[CaliforniaDisasters] Port Chicago disaster: Unpublished photos of a World War II tragedy in Bay Area

Beyond the aftermath of the violent explosion, the mutiny trial that was the disaster's lingering — and upsetting — legacy.

Bill Van Niekerken July 17, 2019 Updated: July 17, 2019 8:22 a.m.

1of31A devastating explosion at Port Chicago while sailors loaded ammunition onto ships killed 320 people on July 17, 1944.Photo: The Chronicle 1944

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2of31A Chronicle story from July 18, 1944 showed the shattered remains of the dock and its railroad.Photo: Virginia de Carvalho / The Chronicle 1944

3of31A Chronicle front page from July 19, 1944.Photo: The Chronicle 1944

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Seventy five years ago, on the evening of July 17, 1944, an explosion at a Naval base on Suisun Bay ignited 10,000 tons of munitions, killing 320 and injuring hundreds more. It was the worst home port disaster of World War II, destroying two ships and destroying the nearby town of Port Chicago.

The Port Chicago disaster and the related mutiny trial of dozens of African American sailors were landmark World War II events that few know took place here in the Bay Area. But during a search through The Chronicle's archive, I found many unpublished images in the negatives files of the aftermath of the explosion from photographers Virginia de Carvalho and Sid Tate.

View Photo Album HERE: https://www.sfchronicle.com/chronicle_vault/article/Port-Chicago-disaster-Unpublished-photos-of-a-14099503.php

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