NewsVine_Mariyam
Platinum Member
The majority of these men did not live long enough to receive their exoneration.
Two things that stick out about this story that should resonate with any reasonable human being - the white sailors who survived this horrific incident were sent on leave to recover and recuperate from the trauma of having experienced this event. The Black sailors on the other hand were ordered back to work which included returning to the dangerous job of handling ammunition, since they were restricted in the jobs they could perform due to the navy being lawfully racially segregated during the '40s. The clean up of the aftermath also included recovering human remains.
And of course there is this:
The complete story can be found here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/hist...icago-disaster-navy-exonerates-black-sailors/
Two things that stick out about this story that should resonate with any reasonable human being - the white sailors who survived this horrific incident were sent on leave to recover and recuperate from the trauma of having experienced this event. The Black sailors on the other hand were ordered back to work which included returning to the dangerous job of handling ammunition, since they were restricted in the jobs they could perform due to the navy being lawfully racially segregated during the '40s. The clean up of the aftermath also included recovering human remains.
And of course there is this:
The Navy began an immediate investigation and summoned a court of inquiry. Investigators interviewed 120 witnesses, according to the Navy. At the end of the 39-day investigation, the Navy cleared all the White officers at Port Chicago of any culpability or liability.
The Navy declared “it could not confirm the exact cause of the initial explosion,” according to the Navy report. “The court’s 1,200-page report implied that, whatever the blast’s origin, the African American ammunition handlers must have had something to do with it.”
“Eventually they get an order to go back to work,” Akers said. “They were very, very concerned that another explosion might occur unless there was a change in procedures and policies. That was the chief reason for not wanting to return.”
After many of the men expressed concerns about the dangerous work conditions, 258 of them were arrested and confined to a large barge tethered to a pier.
They were threatened with prosecution, court-martial and execution if they refused to return to work and continue loading ammunition.
After the threat of execution, 208 sailors returned to work. But 50 sailors continued to refuse. Those 50 were charged with mutiny. The other 208 were charged with disobeying a lawful order. All were subjected to what naval historians say was the largest mass mutiny trial in naval history
The complete story can be found here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/hist...icago-disaster-navy-exonerates-black-sailors/
