The Navy exonerates 256 Black sailors unjustly punished over 1944 WWII port explosion

By Ayana Archie

Published July 18, 2024 at 2:00 AM CDT

Workmen searched through the debris of what was the carpenter shop on the pier at Port in Chicago, Calif. on July 18, 1944 after the building was leveled by the explosion of two munition ships the evening of July 17. Other buildings on the waterfront and in the town itself were shattered by the terrific blast, which was felt 50 miles from the scene.

The U.S. Navy has exonerated 256 Black sailors who refused to go back to work after an explosion that killed hundreds of people in 1944, the military service announced Wednesday.

The blast that happened at the Port Chicago naval weapons station in California killed 320 people and injured 400 more. Mostly Black personnel and white officers were assigned to the base at the time, as Black enlistees were barred from almost all sea-bound jobs.

White officers were given time off following the incident, while Black sailors were not. So, 258 Black sailors refused to go back to their work of ammunition handling “in the absence of clarity on the explosions or further safety training,” the Navy said.

After threats of disciplinary action, 208 sailors returned to work, but were initially sentenced to a bad conduct discharge and did not get paid for three months. Eventually, the charges were dropped and the time without pay was reduced.

The other 50, now known as the “Port Chicago 50,” did not go back to work. They were convicted of mutiny, sentenced to 15 years of hard labor while incarcerated, dishonorably discharged and had their pay revoked completely.

Ultimately, their discharges were thrown out, their time behind bars was reduced to 17 to 29 months and many sailors were offered to fulfill the rest of their contracts upon being released, the Navy said.

Two of the sailors’ convictions were dropped, one for insufficient evidence and another for “mental incompetency,” the Navy said.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro exonerated the men after the General Counsel of the Navy found there were several failures made in the case, such as all the sailors being tried together and not being given “a meaningful right to counsel,” the Navy said.

The men were also tried before the investigation into the explosion was complete. The report later listed 19 recommendations to improve ammunition handling at the port.

“The Port Chicago 50, and the hundreds who stood with them, may not be with us today, but their story lives on, a testament to the enduring power of courage and the unwavering pursuit of justice,” Del Toro said. “They stand as a beacon of hope, forever reminding us that even in the face of overwhelming odds, the fight for what's right can and will prevail.”