BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SJR 21|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SJR 21
Author: Wright (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
WITHOUT REFERENCE TO COMMITTEE
SUBJECT : Port Chicago disaster
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This resolution memorializes Congress and the
President of the United States to act to vindicate the
sailors unjustly blamed for, and the sailors convicted of
mutiny following, the Port Chicago disaster, and to rectify
any mistreatment by the military of those sailors, as
specified.
ANALYSIS :
This resolution makes the following legislative findings:
1.On the night of July 17, 1944, two transport vessels
loading ammunition at the Port Chicago naval base on the
Sacramento River in California were suddenly engulfed in
a gigantic explosion, the incredible blast of which
wrecked the naval base and heavily damaged the town of
Port Chicago, located 1.5 miles away.
2.Everyone on the pier and aboard the two ships was killed
CONTINUED
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instantly - some 320 American naval personnel, 200 of
whom were African American enlisted men; and another 390
military and civilian personnel were injured, including
226 African American enlisted men.
3.The specific cause of the explosion was never officially
established by a Court of Inquiry, in effect clearing the
officers-in-charge of any responsibility for the disaster
and insofar as any human cause was invoked, laid the
burden of blame on the shoulders of the African American
enlisted men who died in the explosion.
4.After the disaster, white sailors were given 30 days'
leave to visit their families - according to survivors,
this was the standard for soldiers involved in a disaster
- while only African American sailors were ordered back
to work the next day to clean and remove human remains.
5.The survivors and new personnel who later were ordered to
return to loading ammunition expressed their opposition,
citing the possibility of another explosion; the first
confrontation occurred on August 9 when 328 men from
three divisions were ordered out to the loading pier; the
great majority of the men balked, and eventually 258 were
arrested and confined for three days on a large barge
tiered to the pier.
6.Fifty of those men were selected as the ring-leaders and
charged with mutiny, and on October 24, 1944, after only
80 minutes of a military court, all 50 men were found
guilty of mutiny - 10 were sentenced to 15 years in
prison, 24 sentenced to 12 years, 11 sentenced to 10
years, and five sentenced to eight years; and all were to
be dishonorably discharged from the Navy; and this was
the largest mass mutiny trial in the United States to
this day.
7.After a massive outcry the next year, in January 1946, 47
of the Port Chicago men were released from prison and
"exiled" for one year overseas before returning to their
families.
In a 1994 investigation, the United States Navy stated
that "there is no doubt that racial prejudice was
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responsible for the posting of only African American
enlisted personnel to loading divisions at Port Chicago."
8.In the 1994 investigation, the United States Navy,
prompted by Members of Congress, admitted that the
routine assignment of only African American enlisted
personnel to manual labor was clearly motivated by race.
The United States Congress reduced the death benefit to
those killed in Port Chicago from $5,000, the normal
amount give, to $3,000, simply because the sailors were
African American.
In many cases, families of sailors killed in the disaster
were never told they were entitled to consideration for
the death of their relative.
This resolution memorializes the Congress and the President
of the United States to act to vindicate the sailors
unjustly blamed for, and the sailors convicted of mutiny
following, the Port Chicago disaster, and to rectify the
mistreatment by the military of those sailors.
This resolution memorializes the Congress and President of
the United States to take the necessary actions to ensure
those sailors' treatment is rectified by the following:
1. A survey is conducted to ensure that all families of
sailors that are eligible to receive benefits have
received notification of eligibility.
2. Full compensation is provided on behalf of the sailors'
families that were not paid the benefit or only paid
part of the benefit, including appropriate interest on
that compensation.
3. Full exoneration to all who were court marshaled,
whether alive or deceased, is granted, including, but
not limited to, having the military records of these men
cleared of any court judgment or less than honorable
discharge.
4. The remains of one of the unnamed graves from the
Military Cemetery in San Bruno, where unidentified
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sailors were placed, are taken to Arlington National
Cemetery and placed in a marked grave with full names to
commemorate the event and to represent all those who
died at Port Chicago.
5. A ship is named the "Port Chicago."
6. The survivors and their families are invited to the
White House for a recognition ceremony.
FISCAL EFFECT : Fiscal Com.: No
TSM:cm 2/25/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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