1 day at Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial

Before you plan to visit Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, take a moment to learn more about the history of this site. On July 17, 1944, 320 sailors and civilians—most of them young African American servicemen assigned to segregated work crews—lost their lives in a massive explosion at this munitions base. While the munitions loading work was crucial to the war effort, it was made more dangerous by racial discrimination that manifested itself in a lack of proper training or safety measures for the African American servicemen, who were told they were not handling live ammunition. The two explosions at the pier also injured 400 others, and destroyed two docked ships and many railroad cars and buildings at the military base.

Threatened with a court martial for mutiny, which officers told them could result in them being shot, 208 of the men agreed to go back to work. Despite agreeing to continue loading the munitions, all 208 were still court-martialed and convicted of disobeying orders. Fifty men continued to peacefully refuse to toil in the same perilous conditions that had already resulted in the death of many of their peers. The Port Chicago 50 who bravely defied demands to return to work in the face of injustice were all found guilty in the largest mutiny trial in US history, marred by racial discrimination. Dishonorably discharged and sentenced to eight to fifteen years in prison, these men lived with the pain of being branded by the law as criminals for standing up for justice for the rest of their lives. Forty-seven of the Port Chicago 50 were paroled after the war ended, but it wasn’t until 80 years later on July 17, 2024, that the Port Chicago 50 and the 208 other initial protesters were posthumously exonerated.