Exonerated 80 years after disaster 258 Black sailors were punished for refusing to return to work after blasts in California
Title
Exonerated 80 years after disaster 258 Black sailors were punished for refusing to return to work after blasts in California
Date
July 18, 2024
Description
On July 17, 1944, explosions killed 320 sailors, Coast Guard personnel, and civilians at the Port Chicago naval facility in California. Black sailors, who refused to go back to work, were charged with mutiny. During the court martial trial, the black sailors had been threatened with execution. No cause for the explosions was determined.
Creator
DeNeen L. Brown
Source
The Washington Post July 18, 2024 Page B1
Publisher
The Washington Post
Collection
Citation
DeNeen L. Brown, “Exonerated 80 years after disaster 258 Black sailors were punished for refusing to return to work after blasts in California,” Fairfax County African American History Inventory, accessed October 24, 2026, https://fairfaxaahi.centerformasonslegacies.com/items/show/469.