leonard Baker S2c David Barnes, Jr. S2c Joseph Battle S2c Raphel O. Beasom S2c Silas Bell Lt. Thomas L. Blackman S2c David E. Blackwell S2c Thimon Blaylock Sic Johnnie C. Borders CMlc James H. Born * S2c L.T. Bowden * S2c Charles L. Boyce S2c Alvin Brewer, Jr. S2c James Bridges Sic Waiter L. Brooks, Jr. Flc Johnnie L. Broome Sic Ernest L. Burnett Sic Wilbert Calvin S2c Lawrence L. Carlin S2c Robert A. Carter Lt.(jg) John B. Christenbury' S2c Eddie L. Clark Sic Eugene Coffee, Jr. * Flc Bill Coleman S2c EnosColey* S2c Arthur A. Connor S2c Frank Cooley S2c Norman H. Craig S2c Eddie L. Cross S2c Jessie V. Crimp Sic Herman L. Curtis S2c Horace Daniel, Sr. S2c HubyDansby S2c Floyd M. Davis S2c Henry J. Davis S2c Willie Davis S2c James L. Devaughn S2c Nathaniel Dixson S2c Rayfield D. Doyle S2c Herman Dunbar S2c Arthur L. Ebenezer F2c Dunton I. Edwards Mc ileruert J^. Edwards S2c Junice C. Ervin S2c Luther Eusery S2c Ananias Evans, Sr. S2c Horace Evans S2c John H. Evans S2c William L. Evans S2c John B. Feliseret S2c Robert L. Ferguson CM3c Clarence S. Fields S2C Jessie Finney S2c Matthew Forkner, Jr. Sic Joseph R. Francis S2c FordS. Franklin, Jr. S2c Artie J. Frazier CMlc Elmer B.Froid Sic Gerard Gabriel * S2c Bennie L. Gaines S2c ElgarGant Slc(CH) John S. Gibson S2c Jethero Gilbert Sic Samuel Glenn, Jr. Sic Lewis D. Goudblock S2c Harry L. Graham Sic William H. Green S2c Ross B. Grinage S2c A.D. Hamilton S2c Ernest E. Hamilton S2c Emaral I lamrn S2c George R. Hammond S2c John W. Hannan, Jr. S2c Joe H. Hardaway S2c John L. Harding S2c B.C. Harris S2c Roscoe A. Harris S2c Phillip H. Harrison * S2c Clifford Harvey, Jr. Sic George W. Hayes S2c D.C. Haywood Sic Douglas L. Hector Sic David L. Higginbotham Sic Bobie R. Higgs Sic Cluster Hill* S2c Joseph Hills S2c Charles W.Hite S2c(SO) Rudolph V.Holden S2c Stanford Holley MoMM3c(T) E d r e d L . Holmes S2c Ernest M. Howard S2c Frank J. Howard S2c Earl H. Hudson * S2c Glen Hughes* S2c LeroyHughes* S2c Theodore L. Hughes S2c William Humphrey, Jr. S2c Ross D . H u n t * S2c Wave Hunt S2c Rudolph W. Hunter CM3c(T) Leroy Ingram Sic D.C.Jackson S2c James Jackson CM2c James E.M.Jackson Sic Levi R.Jackson* S2c Paul E.Jackson S2c Robert A. Jackson, Jr. CM3c Samuel Jackson, Jr. Sic Daniel L.Jamison Sic Willie Jennings* \ 7 r U j o r o n o p T»~»rn-» e o n >^w«_ v.,lui O i i w C j U l l l l U V l l * S2c Earl T. Johnson Sic GabeJohnson* Sic Harold Johnson S2c Henry L.Johnson Lt. (jg) James B. Johnson * Sic Milton F. Johnson * Sic Daniel L.Jones Sic IveryL.Jones Sic Henry Joseph, Jr. Sic Samuel Kearney Slc(SC)(B) Calvin King S2c Clifton King S2c Verne Land Sic Sidney J. LaPorte,Jr. Sic Willie Law, Jr.* S2c Cleo Lawson S2c Claudius W. Leslie S2c(SO) Aaron A. Lewis S2c T.C.Lewis S2c Lemuel M.Long* S2c Robert Lyons S2c BeattieJ. Makins Slc(CM) Rossell E. Martin S2c(CM) Alonmo Martin Sic Daniel Massie Sic Lawrence Mathews, Jr. * S2c Charles A. Mayfield * S1c Mitchell M r C l a m CCM(T) Clarence K. McFarland * Sic Calvin Milton S2c Willis Mettles * Sic Ernest C. Miller MoMM3c Ira Miller, Jr. S2c Otis K.Miller* S2c Marshall Moore, Sr. CM2c Thomas Moore S2c William P. Moore Ens. Gilbert Mordoh S2c Eddie L. Neal Sic James H. Nixon S2c William H. Otky, Sr. S2c Auguster Packer Slc(SC) William F. Paschal S2c Robert F. Peete S2c Lester L. Perry S2c Joe H. Person * S2c Alfred Phillips CM3c Charles Pickett S2c Houston Porter S2c McCoy Porter S2c David W. Potts SM3c(T) Samuel H. Powell CM2c Joe C. Preuitt S2c Arthur Reid, Jr. C.M3c James F. Rhodes S2c Clyde F. Richardson S2c James A. Roberts Sic Mango Roberts MoMM3c Alphonse Robinson S2c Fred Robinson, Jr. Sic Eugene J. Rogers S2c Robert Sanders * S2c Wesley Saunders Lt. Roland Schindler * CM3c Carl C.Scott Lt. Vernon C. Shamer Sic Joseph J. Sheckles S2c Willie Sims * Sic Isaac E. Smith * Sic James P. Smith Sic Ellis Taylor S2c Joseph M. Tolson MA2c Maxie D. Towles Slc(CM) Mervin L. Van Dunk Sic IssiahWade S2c Charles Walker, Jr. S2c Walter L.Walker, Jr.* S2c WoodrowL.Walker CM2c(T) William C. Warren * S2c James L. Washington * S2c Woodrow Washington, Jr. CM3c Daniel West Lt. (jg) Raymond R. White * Sic Joseph B. White S2c Arthur Whitmore S2c Mitchell A. Williams* S2c Maryland E. Wilson GM3c Oliver Wilson S2c Samuel D. Wilson Lt. Harold A. Wood* S2c James E. Woods * S2c Walter E. Wright S2c Charles E. Wyatt SS E.A. BRYAN U.S. NAVY ARMED GUARD Sic Wayland E. Causey Sic Rudy J. Cebella Sic Robert E. Chase S2c Claude L. Chastain SM3c John J. Gee Lt. (jg) Ralph B. Hartmann Sic Clarence R. Hollandsworth Sic Kenneth H. Muirhead Sic Jesse W. Mulligan Sic Lloyd J. Quick Sic Martin J. Setzer Sic George H. Singer Sic Listern L. Small U.S. MARITIME SERVICE Elmer A. Andraschko, Cook Albert A. Arsenian, Seaman William C. Benhart, Oiler Martin M. Cacic, Seaman Ray E.Davis, Wiper Donald L. Dennon, Wiper Thomas E. Dorsey, Seaman George H. Falk, Bos'n Marcus J. Franklin, Engr. Alfred D. Gilbert, Engr. James R. Gilstrap, Seaman Joseph D. Grange, Jr, Engr. Fred Hayes, Seaman Delbert R. Hutchinson, Fireman Peter C. Jepsen, Ch. Engr. Charles A. Johnson, Utilityman Clifford R.Johnson, Utilityman Ralph A. Lantz, Seaman John A. Louis, Engr. Frank C. Malizia, Carpenter Edward Maniago, Messman Harry E. Nathan, Seaman Jesse Porter, Sr., Ch. Cook Richard D. Roberson, Seaman Aaron C. Sangster, Jr., Seaman Ellsworth M. Shaw, Oiler Howard A. Smith, 1st Mate Andrew Suchan, Fireman Robert F. Townsend, 2nd Mate Harding E. White, Messman George H. Witt, Utilityman U.S. NAVY ARMED GUARD GM3c Jack L. Albin GM2c Delbert P. Bergstrom Slc(RM) Jack P. Bowman GM3c John G. Hall Sic George D. Hovland Sic Andy Morrow GM2c William H. Mulryan Sic Henry J. Myers Sic Woodrow A. Riiff Sic Jacob D. Risenhoover Sic William R. Robinson Sic Charles H. Rondell Sic Jay Rose, Jr. Sic Otis K. Ross Sic Woodrow W. Saint Sic Arnold T. Sanders Sic Harold S. Sano U.S. MARITIME SERVICE Robert D. Bailey, Utilityman Robert E.Bartlett, Messman John D. Bell, Asst. Purser Frederick E. Bentley, Seaman Donald H. Cheney, Elect. Hugh E. Crawford, Maint. Man Floyd F. Crist, Seaman Albert C. Dinde, Messman Wallace M. Durland, Seaman Kenneth J. Eulrick, Seaman Burke E. Falor, Utilityman Eugene W. Garrett, Fireman Robert K. Henricksen, Seaman Elis Henriksen, Engr. * Johannes H.Justesen, Steward Walter F. Kannberg, Engr. Robert E. Keim, 2nd Mate Joseph B. Koeninger, Seaman Karl L. Mallery, Engr. Lloyd K. McDaniel, Seaman Kenneth M. Moen, 3rd Mate Robert S.Morill, Oiler Isadore E. Narinsky, Seaman Roy L. Nelson, Carpenter David R. Parsons, 3rd Mate Mike Pearson, Oiler Ellis B. Pinson, Engr. Richard V. Potter, Fireman Virgil R. Sandberg, Engr. Albert R. Scott, Ch. Mate Lester S. Skance, Seaman Howard W. Sullivan, Seaman Robert J. Sullivan, Master Glen E. Thompson, Engr. * Louis J. Widner, Messman* John A. Williams, Ch. Engr. NAVY & CONTRACTOR CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES Lawrence C. Bustrack, Macco Co. Office Manager * Gundar Halverson, Macco Co. Timekeeper * Raymond V. Hunnicutt, Brakeman, Navy Employee Thomas D. Hunt, Macco Co. Project Engr. * Harry A. Middleton, Engineman, Navy Employee Fred Zanarini, Chauffeur, Navy Employee * OTHER MILITARY Pvt. Elwin A. Blanke, Marine Corps * BMlc Peter G. Broda, Coast Guard M M l c William G. Degryce, Coast Guard McMM3c Edward J. Portz, Coast Guard * Sic Charles H. Riley, Coast Guard S2c James C. Sullivan, Coast Guard * * Identified Dead About Your Visit The memorial is located on an active military base. Tours are by reservation; allow two weeks for your request to be processed. See park website for information on ID required for base access and firearms regulations. Service animals are welcome. Tours are available Tuesday through Saturday at 10 am and 1:30 pm (allow Vh hours for the tour). There is no public access on Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. The base may also be closed to the public due to military operations. More Information Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial 4202 Alhambra Avenue Martinez, CA 94553 925-228-8860 www.nps.gov/poch r/GPO:2011—365-615/80729 Printed on recycled paper. Sea Scouts learn about the World War II disaster. Pilings from the J pier destroyed in the explosion extend into Suisun Bay. ALL PHOTOS: NPS