Location
Port Chicago is located at the southern edge of Suisun Bay in Contra Costa County in central California in the United States of America (USA).
Wartime History
During 1941, construction began of the U.S. Navy Port Chicago Naval Magazine, which was later expanded and renamed Concord Naval Weapons Station. Today known as Military Ocean Terminal Concord. At Port Chicago was a single 1,500' pier to allow vessels to be loaded in Suisun Bay. Munitions were transported by rail road to Port Chicago then loaded aboard cargo vessels. The majority of the workers were African-Americans who were trained with Naval ratings but instead used as stevedores and none were trained in handling munitions.
On July 13, 1944 at 8:15am liberty ship SS E. A. Bryan docked at the inboard, landward side of the pier at Port Chicago. The ship arrived at the dock with no cargo, but was carrying a full load of 5,292 barrels of bunker C heavy fuel oil for the upcoming voyage across the Pacific. At 10:00am loading of munitions commenced. On July 17, 1944 by the evening, the liberty ship was loaded with roughly 4,600 tons of munitions and was roughly 40% full. At 10:18pm a sound was heard "a metallic sound and rending timbers, such as made by a falling boom" followed by an explosion on the pier and fire. Roughly 5-7 seconds later a larger explosion detonated the munitions near SS Bryan causing a fireball visible for six miles that destroyed the ship and blew SS Quinault Victory out of the water.
Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial
Dedicated in 1994 recognizing the July 17, 1944 explosion known as the Port Chicago disaster that resulted in the death of 320 sailors and civilians, the majority African Americans when ships loaded with ammunition exploded. A month later, the unsafe conditions prompted hundreds of servicemen to refuse to load munitions, an act known as the Port Chicago Mutiny. Fifty men dubbed the "Port Chicago 50" were convicted of mutiny and sentenced to 15 years of prison and hard labor plus a dishonorable discharge.
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Last Updated
December 15, 2023
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