Renewed push to exonerate Black sailors jailed in Port Chicago explosion

On July 17, 1944, at 10:19 PM, a massive explosion rocked the Bay Area. The blast occurred at the Naval Munitions Depot in the East Bay, near a little town called Port Chicago. And on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the explosion, there are renewed calls from the loved ones, friends, and contemporaries of the Black sailors stationed there to rectify a terrible wrong and to recognize their heroism and courage.

The explosion killed 320 men, most of them were African American sailors. Hundreds more were injured. The aftermath of the tragedy turned into a defining moment for the Bay Area, the nation, and the fight for civil rights.

CBS News Bay Area spoke to the loved ones, friends, and contemporaries of those who served at the naval depot about that night.

"The pier was about, as a lot of them describe, about a mile and a half away from the barracks," said Carol Cherry, the daughter of sailor Cyril Oscar Sheppard Jr.

"We thought it was an earthquake because we live in earthquake country," recalled Betty Reid Soskin, who lived nearby.

She told CBS News Bay Area how she remembers the night of the explosion and how a group of sailors came by her and her husband's home to socialize and enjoy music. The Black sailors were segregated, with many bars and restaurants that refused to serve them so the couple would frequently open their home to them.

One very young sailor who visited that day was named Richert. Soskin told CBS News Bay Area how she was struck by his youth, demeanor, and vulnerability, noting that he was likely under 18. She grew concerned about his safety. "These were not men, these were boys," recollected Soskin.

Soon, the sailors had to return to the Naval Magazine for their night shift. The explosion occurred and she never saw Richert again.

When Soskin later worked at the Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park in Richmond, she never forgot Richert and the young sailors who came to her home. She dedicated herself to keeping their history alive.

"When the explosion happened that evening, they thought it was the Japanese shooting a torpedo into the ships," said Reverend Diana McDaniel, who has researched the event and runs the Friends of Port Chicago National Memorial.

Her uncle served at the naval magazine.

"It blew men through the windows. It blew my dad back into the locker room. It was just horrendous," said Richard Soublet, whose father Morris worked on the docks.

"It just devastated the entire barracks and most of the town of Port Chicago," said Spencer Sikes Jr., whose father Spencer Sr. also worked at the naval depot.

"These men should be recognized as heroes," urged Sikes.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, in 1942 the U.S. Navy built a new munitions depot near the small town of Port Chicago on Suisun Bay. It quickly became the largest ammunition shipment facility on the West Coast.

Young Black sailors, who trained for combat roles, were sent here. Some were as young as 16.

"My dad wanted to join the military to fight for our country," said Sikes.

"Dad enlisted because both of his brothers were in the army, and he felt that he had an obligation to support and defend this country as well," added Soublet.

But instead of serving at sea, the Black sailors were assigned the dangerous duty of loading and unloading munitions onto ships.

"They were trained for something else. They went through boot camp, but they did not know they would be loading ammunition," said Cherry. "They didn't have a choice. They had to do whatever they were told."

The Black sailors were supervised by white officers who stressed speed over safety. At times, the officers would bet on whose crew would load the ship first.

Segregation by race was enforced on and off the base. The Black sailors did not have a USO, and if they went to relax in San Francisco, the staff at bars and restaurants would not serve them.

At Port Chicago, they were not allowed to sleep in the main barracks and had to eat in the mess hall only after the white sailors were finished. While some officers showed the Black sailors respect, most did not.

"They were not able to go the bathroom on the same ships they were loading," said McDaniel. "They had to walk half a mile to go to the bathroom."

Just after 10 p.m. on July 17, two explosions, five seconds apart, demolished two ships and the pier and heavily damaged the town of Port Chicago. The exact cause is yet unknown.

The white officers and sailors were sent home on extended leave to recover from the trauma. Black sailors were denied equal treatment and sent to recover the remains of those who died. Only 51 bodies of the 230 fatalities were intact.

At the Golden Gate National Cemetery, 44 unknown sailors are buried. The retrieval of the remains of their fellow sailors, officers, and civilians caused deep trauma.

"My dad used the word carnage to describe what he saw when we went out on the docks that night because there were body parts everywhere," said Soublet.

Soon, the Black sailors were ordered back to work. A total of 258 refused, scared, citing safety concerns.

Together, they decided on a work stoppage until the conditions improved and they felt safe doing their job. Before the explosion, the Black sailors were wrongly told the munitions weren't primed and thus safe to handle.

The men who stopped working were all charged with disobeying orders. When threatened with potential execution, most returned to work. But 50 stood up to the pressure and stood their ground. These became known as the Port Chicago 50, and they were eventually charged with mutiny, including Cherry's father, Cyril Oscar Sheppard Jr.

"To hear them say mutiny and that they were guilty he almost fell to the ground because he was shocked that his country would even do, you know,  do that to him," she recounted.

The trial was held at the Treasure Island Naval Base in San Francisco.

The transcripts are shocking, showing utter disdain for the Black sailors. The NAACP sent out a civil rights attorney named Thurgood Marshall who observed and advised.

Some of the best accounts on trial include the comprehensive "The Port Chicago Mutiny" by the late investigative journalist and UC Berkeley Professor Robert Allen and "The Port Chicago 50," by Steve Shinkin.

Each member of the Port Chicago 50 was sentenced to years of hard labor. Most were released soon after the war ended. President Harry Truman mandated desegregation for the armed services, but for many, the trauma and the shame remain.

"It wasn't right for African American people to be treated that way," said Soublet. "It just wasn't fair and it wasn't right.

On the 80th anniversary of the explosion, their families and friends have a single goal: an exoneration for the Black sailors who stood up for themselves and to have their records wiped clean.

"This is an injustice that needs to be rectified," said Sikes.

"It needs to happen," said Soskin.

"And I want my children to be proud of what he's done," said Cherry.

The hope is that the exonerations will bring the nation a step closer to truth and justice for all.