The US Navy announced it has exonerated 256 Black sailors wrongfully convicted after the 1944 Port Chicago explosion, which killed 320 people and injured over 400, mostly Black sailors. The disaster occurred when two ships exploded while loading ammunition for troops serving in World War II.
Following the explosion, white officers received leave while Black sailors were ordered to resume the dangerous work. Of 258 sailors who initially refused, 208 faced summary court-martial for disobeying orders despite returning to work and 50 were charged with mutiny. The exoneration, announced on the explosion’s 80th anniversary Wednesday, comes after a Navy review found significant legal errors in the trials, including improper group prosecution and inadequate legal counsel. Two sailors had already been previously cleared.
The incident, which led to the largest mutiny trial in US naval history, exposed racial discrimination in the military and contributed to the Navy's decision to desegregate its forces in 1946.
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