Navy Secretary Exonerates 256 Black Sailors Punished After Deadly 1944 Ammunition Explosion

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro signs two different orders to dismiss the convictions of 256 court-martialed sailors on July 17, 2024. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist William Bennett IV/Public Domain

Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, announced on July 17 the full exoneration of 256 black sailors who had been convicted in trials by court-martial for refusing to handle ammunition after a deadly explosion at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in California 80 years ago.

On July 17, 1944, 320 people were killed and around 400 injured in an explosion that took place while sailors were loading ammunition onto a cargo ship bound for the Pacific Theater of World War II. After the incident, 258 black sailors defied orders to resume work amid concerns about continued poor safety standards; all were convicted in military trials.

Two of the convictions had previously been set aside, and on Wednesday, Mr. Del Toro signed off on two orders exonerating the remaining 256 sailors. The decision coincided with the 80th anniversary of the deadly blast.

A view of Port Chicago Pier 1 on July 18, 1944, a day after an explosion that took the lives of over 300 people at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine. U.S. Navy, National Park Service Photo/Public Domain

“Today’s announcement marks the end of a long and arduous journey for these Black Sailors and their families, who fought for a nation that denied them equal justice under law,” President Joe Biden said in a White House statement.

“May we all remember their courage, sacrifice, and service to our Nation.”

A Mutiny Case in a Segregated Navy

The U.S. military employed segregation practices at the time, and according to a Navy press statement, black sailors were barred from nearly all seagoing roles. Instead, they often filled other supporting positions in the Navy. Most of the Navy ordnance battalions assigned to Port Chicago Naval Magazine at the time of the explosion consisted of black enlisted sailors and white officers.

After the explosion, many of the white officers were given hardship leave, while most of the black enlisted sailors were ordered to resume work. With open questions about the cause of the deadly explosion and whether the existing safety standards were sufficient to protect them, 258 of them refused to resume handling ammunition.

Those sailors were threatened with disciplinary action, and 208 of them resumed their ammunition-handling duties. Despite dropping their objections to the worrisome safety hazards, those 208 sailors were all subsequently convicted in a summary court-martial. They were all docked three months’ pay and received a bad conduct discharge.

The other 50 sailors continued to defy orders to resume handling ammunition and were charged with mutiny. They came to be known in the press at the time as the “Port Chicago 50.”

The 50 sailors were convicted in a mass general court-martial. At sentencing, they received dishonorable discharges, 15 years confinement with hard labor, a reduction in rate to the lowest enlisted rank, and total forfeitures of their pay.

Del Toro Dismisses Cases 80 Years Later

The sailors and their families have worked for decades to have their court-martial convictions reversed.

The Navy noted in a statement that the 15-year sentences for the Port Chicago 50 were reduced to periods of between 17 and 29 months. By the start of 1946, nearly all of the sailors were released and allowed to finish their service contracts.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro signs two different orders to dismiss the convictions of 256 court-martialed sailors on July 17, 2024. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist William Bennett IV/Public Domain

One of the sailors also saw his conviction set aside after a finding of mental incompetence.

Another sailor, Frederick Meeks, began petitioning for a pardon in the 1990s. President Bill Clinton answered his request in 1999.

Legal scholars debate whether the acceptance of a pardon amounts to an admission of guilt by the pardon’s recipient. For example, in the 1915 U.S. Supreme Court case of Burdick v. United States, the court’s majority opinion stated that a pardon carries “an imputation of guilt and acceptance of a confession of it.” Other courts have debated the legal weight of this 1915 Supreme Court language.

The exoneration action Mr. Del Toro announced on Wednesday circumvents the pardon question. Under the authority of his office, he declared that the two original court-martial trials were replete with errors and that the charges would be dismissed.

The Navy said it was inappropriate to try so many defendants together because it raised questions of conflicting interests among the many defendants and whether they received sufficient legal counsel.

The Navy also noted the original military trials proceeded before the Navy had finished its inquiry into the Port Chicago explosion. The Navy said this inquiry would’ve supported the defendants as it included 19 recommendations to improve ammunition loading practices.

“The Port Chicago 50, and the hundreds who stood with them, may not be with us today, but their story lives on, a testament to the enduring power of courage and the unwavering pursuit of justice,” Mr. Del Toro said.