The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights

Sheinkin describes the conditions leading to the explosion at Port Chicago on July 17, 1944. In April 1944, a new Captain, Merrill T. Kinne, takes charge of Port Chicago. Even though Kinne believes black sailors are incapable of properly performing their duties, he orders his officers to push their divisions to load as much explosives into the ships as possible, with a “chalkboard at the pier” listing which divisions are loading the most tons (47). The lieutenants begin to place bets amongst themselves on “whose division could load the fastest” (48). Though the black sailors are proud to be performing important work for the Navy, they still feel anger over a sense of racial injustice due to their complete segregation and their inability to partake in combat. Kinne’s demands result in more frequent accidents at Port Chicago. Though Joe Small attempts to warn Lieutenant Delucchi of the dangers of Captain Kinne’s policies, Delucchi brushes Small off.

Sheinkin notes the racial disparity at Port Chicago in July 1944, the month of the accident, by detailing that “there were 1,431 black enlisted men at Port Chicago and 71 white officers. The base was guarded by 106 Marines, all white” (53). On July 17, the day of the explosion, the sailors are loading explosives onto the cargo ship E. A. Bryan. A plumber from the local town of Pittsburg is called in to fix a malfunctioning winch. After performing his repairs, the plumber leaves Port Chicago as quickly as possible, fearful of the dangerous way the sailors are loading bombs. A second ship, the Quinalt Victory, enters Port Chicago, and the sailors then begin loading it with explosives in the evening. The sailors fill the Bryan to the very limit of its capacity, placing the “hot cargo” on the top layer. Though an explosion will soon occur, none of the sailors or lieutenants at Port Chicago note anything wrong, with a lieutenant later reporting that operations are “proceeding in a normal routine manner” (57).

At 10:18 p.m. on July 17, 1944, an explosion occurs at Port Chicago. Many of the sailors are in the barracks at the time of the explosion, preparing for bed or already asleep. At first, these sailors assume they are being bombed by the Japanese, in a repeat of Pearl Harbor. Joe Small and his mattress are flung to the floor by the explosion, and the mattress luckily lands on top of him, shielding him from falling glass shards. Though many of the men are confused by the chaos, they quickly flee the barracks, realizing that it will soon fall. 

The explosion is seen for miles, with its effects being felt as far as Berkeley, “thirty miles” away from Port Chicago (61). Those at a distance from the pier observe a column of smoke and flames, with pieces of metal flying through the air. In the aftermath of the explosion, fires begin spreading though the surrounding grass, dangerously heading towards “boxcars full of ammunition” (62). The sailors who are not wounded in the initial blast immediately begin putting out fires and caring for the seriously injured. Groups of sailors start attempt to drive down to the pier but are forced to stop when they realize the explosion has completely obliterated the entire pier and the ships.

Once the sun rises the next morning, the sailors and officers are able to fully survey the extent of the damage. The pier, as well as the trains and ammunition, have entirely “disintegrated” (64). Though several chunks of metal from the Quinalt Victory are scattered around, the sailors are not able to identify any piece of the E.A. Bryan, which had been carrying “nearly ten million pounds of explosives” (64). The sailors immediately begin searching for dead bodies in the water and only find fifty-one identifiable bodies, out of the “more than 300 people” at the pier during the explosion (67). Members of the press are allowed into the nearby town of Port Chicago, where they observe destroyed barracks and roads covered in glass and metal shards. They are not permitted to see the pier. 

The Navy opens an inquiry into the cause of the explosion on July 21, which proves difficult as no eyewitnesses survived the blast. The inquiry is able to surmise that two explosions occurred—a small explosion followed by a larger explosion several seconds later. However, the Navy is unable to determine a cause for the first explosion. Some officers testify that Kinne’s instilling of competition amongst the sailors—including his chalkboard detailing which divisions were performing the quickest—led to unsafe conditions at the pier. However, the Navy sides with Kinne, determining that proper safety conditions were adhered to by all officers. Though no black sailors are allowed to testify, the Navy concludes that the fault lies solely with them, arguing that black sailors are “neither temperamentally nor intellectually capable of handling high explosives” (71). The U.S. Congress attempts to pass a law providing up to $5,000 of support for families of victims of the explosion. However, pro-segregationist members of Congress oppose the law as they do not want to give black families such large sums of money, and the payment is decreased to $3,000. One newspaper, the Pittsburgh Courier, notes Port Chicago’s racial discrimination, arguing that the U.S. military treats black people’s blood as “worth less than that of whites” (74). 

The black sailors are soon placed at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, where they quickly become aware that they will again be asked to load explosives onto ships. Many of the black soldiers begin signing a petition asking for transfer to other lines of work, though this petition is ultimately destroyed. After the sailors are given gloves used for handling bombs, they begin discussing whether they will partake in the work the following day. Many of the sailors ask Joe Small what he wishes to do, as they see him as a leader of their group. Though Small is hesitant to refuse the Navy’s orders, he ultimately decides that he would not go “back to the same work under the same conditions, under the same men” (77).

On August 9, 1944, Small and the rest of Division Four are called to work by Lieutenant Delucchi. The men line up slowly and are soon ordered to begin a march. As the Division marches towards the river, they reach a fork in the road, with a right-turn leading to daily exercises and a left-turn leading to work loading explosives into ships. Though Delucchi commands the Division to “column left,” the sailors instead stay still (80). Delucchi singles out Small, asking if he intends to follow orders. Small refuses, as do the rest of the soldiers. A military chaplain approaches the sailors and tries to convince them to follow orders, but the Division continues to refuse. Delucchi makes a speech to the sailors, arguing that they are letting down both their country in general and black Americans in particular. Finally, the first-in-command at the base, Commander Joseph Tobin, asks to meet separately with each sailor. Tobin informs them that they risk being court-martialed for disobeying orders. Though several sailors return to work, the vast majority continues to refuse to handle explosives. 

At the base, Lieutenants begin to call more Divisions to load explosives onto an empty ship, the Sangay. Lieutenant Tobin calls Division Eight and Division Two, asking each soldier how many of them will obey orders. Many of the men explain that, while they do not wish to disobey orders, they are afraid to carry out the dangerous work. Tobin responds by calling them cowards and instructs them to join the other disobeying sailors from Division Four. Of 328 sailors, “a total of 258” decline to follow orders to load explosives (85). All of the men are marched to the river, where they are told to board a barge—in essence, a “floating prison” (85). Delucchi and Small have a brief conversation, where Delucchi asks Small to watch over his fellow sailors in Division Four and keep them in check on the barge.