Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial
Posted by: 
jiggs11
N 37° 49.556 W 122° 01.663
10S E 585566 N 4186947
Port Chicago was the site of the greatest Homeland disaster of World War II.
Waymark Code: WMK5XX
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2014
Views: 6
From the NPS website:
" On the evening of July 17, 1944, residents in the San Francisco east bay area were jolted awake by a massive explosion that cracked windows and lit up the night sky. At Port Chicago Naval Magazine, 320 men were instantly killed when two ships being loaded with ammunition for the Pacific theatre troops blew up. It was WWII's worst homefront disaster.
Three weeks after the explosion that killed 320 men at Port Chicago in 1944, it was time to resume loading ships with weapons. African American sailors at nearby Mare Island Naval Yard marched toward their duty station but stopped because they felt that the unsafe conditions hadn't been resolved. Fifty sailors were charged with mutiny.
The 50 Black sailors accused of mutiny after the Port Chicago explosion were found guilty. After their "court martial" (trial) the Navy began to provide training for all sailors who moved weapons. In 1946, the Navy stopped grouping sailors by race. This event inspired many people who would organize for civil rights in the following decades."
My family and I were most fortunate to visit this site while I was serving with the RCAF at a USAF base near Sacramento. The 5 of us were part of only 200 visitors for that YEAR.
Port Chicago is the least visited, and possibly the most difficult to access National Park Unit in the lower 48 states. Visitation in 2013 ranked 368 of 369 units, with less than 50 visitors, on average, per month.
Visitation is by minimum 2 week prior notice appointment only. US Army security requires that all visitors must be US citizens or permanent residents. Photo ID is required. Active service military personnel must adhere to these requirements as well.
The coordinates posted are for the entrance to Eugene O'neill NHS, the starting point for the tour bus.
The NPS Cancellation is only available from the US NPS Ranger after completion of the tour, and only to those on the tour.
Address:
1000 Kuss Rd
Danville, CA USA
94526
NPS Web Page for this Station: [Web Link]
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