Black History

Port Chicago: Navy Exonerates 256 Black Sailors Accused of 1944 Revolt

Three days after U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro posthumously exonerated the remaining 256 African American Port Chicago defendants who were court-martialed for mutiny in 1944, he visited the historical site to participate in the 80th-year commemoration of the worst homefront disaster in U.S. history. Del Toro said the occasion at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial on the Suisun Bay, 35 miles north of San Francisco in Contra Costa County, was two-fold. According to him, the 90-minute ceremony was organized to honor all who died in the blasts and officially announce absolving Black men who were unjustly court-martialed for refusing to load bombs on naval cargo ships during World War II due to safety concerns.

Published

2 years ago

August 19, 2024

Oakland Post

Carol Cherry, left, was presented with the Stars and Stripes flag by Kelli English, right, from the National Park Service to conclude the ceremony. Her father, Cyril Oscar Sheppard, Jr., was one of the 50 Black sailors convicted of mutiny after the explosions at Port Chicago killed 320 people in 1944. CBM photo by Antonio R. Harvey.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌

California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media

Del Toro said the occasion at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial on the Suisun Bay, 35 miles north of San Francisco in Contra Costa County, was two-fold. According to him, the 90-minute ceremony was organized to honor all who died in the blasts and officially announce absolving Black men who were unjustly court-martialed for refusing to load bombs on naval cargo ships during World War II due to safety concerns.

“This event marks a turning point in our nation’s history, a moment when we confront the ghosts of the past and embrace the promise of more justice,” Del Toro said. “For eight decades, the story of Port Chicago has been a stark reminder of a grave injustice. We as a nation will never be able to express our full gratitude to all deceased and their families for their dedication, service, and sacrifice.”

On July 20, a diverse group of 500 people were shuttled from the Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO) to the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial where two deadly explosions occurred on the night of July 17, 1944.

The ceremony was hosted in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS), Friends of Port Chicago National Memorial, and the U.S. Army’s 834th Transportation Battalion.

The event also marked the 30th year the site was established as a memorial.

Along with Del Toro, dignitaries and elected officials in attendance were U.S. Congressmen John Garamendi (D-CA-08) and Thurgood Marshall Jr., whose father, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, sought justice for the Port Chicago 50, the Black men who were wrongfully convicted in the fall of 1944 of insubordination during World War II.

Kelli English, the NPS’s service-wide program manager for Cooperating Associations and Partnerships, said tears from colleagues were flowing the day they heard about the exoneration of the men. English is part of the NPS crew that conducts tours of the National Memorial and shares the history of the tragedy.

“They never should have been court-martialed in some cases and convicted of other cases, but it does provide some closures for the families and descendants of those men,” English told California Black Media. “It’s so important to us. It’s the only amount of justice delivered years after the fact.”

The blasts resulted in the death of 320 sailors, 202 of them Black American sailors who were loading nearly 5,000 tons of munitions from a train into the naval cargo ships. About 400 more people were injured and the cargo train and both ships – SS Quinault Victory and SS EA Bryan – were destroyed.