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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Posted on 08/17/2003 12:00:27 AM PDT by SAMWolf
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are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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Naval Magazine Explosion, 1944 America was swept into World War II on 7 December 1941. As war in the Pacific expanded, the Naval Ammunition Depot at Mare Island, California, was unable to keep up with the demand for ammunition. Port Chicago, California, located 35 miles north of San Francisco, proved an ideal place for the Navy to expand its munitions facilities.  On the evening of 17 July 1944, the empty merchant ship SS Quinault Victory was prepared for loading on her maiden voyage. The SS E.A. Bryan, another merchant ship, had just returned from her first voyage and was loading across the platform from Quinault Victory. The holds were packed with high explosive and incendiary bombs, depth charges, and ammunition - 4,606 tons of ammunition in all. There were sixteen rail cars on the pier with another 429 tons. Working in the area were 320 cargo handlers, crewmen and sailors. At 10:18 p.m., a hollow ring and the sound of splintering wood erupted from the pier, followed by an explosion that ripped apart the night sky. Witnesses said that a brilliant white flash shot into the air, accompanied by a loud, sharp report. A column of smoke billowed from the pier, and fire glowed orange and yellow. Flashing like fireworks, smaller explosions went off in the cloud as it rose. Within six seconds, a deeper explosion erupted as the contents of the E.A. Bryan detonated in one massive explosion. The seismic shock wave was felt as far away as Boulder City, Nevada. The E.A. Bryan and the structures around the pier were completely disintegrated. A pillar of fire and smoke stretched over two miles into the sky above Port Chicago. The largest remaining pieces of the 7,200-ton ship were the size of a suitcase. A plane flying at 9,000 feet reported seeing chunks of white hot metal "as big as a house" flying past. The shattered Quinault Victory was spun into the air. Witnesses reported seeing a 200-foot column on which rode the bow of the ship, its mast still attached. Its remains crashed back into the bay 500 feet away.  All 320 men on duty that night were killed instantly. The blast smashed buildings and rail cars near the pier and damaged every building in Port Chicago. People on the base and in town were sent flying or were sprayed with splinters of glass and other debris. The air filled with the sharp cracks and dull thuds of smouldering metal and unexploded shells as they showered back to earth as far as two miles away. The blast caused damage 48 miles across the Bay in San Francisco. Navy personnel quickly responded to the disaster. Men risked their lives to put out fires that threatened nearby munitions cars. Local emergency crews and civilians rushed to help. In addition to those killed, there were 390 wounded. These people were evacuated and treated, and those who remained were left with the gruesome task of cleaning up. Less than a month after the worst home-front disaster of World War II, Port Chicago was again moving munitions to the troops in the Pacific. The men of Port Chicago were vital to the success of the war. And yet they were often forgotten. Of the 320 men killed in the explosion, 202 were the African-American enlisted men who were assigned the dangerous duty of loading the ships. The explosion at Port Chicago accounted for fifteen percent of all African-American casualties of World War II.  The Armed Forces were a mirror of American society at the time, reflecting the cooperation and dedication of a country. For many people, the explosion on 17 July 1944, became a symbol of what was wrong with American society. The consequences of the explosion would begin to reshape the way the Navy and society thought about our social standards. More importantly, the explosion illustrated the need to prevent another tragedy like this one. The tremendous danger and importance of the work, while not always recognized by the public, was always present in the minds of the men of Port Chicago. The Marines, Coast Guard and civilian employees knew of the danger, but none as vividly as the Merchant Marine crew and the Naval Armed Guard of the ships and the men serving on the loading docks.  In 1944, the Navy did not have a clear definition of how munitions should best be loaded. The dangerous work on the piers at Port Chicago and other Navy facilities was done by the men of the ordnance battalions. These men, like their officers, had received very little training in cargo handling, let alone working with high explosives. Coast Guard instructions, published in 1943, were often violated as it was felt that they were not safe or fast enough for Port Chicago's specific circumstances. The men on the pier were experimenting with and developing procedures which they felt were safer and faster. After the explosion, the Navy would institute a number of changes in munitions handling procedure. Formalized training would be an important element, and certification would be required before a loader was allowed on the docks. The munitions themselves would be redesigned for safety while loading.  Port Chicago would also lead people to examine their society. There was growing resentment toward the policies of racial segregation throughout the nation. The Navy opened its ranks to African-Americans in 1942, but men served in segregated units supervised by white officers, and opportunities for advancement were extremely limited. The men assigned to the ordnance battalion were African American. The explosion had shaken all of the men, but especially those surviving men who worked on the pier. Of the 320 men killed, almost 2/3 were African-American from the ordnance battalion. What had been minor grievances and problems before the explosion began to boil as apprehension of returning to the piers grew. On 9 August, less than one month after the explosion, the surviving men, who had experienced the horror, were to begin loading munitions, this time at Mare Island. They told their officers that they would obey any other order, but not that one. Of the 328 men of the ordnance battalion, 258 African-American sailors refused to load ammunition. In the end, 208 faced summary courts-martial and were sentenced to bad conduct discharges and the forfeit of three month's pay for disobeying orders. The remaining 50 were singled out for general courts martial on the grounds of mutiny. The sentence could have been death, but they received between eight and fifteen years at hard labor after a trial which a 1994 review had strong racial overtones. Soon after the war, in January 1946, all of the men were given clemency and an opportunity for an honorable discharge. On 23 December 1999, President William Clinton pardoned Freddie Meeks of Los Angeles, one of the few still living members of the original 50.  The explosion and later mutiny proceedings would help illustrate the costs of racial discrimination and fuel public criticism. By 1945, as the Navy worked toward desegregation, some mixed units appeared. When President Harry Truman called for the Armed Forces to be desegregated in 1948, the Navy could honestly say that Port Chicago had been a very important step in that process. Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial is administered by the National Park Service and the United States Navy. It honors the memory of those who gave their lives and were injured in the explosion on 17 July 1944, recognizes those who served at the magazine, and commemorates the role of the facility during World War II.
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 U.S. Army Capt. John Gerald of the 431st Civil Affairs Battalion attached to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and his Interpretor walk down the street to their vehicles with their new friend Dianne in Mosul, Iraq, Aug. 14, 2003. U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Daniel D Meacham  Iraqi kids hold up the papers they were given by civil affairs soldiers to prove that they worked at cleaning up trash and rubble at Hillsdale in Baghdad Aug. 11. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Smith / 372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment  U.S. Army 1Lt. Tammy Stephenson, 719th Medical Detachment, checks for a good spot to give a dog a vaccination shot during a Combined Medical Assistance (CMA) program in the village of Zurmat, Afghanistan, July 24, 2003. The CMA is a program in which U.S. servicemembers give medical treatment to the local Afghans and their livestock. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kelly Burkhart  Canadian 3RCR Battlegroup Sgt. John George from Windsor, Ont. smiles as he is saluted by a young Afghan boy while patrolling the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday Aug 17, 2003. A platoon of Canadian soldiers, loaded with heavy equipment, battled heat and dust Sunday as they walked the streets and alleys of a Kabul neighbourhood during a patrol in the Afghan capital. (AP PHOTO/Tom Hanson, CP)
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President Bush At Marine Corps Air Station - Miramar
 President Bush acknowledges cheers as he is escorted by Lt. Gen. James Conway at his arrival at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)  U.S. President Bush delivers a speech to troops at MCAS Miramar in San Diego, California August 14, 2003. Bush spoke to military personnel and their families, thanking them for their service to the country. During his two-day visit to California, he will also raise money for his reelection campaign. REUTERS/Mike Blake  Marine Lance Corporal Michael Partlow of Lompoc, Calif., holds his six month old daughter Sandra while President Bush speaks at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, Calif. on Thursday, August 14, 2003. The President thanked the Marines for their role in liberating Iraq. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)  U.S. President George W. Bush holds Michah Stiles, of Jackson, Michigan, as he meets military personnel at the Marine Corps Air Station at Miramar, California, August 14, 2003. Bush had lunch with the troops. REUTERS/Rick Wilking  U.S. President George W. Bush gives a thumbs-up to the troops at the Marine Corps Air Station at Miramar, California, August 14, 2003. Bush had lunch with military personnel and their families. REUTERS/Rick Wilking  President Bush is saluted by Marines as he walks to the podiium for his addreess at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Thursday Aug. 14, 2003 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)  Allison Sojourner, is held up by her mother, Lori, as she holds a sign showing a photo of her father, Maj. Mark Sojourner, as they await the arrival of President Bush at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003. Allison's father is still overseas. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)  Country music star Toby Keith entertains a crowd of Marines while they wait for the arrival of President Bush at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Thursday Aug. 14, 2003 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
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My older brother graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point in 1965 and ran engine rooms on ships delivering ordnance to Vietnam.
He said they would moor off-shore and not at the pier.
The competition and wagering of white officers should have resulted in their court martial--gee, I wonder why it did not?
Step-son at U.S. Naval Academy endured the pathetic spectacle (debacle) of the Electrical Engineering exam cheating inquisition.
Ye gods and little fishes, if you cannot conduct a cool-headed review of some grab-ass at a hotel and some crib sheet pass-around, how do you intend to go to sea in harm's way?
I think the nadir was the Greenville coming up under the Japanese fishing vessel and the skipper crying.
Ach du lieber, and the VIPs had to get back for dinner so to hell with sonar, just blow--
--and the sonar guy, he didn't want to interrupt the skipper in confab with the VIPs--
Then the Iowa turret--I think later they decided it was a problem with the ram and the five bags--but at the time they made out that it was a homosexual jealousy act--
Okay, now, bayonet practice on Truman for cancelling the United States and the Revolt of the Admirals.
That was cathartic, and I can go enjoy R. Lee Ermey.
After I drop for twenty-five for being a smart-aleck know-it-all.
After I drop for twenty-five for being a smart-aleck know-it-all.
We love the Foxhole's resident smart-aleck know-it-all. You're commentary is always appreciated.
You were able to post this with a straight face?
Port Chicago losses:
Killed: 427
Injured: 390
Two cargo ships distroyed
One barge distroyed
One Coast Guard ship damaged
One tanker damaged.
Pearl Harbor
22 ships sunk (Including the Arizona and the Utah) or significantly damaged
188 aircraft distroyed, an additional 159 damaged.
Killed 2403
Wounded 1178
In terms of deaths, Port Chicago ranks behind the separate losses of the Franklin, the Houston and the Indianapolis as well as the events at Slapton Sands.
That part of the thread about the Mutiny and trail came from a site that was "pushing" a very specific agenda.
At the time of the Port Chicago disaster, every man handling ammunition on the base was black and every officer was white. This segregation of personnel and responsibility on bases, and the refusal to allow black enlistees in combat was standard practice by the Navy. The tragic explosion at Port Chicago accounted for 15% of deaths suffered by blacks in all of the war. I agree, Port Chicago doesn't compare to Pearl Harbor or a lot of other incidents during the war. Good catch on that comment.
West Loch Disaster
Pearl Harbor is divided into a series of lochs that fan out from Ford Island that sits in the center of harbor. West Loch was the staging area for the invasion fleets of the Pacific. In particular, vessels called LSTs or LCTs that had the capability to land on the shore, open their bows and deposit troops, stores and vehicles on the beach.
On Sunday morning, May 21, 1944, 29 LSTs readied for the invasion of Saipan, were nestled together at six berths. An LST carried a crew of 119 men and 200 marines, trucks, jeeps, and weapon carriers were carried on the main decks, all of which were loaded with ammunition and gas. Each vessel carried 80 to 100 drums of high-octane fuel on forecastle. Six thousand cubic feet of cargo ammunition was stowed on the deck with field guns and amphibious craft known as DUKWs. Besides the stores carried on by the troops and their vehicles, the ship had its own magazine and fuel capacity of 200,000 gallons. Drums of lubricating oil, fog oil smoke pots and floats were carried on the fantail -- an accident waiting to happen.
 Figure 2.47. LST exploding during West Loch disaster in May 1944. (NPS: USAR Collection) |
On May 21, 1944, at 3:08 p.m., an explosion blossomed out of LST-353. Apparently the blast originated near the bow of LST-963, where Army troops had been unloading mortar ammunition. Red hot fragments showered the clustered LSTs, igniting gasoline drums lined up on the exposed forecastles. In minutes, the explosions began to rip the invasion fleet apart. Fires began to blaze from stem to stern.
The explosions continued, damaging more than 20 buildings shoreside at the West Loch facility. For 24 hours fires raged aboard the stricken ships.
 Figure 2.48. Fighting fires at West Loch. Signal Corps photo. (NPS: USAR Collection) |
 Figure 2.49. Burning LSTs at West Loch. (NPS: USAR Collection) |
In all six LSTs were sunk and several severely damaged. Dead were 163 men and 396 were wounded.
Several investigations sought to find the reason for such a disaster, but no conclusive evidence as how it occurred was decided upon. Two major reasons have emerged as to the possible cause: The initial explosion was caused by gasoline vapor, or that one or more mortar shells exploded while being handled.
It was recommended that LSTs no longer be nested, so that disaster like that at West Loch could be avoided. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz disagreed. He felt that facilities were too limited at Pearl and that the nesting was necessary. "It is a calculated risk that must be accepted."'
During the explosions and fires, firefighters had prevented further loss of ships that would have delayed the invasion of Saipan. As it was, only a day was lost in the departure of the invasion fleet.
 Figure 2.50. Aftermath of West Loch explosions. (NPS: USAR Collection) |
Today, only a few reminders of the West Loch disaster remain. For years, both during the war and after, the disaster at West Loch was veiled in secrecy and mystery. In particular, the bow of LST-480 is visible as it rusts in the tropical air of Oahu.
Yes we do! Thanks Phil.
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