From: Carme001
To: City Clerk; [email protected]; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Council Meeting,Consent Item 5-F, Port Chicago Date: Monday, October 16, 2023 1:42:03 PM
Attachments: Port Chicago.pdf
Dear Mayor Ashcraft and City Council Members,
Please see attached letter to be included in Correspondence for City Council meeting 10/17/2023, Consent Calendar Item 5-F, Port Chicago 50.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Carmen
October 16, 2023
Dear Mayor Ashcraft andCityCouncil Members,
Re: CityCouncil Meeting, 10/17/2023, Consent Calendar Item5-F Adoptionof ResolutionSupportingLocal, StateandFederal EffortstoExoneratethePort Chicago50 I amwritingtoexpresssupport for thisitemtoexoneratethe“Port Chicago50”. Itseemsmoreappropriate, however, for theitemtobeplacedontheRegular Agendainorder tobroadlyincludethepublicinthisveryimportant Resolution. Theextensivetragedythat occurredonJuly17, 1944innearbyPort Chicago(next toBayPoint/Concordarea) whileloadingammunitionandexplosivestosupport WWII effortsdeservesconsiderableattention. Theinequitabletreatment, racial disparitiesandlackofpolicymeasurestoprotect boththoseloadingthedocksandontheshipstragicallyresultedinthedeathsof 320people–202blackenlistedmen, 67crewand30ArmedGuards. Additionally, therewere390injuredwhichincluded233blackenlistedmen.FromtheSSE.A. Bryan, therewere31U.S. Merchant Marinerswhodied, andfromtheSSQuinault, 36U.S. Merchant Mariners. Asyouarewell aware, Alamedaplayedanimportant roleduringWWII includingtheactivitiesof theNaval Air StationandtheU.S.MaritimeService, aciviliancorpsthat includedblacks. TheMerchant Marinessufferedthehighest casualtyrate(1:26) of all theservicebranchesduringWWII andwereresponsiblefor deliveringthegoodsandsuppliesacrossall theatersof war. Theirsignificant effortswerenot without considerablerisksasevidencedinthePort Chicagotragedy. Thereisapendingnominationfor theNational Register of HistoricPlacesforthehistoricU.S. MaritimeServiceOfficersSchool inAlamedawhereover 6500USMMofficersweretrainedfrom1942-1953, oneof onlytwosuchUSMMOfficers’ trainingschoolsduringWWII. WorldWar II wasamonumental effort, andAlamedaplayedanimportant roleinour nation’shistory. Pleasesupport theexonerationof thePort Chicago50; thesacrificesof theseoutspokenblackmenwhostoodupduringthistimeof crisisshouldbedulyrecognized. Correctingtheunjust convictionof thesebravemenislongoverdue.
Thankyou.
Respectfully,
CarmenReid
FromtheUSMM.orgwebsite: http://www.usmm.org/portchicago.html Port ChicagoDisaster - July17, 1944
DuringWorldWar II, oneof thesourcesof ammunitionfor thePacificTheater wastheNaval AmmunitionDepot at Port Chicago, California. Port Chicagoislocatedonanarmof SanFranciscoBayabout 30milesnortheast of OaklandandSanFrancisco. Thetownof Port Chicago, population1,500, waslocatedabout 1.5milesfromthepier. Not far awaywasVallejo'sMareIsland, amajor Naval Basewhichincludedammunitiondepots.
Constructionof thedepot wasauthorizedonDecember 9, 1941, just 2daysafter Pearl Harbor andstartedoperationbeganinNovember 1942. ThesitewasusedasashipyardduringWorldWar I andwasservedbytheSantaFe, SouthernPacific, andWesternPacificrailways.
Most of theammunitionarrivedbytrainfromHawthorne, Nevada, whereit wasmade, washeldinboxcars"parked"betweenprotectiveconcretebarriers, andwhenneeded, thetrainwasmovedontothepier whichaccommodated2ships. About amilefromthepier werebarrackswhichhousedtheAfrican-Americanammunitionhandlers.
Pier at Port Chicagobeforetheexplosion.Lower left, oneshipat dock. At theupper leftaretheconcreterevetmentsor barrierswhichprotectedboxcars. At upper right arethebarracksabout onemilefromthepier.
African-AmericansintheNavyAfter WorldWar I, theNavytriedtoexcludeAfrican-Americans, replacingtheir rankswithFilipinos. In1932, theNavyagainrecruitedblacks, buttheywerelimitedinnumbersandconfinedtomenialtasks, primarilyasmessmen(kitchenhelpers). Therewerenoblackofficers.
In1942, theNavyreluctantlyacceptedblacksforgeneral service, but insegregatedunitswhichdidnotincludeseaduty. At Port Chicagoat thetimeof thedisaster therewere1,400blackenlistedmen, 71officers, 106marineguards, and230civilianemployees.
Loadingwent on24hoursper day. Themenmovedtheammunitionhand-to-hand, onhandtrucks, or carts, orrolledlarger bombsdownarampfromtheboxcarswhichwereright onthepier andplacedthemintocargonettingwhichtheyspreadout onthepier.
African-AmericanNavyenlistedmenunloadingammunitionfromboxcar ontocargonetting, whilewhiteofficersupervises.
Theammoincludedsmall caliber bullets, incendiarybombs, fragmentationbombs, depthcharges, andbombsupto2,000pounds. Thecargonetswereloweredbytheshipsboomsintoahatch, wheretheywerepackedlayer bylayer andsecuredwithdunnage(scrapwood).
Neither theofficersnor themenreceivedanytraininginhandlingammunition. Therewastremendouspressuretospeeduptheloadingandofficersmadebetsonthequantityof ammunitiontheir unit wouldloadinan8hour shift. Themenwerespeededupbythreatsof punishment. It wasbackbreaking,dangerouswork.
TheExplosionOntheeveningof July17, 1944thereweretwoshipsbeingloadedat thepier. TheLibertyshipSSE.A.Bryan, after 4daysof loading, hadabout 4,600tonsofammunitionandexplosivesonboard; 98blackenlistedmencontinuedwork. Onboardtheshipwere31U.S. Merchant Marinecrewand13Naval ArmedGuard.
Dockedat thepier since6PMthat eveningwastheSSQuinault Victorybeingloadedbyabout 100blackmenfor itsmaidenvoyage. Onboardwere36crewand17ArmedGuard. ACoast Guardfirebargewasalsomooredat thepier. Besides430tonsof bombswaitingtobeloaded, thepier heldalocomotiveand16boxcarswithitscrewof threecivilians, andamarinesentry.
At 10:18anArmyAir Forceplaneflyingat 9,000feetsawpiecesof whitehot metal, someaslargeasahouse, flystraight uppast them. Accordingtotheco-pilot, the"fireworksdisplay"lastedabout oneminute. Theexplosionwasheard200milesaway.
TheMiahelo, aCoast Guardpatrol boat, wasabout1,500feet fromthepier. Theforceof theexplosionwreckedthewheelhouse, nearlycapsizedtheboat,badlywoundedthemanat thewheel; andwasfollowedbya30foot wall of water. A16inchshell,whichdidnot explode, hit theengineroomof asmalltanker, theSSRedlinewhichwaspassingnearby.
The1,200foot longwoodenpier, thelocomotiveandboxcars, theSSE.A. Bryan, and320people(202blackenlistedmen) onthepier weregone. All 67crewand30ArmedGuardaboardthetwoshipsdiedinstantly.Of the390militaryandciviliansinjured, whichincludedmeninthebarracksandtownspeople, 233wereblackenlistedmen.
Therewerenoidentifiablepiecesof theSSE.A. Bryanremaining: 25,000,000poundsof shipandammunitionweregone! Disappeared! Thesternof theSSQuinaultVictorylayupsidedowninthewater 500fromitsorigin. Therest of theship, whichhadbeenliftedclearout of thewater andturnedaround, wasinscatteredpieces.
Thewreckageof theSSQuinault Victory. Thedarkerobject at thefar right isthepropeller. Thephotobelowshowsthepier after theexplosion. ThereisnosignoftheSSE.A. Bryan, thearrowpointstothewreckageoftheSSQuinault Victory, beyondwhichthereisanoilslick.
Nocausefor theexplosionwasever determined.
Theblackammunitionhandlers, manyof whomhadquietlyvoicedconcernsabout safety, fearedloadingammunitionagain. Fiftyenlistedblackmen, includingonewithabrokenarm, weretriedfor mutiny. Themenstatedtheywerewillingtofolloworders, but wereafraidtohandleammunitionunder unchangedcircumstances. Theystatedtheyhadnever beenorderedtoloadammunition, onlyasked"if theywantedtoloadammunition." All 50werefoundguiltyof "mutiny,"andsentencedto15years. Reviewof thesentencebrought reductionsfor 40of thementosentencesof 8to12years. JoeSmall, whoactedat foremanfor hisgroupof loadersandotherswhowerewillingtocriticizetheoperationhadtheir original sentenceupheld. Anappeal byThurgoodMarshall of theNAACPwasdenied. In1944theNavyannouncedthat blacksat ammunitiondepotswouldbelimitedto30%of thetotal. In1945theNavyofficiallydesegregated.
InJanuary1946the50"mutineers"werereleasedfromprison, but hadtoremainintheNavy. TheyweresenttotheSouthPacificinsmall groupsfor a"probationaryperiod,"andgraduallyreleased.
Aproposal inCongresstoaward$5,000tovictimswasreducedto$3,000becausemost of thebeneficiarieswereblack.
CongressmanGeorgeMiller (D-Martinez) lobbiedtoget thethesailors' convictionsoverturnedandtoget apresidential pardonin1999for oneof thesailors,FrederickMeeks. Miller introducedlegislationtomakethePort ChicagoNational Memorial intoaNationalPark. [SanFranciscoChroniclearticle, July5, 2002] TheNavyeventuallybought out thetownof PortChicago, andthedepot itself wasincorporatedintotheConcordNaval WeaponsStation. Concordwasamajorshippingpoint for ammunitionduringtheVietnamWarandthesiteof manyanti-war demonstrationswhichcontinuetoday.
African-AmericansandMarinersgather at thesiteeachyear for aMemorial Service.
MarinerskilledonSSE. A. Bryanon7/17/44
Last First Position Home Age
Andraschko Elmer A. 2ndCook Unknown Unknown
Arsenian Albert A. O.S. FresnoCA Unknown
Benhart WilliamC. Oiler Mill TownNJ Unknown
Cacic MartinM. O.S. SacramentoCA
Unknown
Davis RayE. F/W CressonaPA Unknown
Denonn DonaldL. Wiper BaldwinNY Unknown
Dorsey ThomasE.
A.B. SanFranciscoCA
Unknown
Falk GeorgeH. Bosun SanPedroCA
Unknown
Franklin MarcusJ. 3rdEngineer
SanFranciscoCA
Unknown
Gilbert AlfredD. 1stEngineer
MenaAR 28
Gilstrap JamesR. O.S. SacramentoCA
Unknown
Grange JosephD.Jr.
DeckEngineer
OaklandCA Unknown
Hayes FredH. A.B. SanJoseCA Unknown
Hutchinson Delbert R. F/W SalemOR Unknown
Jepsen Peter C. ChiefEngineer
AlamedaCA Unknown
Johnson CharlesR. Utility OaklandCA Unknown
Johnson CliffordR. Utility Salt LakeCityUT
Unknown
Lantz RalphA. A.B. SalinasCA Unknown
Louis JohnA. NightEngineer
Unknown Unknown
Malizia FrankC. Carpenter SanFranciscoCA
Unknown
Maniago Edward Messman RedwoodCityCA
Unknown
Nathan HarryE. O.S. SacramentoCA
Unknown
Porter JesseSr. Chief Cook RichmondCA Unknown
Roberson RichardD. A.B. DalyCityCA Unknown
Sangster AaronC.Jr.
A.B. RichmondCA Unknown
Shaw EllsworthM.
Oiler DanellenNJ Unknown
Smith HowardA. Chief Mate OaklandCA Unknown
Suchan Andrew F/W NiagaraFallsNY
Unknown
Townshend Robert F. 2ndMate St. LouisMO Unknown
White HardingE. Messman OaklandCA Unknown
Witt GeorgeH. Utility SanFranciscoCA
Unknown
MarinerskilledonSSQuinault Victoryon7/17/44
Last First Position Home Age
Bailey Robert D. Messman Fossil OR Unknown
Bartlett Robert E. Messman PortlandOR Unknown
Bell JohnD. Purser SanMateoCA
Unknown
Bentley FrederickE.
A.B. SeasideOR Unknown
Cheney DonaldH. Electrician PortlandOR Unknown
Crawford HughE. DeckMaint.
GladstoneOR
Unknown
Crist FloydF. O.S. PortlandOR Unknown
Diede Albert G. Messman StartupWA Unknown
Durland WallaceM. A.B. BostonMA Unknown
Eulrich KennethJ. A.B. ColumbiaCityOR
Unknown
Falor BurkeElmo
Messman EurekaCA 18
Garrett EugeneW. F/W TuleLakeCA Unknown
Hendrickson Ellis NightEngineer
Unknown Unknown
Hendrickson Robert K. A.B. KetchicanAK Unknown
Justesen JohannesN.
Steward MunkegadDenmark
Unknown
Kanneberg[Kannberg]
WalterFrederick
3rdEngineer
AllentownPA Unknown
Keim Robert E. 2ndMate Floral ParkNY
Unknown
Koeninger JosephB. A.B. ChillicotheTX
Unknown
Mallery Earl L. 1stEngineer
BaltimoreMD Unknown
McDaniel LloydK. O.S. SpringfieldOR
Unknown
Moen KennethM.
Jr. 3rdMate
BagleyMN Unknown
Morell Robert E. Oiler HoodRiverOR
Unknown
Narinsky IsadoreE. O.S. PhiladelphiaPA
Unknown
Nelson RoyL. Carpenter SeattleWA Unknown
Parsons DavidR. 3rdMate LaconiaNH Unknown
Pearson Mike Oiler PendletonOR
Unknown
Pinson EllisB. Jr. 3rdEngineer
LakelandFL Unknown
Potter RichardV. F/W Waldport OR Unknown
Sandberg Virgil R. 2ndEngineer
Minot ND Unknown
Scott Albert R. Chief Mate HartsdaleNY Unknown
Skance Lester S. O.S. TacomaWA Unknown
Sullivan HowardW. A.B. PuyallupWA Unknown
Sullivan Robert J. Master WestfieldNJ Unknown
Thompson GlenE. Jr.Engineer
EstacadaOR 19
Widnoe LouisJ. Messman SalemOR Unknown
Williams JohnA. ChiefEngineer
QueensVillageNY
Unknown
Naval ArmedGuardkilledonSSE. A.Bryanon7/17/44
Last First Rank Home Age
Causey[Causky]
WaylandE.[B]
S1c Unknown Unknown
Cebella RudyJ. S1c Unknown Unknown
Chase Robert E. S1c Unknown Unknown
Chastain ClaudeL. S1c Unknown Unknown
Gee JohnJefferson
SM3c Unknown Unknown
Hartman RalphB. Unknown Unknown Unknown
Hollandsworth ClarenceR. S1c Unknown Unknown
Muirhead KennethH. S1c Unknown Unknown
Mulligan JesseW. S1c Unknown Unknown
Quick LloydJ. S1c Unknown Unknown
Setzer MartinJ. S1c Unknown Unknown
Singer GeorgeH. S1c Unknown Unknown
Small ListernL. S1c Unknown Unknown
Naval ArmedGuardkilledonSSQuinault Victoryon7/17/44
Last First Rank Home Age
Albin JackL. GM3c Unknown Unknown
Bergstrom Delbert P. GM2c Unknown Unknown
Bowman JackP. S1c Unknown Unknown
Hall JohnGibson GM3c Unknown Unknown
Hovland GeorgeD. S1c Unknown Unknown
Morrow Andy S1c Unknown Unknown
Mulryan WilliamH. GM2c Unknown Unknown
Myers HenryJ. S1c Unknown Unknown
Riiff WoodrowArthur
S1c FultonSD 32
Risenhoover JacobD. S1c YumaAZ Unknown
Robinson WilliamR. S1c Unknown Unknown
Roedell[Rondell]
CharlesH. S1c Unknown Unknown
Rose JayJr. S1c Unknown Unknown
Ross OtisKyle S1c Unknown Unknown
Saint WoodrowW. S1c Unknown Unknown
Sanders ArnoldT. S1c Unknown Unknown
Sang[Sano] HaroldS. S1c Unknown Unknown