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  The People Of Port Chicago

  People

  Learn about those who were affected by or killed by the disaster.

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  Historic and Modern Photos

  View historic images from the disaster, as well as modern images from the site.

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  Documentary: Into Forgetfulness

  Watch a powerful documentary on The Port Chicago Disaster. Click link for the presentation page.

 

 

Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial.

NPS Photo/Luther Bailey

The Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial

The memorial was established in 1992 to mark the site of the Port Chicago explosion, the worst stateside or home front disaster in the United States during World War II.

The Friends of Port Chicago National Memorial successfully advocated for establishing the memorial and remain the park's primary partner. Located on the shore of Suisun Bay, in Concord, California, the memorial was affiliated with the National Park Service from its inception until 2009. In that year, it was designated a unit within the national park system. Three themes—the role that the naval magazine played in the Pacific Theater war effort, the loss of life caused by the tragic explosion, and the struggles for social justice that followed the explosion—compelled the nation to set aside Port Chicago as a place of national remembrance.

The naval magazine was constructed in 1942, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and named after the nearby town of Port Chicago. The naval magazine quickly grew to become the Navy's largest ammunition shipment facility on the West Coast, playing a crucial role in the success of US armed forces in the Pacific Theater.

The United States' entry into World War II led to unprecedented demands for war material, which necessitated mobilizing all Americans, including African Americans who were often excluded from meaningful service in the US armed forces. Like most Americans, African American sailors and other service personnel stationed at Port Chicago were deeply committed to our nation's fight against Nazi Germany and other Axis powers.

Despite facing harsh inequalities both at home and within their own military, African American sailors and service personnel stationed at Port Chicago loaded dangerous munitions daily and performed their duties with honor, serving their nation with pride.

 

Aerial photo of the disaster aftermath.

NPS Photo: POCH 2.018

A Devastating Explosion

On July 17, 1944, a devastating explosion rocked the naval magazine at Port Chicago, killing 320 people, injuring approximately 400, and destroying cargo ships S.S.Quinault Victory and S.S. E.A. Bryan. The nearby town of Port Chicago was also heavily damaged.

Most of those who died were young African American sailors who served in newly established and racially segregated work units. They had not received any training for loading ammunition onto ships, which made their work even more dangerous due to disparate treatment from their white counterparts.

Survivors of the explosion, including many local townspeople, immediately pitched in to assist the Navy with cleaning up after the disaster. All who were involved were traumatized by the enormity and horror of the event.

Operations were halted for several weeks after the explosion, causing a major disruption in supply lines to the Pacific Theater. However, facilities were quickly rebuilt.

In response to unsafe working conditions and racial discrimination, 258 surviving sailors refused to return to work after the explosion. Fifty were charged and convicted of mutiny in a trial that became one of the largest in U.S. naval history. The convictions sparked public protests and drew attention from notable figures like Thurgood Marshall and Eleanor Roosevelt.

The protests led to historic steps toward racial integration by the Navy in 1946, which was later followed by President Harry Truman's order for all armed forces to integrate in 1948. Military desegregation ultimately helped inspire the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s.

Despite these advances, repeated efforts to exonerate the Port Chicago 50 have failed, serving as a reminder that social justice remains an ongoing struggle in the United States.

 

The Struggle for Social Justice: A Movement for Equality and Human Rights

Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial preserves the site of the deadliest home front disaster of World War II, honoring those who lost their lives or were affected by the munitions explosion on July 17, 1944.

The disaster and its aftermath illuminated the issues of segregation and racial inequality in the military, and today the memorial serves as a springboard for exploring social justice in our society.

The Port Chicago Naval Weapons Magazine is recognized as a pioneering site in the racial integration of our armed services. It was a setting where the nation's wartime needs converged with the commitment of young black men to fight for their country, despite being devalued. This convergence highlights contradictory truths: brotherhood and abusive treatment, honorable and second-class service, a preventable disaster that claimed lives due to segregationist policies, and a misguided mass mutiny trial that still resonates in our nation today.

 

The Memorial: A Strong Sense of Place

The memorial's elegiac atmosphere and simple, unadorned character are amplified by its setting along the windswept shores of Suisun Bay, where the salty air mingles with the scent of grass-covered hills on the eastern edge of the Bay Area, near Vallejo and Benicia. The Suisun Bay region remains largely unchanged since its recorded history, with its natural landscape and industrial activities preserved in their current state.

Suisun Bay forms part of the estuary that receives waters from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers, which originate in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The estuary's strategic location at the crossroads of coastal and inland California cities has made it an important hub for shipping since its early days. Rolling hills of emerald green grass that slope gently towards the bay's shores provide a broad, rural backdrop for industrial enterprises served by ships.

In 1942, Port Chicago Naval Magazine joined these industrial enterprises, and today it continues to inhabit this industrial-estuarine setting as a testament to the region's enduring legacy.

A significant factor contributing to the memorial's strong sense of place is that it continues to reside within an active military base, whose mission remains the shipment of ammunition and supplies overseas. Following the disaster, the Navy built new piers at Port Chicago and supplied the Pacific Theater until the war's end.

In addition, an area of 5,028 acres was acquired inland from the waterfront site to provide storage facilities. This acquisition was necessary to ensure a safe distance between stored munitions and nearby civilian communities.

To achieve this, a large buffer zone was created between stored munitions and nearby civilian communities. Unfortunately, this required the elimination of the residential town of Port Chicago, which was absorbed into the expanded military base.

The Navy operated and expanded its shipping operation until 1997, at which time the US Army assumed management of the base and established a shipping operation of its own, Military Ocean Terminal Concord, California. The inland properties were placed in reduced operational status in 1999 and designated for closure in 2005. In 2008, the Navy officially transferred the property to the US Army. The national memorial is a five-acre area within the Military Ocean Terminal Concord, California. As provided for in the enabling legislation, the Army continues to own all of the land on which the memorial resides. Under the terms of an operating agreement between the agencies, the National Park Service works with the Army to maintain the memorial, coordinate historic preservation efforts, and provide access to visitors to the highly secured area where the memorial is located during certain times of the year when military operations are not occurring.

Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial is a powerful site with important stories to tell—stories evocative of the past and resonant for the future. In addition to the memorial site, these include sites at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California, where sailors engaged in a post-disaster work stoppage and were imprisoned soon after. The Port Chicago disaster also had a significant impact on other sites outside of the park's designation. One such area is now-closed inland facility where munitions were stored following the explosion. This area was used as a storage facility for munitions following the explosion, and it played a critical role in the aftermath of the disaster. Additionally, 50 sailors were court-martialed for mutiny on Treasure Island, an event that highlighted tensions between sailors and officers in the Navy.

 

Historic Town of Port Chicago

The town of Port Chicago, originally known as Bay Point, was established in the early 1900s in Contra Costa County, California. The town was strategically located on the southern shore of Suisun Bay, northeast of San Francisco. This location made it an ideal site for naval operations, especially during World War II.

Naval Magazine Establishment

In 1942, the U.S. Navy established the Port Chicago Naval Magazine. This facility was crucial for loading ammunition onto ships bound for the Pacific Theater. The town grew rapidly as workers, many of whom were African American sailors, were recruited to handle the dangerous job of loading munitions.

Decline and Transformation

Post-World War II, the town of Port Chicago saw a decline as naval operations shifted. In 1968, the town was demolished, and the area was absorbed into the Concord Naval Weapons Station. This transformation marked the end of Port Chicago as a residential community, but its legacy continued to impact civil rights movements and naval policies.

 

Military Ocean Terminal Concord

Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO), located in Concord, California, has a rich and varied history shaped by its strategic importance and significant events. It is an active military base and where the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial is located.

The base is not accessible to the public without a guided tour from the park.

Initially part of the Department of the Navy's Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment (NWSSBD) Concord, MOTCO's administration was transferred from the Navy to the Army on October 1, 2008, following recommendations from the 2005 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission. However, the Army had established a presence earlier, on October 1, 1997, when the 1302nd Major Port Command relocated from the Oakland Army Base to MOTCO, becoming the 834th Transportation Battalion (TB).

The City of Concord serves as the Local Reuse Authority for approximately 5,028 acres of former NWSSBD Concord lands that were deemed surplus.

One of MOTCO's most significant historical events occurred on July 17, 1944, when the Port Chicago Naval Magazine explosion devastated the area. The explosion, triggered by the detonation of 3.5 million pounds of high explosives, resulted in the tragic loss of 320 lives, injured 390 individuals, and caused an estimated $12.5 million in property damage (in 1944 dollars). Today, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial Site, covering 5 acres, is located at MOTCO on the site of the explosion, administered by the National Park Service.

MOTCO is strategically positioned in north-central Contra Costa County, California, within the East San Francisco Bay region. The installation comprises approximately 115 acres of Inland Area and approximately 6,526 acres of Tidal Area, including 2,045 acres of offshore islands. These areas are connected by Port Chicago Highway. MOTCO operates three ocean terminal piers and an Army-owned rail system that interfaces with two major public rail lines.

The mission of the 834th Transportation Battalion (TB) is central to MOTCO's operations. It provides terminal and distribution services to support deploying and redeploying forces in the California Area of Responsibility. This includes managing ammunition terminal services, facilitating operational and training synergies between East and West Coast ammunition terminals, and overseeing installation management at MOTCO.

MOTCO's significance is underscored by its capacity to handle a maximum Net Explosive Weight of 18.8 million pounds, representing nearly a quarter of the nation's total ammunition throughput capability. The 834th TB executes its ammunition mission at MOTCO, while its general cargo operations extend to four commercial West Coast ports: Oakland, Port Hueneme, Los Angeles/Long Beach, and San Diego. Leveraging commercial ports for general cargo can present challenges, including congestion and competition for access.

At MOTCO, operations include receiving ammunition via rail and highway, staging containers, railcars, and trailers, and loading vessels with containers and breakbulk (loose items) ammunition. Despite its critical role in ammunition logistics, MOTCO does not store ammunition on-site. Instead, it operates rail lines, piers, holding pads, transfer facilities, staging areas, railcar class yards, barricaded railcar holding areas, and Main Supply Routes to support cargo receipt and movement effectively.