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Port of Chicago
history on the disaster
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What was the date of the Port Chicago Naval Munitions base disaster? | The date of the disaster was July 17, 1944. |
| How many men were killed and how many of the men were injured on the base? | 320 men were killed and 390 men were injured on the base. |
| What were the names of the two transport ships that were destroyed in the explosion? | The E.A. Bryan and the Quinault Victory. |
| What rained down upon the community, damaging over 300 structures and injuring over 100 people? | Flaming metal weighing hundreds of pounds and un-detonated bombs. |
| The Port Chicago explosion was as large as... | A 5-kiloton bomb. |
| Of the 320 men who lost their lives on the base, how many of them were black? | 202 of them were black. |
| Of the additional 390 men injured, how many of them were black? | 233 of them were black. |
| Since the Navy didn't allow blacks in combat at that time what did the Port Chicago black seamen do? | They were assigned to load the ammunition and explosives on the transport ships at port. |
| The equipment the black seamen were given was in what kind of condition? | In a poor working condition. |
| White officers were wagering what? | They were wagering whose divisions could load the most ammunition in the least amount of time. |
| What were most of the men afraid of? | The possibility of an explosion when they first learned of their new job descriptions. |
| In the summer of what year, was the United States engaged in the historically brutal battle in the Philippines. | In the summer of 1944. |
| The E.A. Bryan docked at Port Chicago on what date? | July 13, 1944. |
| When did the Naval personnel begin their job of loading the ship's hold with ammunition? | On July 13, 1944 at 8:00 a.m. |
| When did the Navel personnel finish their job of loading the ship's hold with ammunition? | By July 17 at 10:00 p.m. |
| What happened minutes after 10:30 p.m.? | The entire pier area erupted. |
| What did the second blast destroy? | The entire E.A. Bryan, and lifted the Quinalult Victory completely out of the water. |
| How many men were killed instantly? | Every man working on the pier and on the two ships was killed instantly. |
| What was the fate of many? | Burns, broken bones and blindness. |
| What happened in the days after the disaster? | The Naval Court of Inquiry organized to try to determine its cause. |
| Whose testimonies did the Court hear? | Weapon experts, eyewitnesses of the explosion, survivors of the accident and other base personnel. |
| Of everyone interviewed, how many were black? | 5 were black. |
| Who did the blame of the explosion fall on? | The black enlisted men who lost their lives in the explosion. |
| Did the Court ever establish what caused the terrible tragedy? | No the Court never established the exact cause of the tragedy. |
| What were the black seamen not offered? | Counseling to deal with their stress and survivors' leave. |
| Were the hospitalized with injuries granted any medical leave? | No the hospitalized were ordered to return back to work. |
| What happened on August 9? | On August 9, over 300 men were ordered to return back to work on the loading pier of the Mare Island Naval facility. |
| When ordered to return back to work, most of the men refused because? | Most of the men refused because of their lack of training, similarly poor equipment as was used at Port Chicago, and because of the clear possibility of another explosion. |
| After the disagreement to go back to work, how many men were arrested? | Over 250 men were arrested. |
| How many days were the men jailed in a barge connected to the pier? | The men were jailed for 3 days. |
| When given another opportunity to return to work, how many unwillingly agreed but were thrown in jail instead. | About 200. |
| What happened to the 50 remaining black enlisted men who still refused to load weapons under unsafe conditions? | They were brought up on charges of rebellion. |
| What was the date of the trial? | September, 1944 |
| On October 24, 1944, after less than 2 minutes of deliberation for each black seaman accused, how many were found guilty by the specially organized military court? | All 50 men were found guilty of defiance as charged. 1/5th were sentenced to 15 years in prison. Almost half were sentenced to 12 years. Another fifth were sentenced to 10 years, and the remaining 5 men to eight years. |
| Who took on the case on behalf of the NAACP, appealing the men's cause to the highest government officials? | Thurgood Marshall. |
| Marshall's public and legal campaign failed to overturn the convictions of the black naval enlisted men, but what happened when the war ended a year later? | The President agreed to release the men. |
| The tragic explosion at Port Chicago accounted for what percentage of deaths suffered by blacks? | 15% |
| What was the aftermath of the disaster? | It caused millions of dollars in damage, over 300 deaths and 500 injuries. |
Created by:
mookers
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