By Madison Lile
This past summer I finally got the opportunity to check an item off my bucket list – visiting the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. I was able to see and experience many exhibits, and one that particularly stuck with me was the section on the 80th anniversary of the Port Chicago Disaster. I recognized the name of the event, but as I read more it was clear that I didn’t know the whole history behind it and the event’s impact on desegregation in the military.
At Port Chicago, the African-American sailors who were trained for wartime roles were instructed to load munitions aboard ships under the supervision of white officers. Neither the sailors nor their superior officers were trained adequately for the dangerous work of loading munitions. In his article “Navy Exonerates 256 Black Sailors Punished after 1944 Port Chicago Explosion,” Keven Dupuy states, “Many of the sailors reported that they weren’t given gloves for handling 600-pound bombs and the other munitions – including highly volatile incendiaries with fitted detonators.”
On July 17, 1944, disaster struck the country with its largest man-made detonation. The mishandling of munitions caused an eruption that had the force of 5,000 tons of TNT. Over 320 sailors and civilians were killed in this event; over two-thirds were African American. In the aftermath, the remaining sailors were to resume their work even though the dangerous conditions were not yet resolved. Fifty of the involved sailors decided to not return to work and in doing so, on the 24th of October they were charged and found guilty of conspiracy to commit mutiny. This act became known as the Port Chicago Mutiny, resulting in over 200 convictions, including the original “Port Chicago 50.” They received sentences ranging from 8 to 15 years of confinement and dishonorable discharges. After two years, the men were released; they had to serve a year as rehabilitation, and then they were discharged; however, the mutiny convictions remained on their records.
This event acted as a catalyst for the military’s first steps in desegregation. Two years after the event, President Truman signed an executive order for the desegregation of the military. It was believed to be deeply rooted in the controversies of the convictions of those 50 sailors. Taking up the cause during the 1990s, George Miller, congressman for the Port Chicago’s district, wanted the names of the men cleared. When this didn’t go through the first time, Miller tried again in 2006 and was successful. This time he got the Port to become a national park which was authorized by Obama.
In my opinion, this act of “mutiny” was not an act of insubordination, but a response to the failure of leadership, injustice and extremely dangerous conditions. The reason that this exhibit stood out to me was because I learned that the convictions weren’t finally resolved or recognized until July 18, 2024, when the secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, announced the full exoneration of all 256 defendants who were court-martialed after the explosion. This decision was on the 80th anniversary of the disaster, finally acknowledging the injustice these sailors faced. As quoted in Dupuy’s aforementioned article, Secretary Del Toro said that, “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.”
Madison Lile is a Spring Grove High School student, one of 15 area students participating in the Journal Writing Project, now in its 26th year.
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