The sailors had refused to return to work after the blast killed hundreds.
This view of the effects of the July 17, 1944 explosions looks north, showing the wreckage of Building A-7 in the center and munitions pier beyond, at Port Chicago, Calif.The U.S. Navy has exonerated 256 Black sailors who were unjustly court-martialed in 1944 following the Port Chicago explosion in California that killed 320 people.
Del Toro's exoneration carries more weight than a pardon, which acknowledges guilt. Instead, the exoneration will vacate all of the court-martials that the 256 sailors had to go through. Expressing safety concerns about their workplace in the wake of the deadly blast, 258 Black sailors refused to return to work handling dangerous ammunition.
In a mass court-martial, these sailors were sentenced to a Dishonorable Discharge, 15 years confinement at hard labor, a reduction in rank, and total forfeiture of their pay. Later reviews of the general court-martial resulted in a suspension of the discharges and reduced the period of confinement from 15 years to 17-29 months.Damage resulting from the July 17, 1944 ammunition explosion shows the collapsed Building A-14 at Port Chicago, Calif.
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