Steffen Marx schreibt:
steffen.marx(at)building-better-worlds.org

Hi,
Laut "NAVAL MAGAZINE, Port Chicago, California, Attachment to War Diary -- July 1944" sind bei der Explosion der E.A.Bryan nicht ca. 250 Menschen umgekommen, sondern 319:

9 Naval officers engaged in supervision of ship loading at the pier; 202 Naval Enlisted Personnel (mostly colored), 1 Marine enlisted man on sentry duty at the pier; 5 Coast Guard Enlisted Personnel--the crew of the Fire Barge; 3 Magazine Civil Service employees--the train crew; 30 Armed Guard Personnel attached to the Q. VICTORY and the A.E.BRYAN; 66 Merchant Marine Personnel--crews of the two vessels; 3 employees of the Macco-Case Construction Co.-- ....................Contractors for the marginal wharf under construction

(Quelle: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq80-3c.htm -- Seite inzwischen deaktiviert)

Vom Armed Guard Personnel habe ich mal Namen und Raenge beigelegt (aus den Registern von http://www.usmm.org):

Quinault Victory Albin, Jack L. GM3c Bergstrom, Delbert P. GM2c Bowman, Jack P. S1c Hall, John Gibson GM3c Hovland, George D. S1c Morrow, Andy S1c Mulryan, William H. GM2c Myers, Henry J., S1c Saint, Woodrow W. S1c Sanders, Arnold T. S1c Sang [Sano], Harold S. S1c Riiff, Woodrow Arthur S1c Risenhoover, Jacob Daniel S1c Robinson, William R. S1c Roedell [Rondell], Charles H. S1c Rose, Jay Jr. S1c Ross, Otis Kyle S1c

E. A. Bryan Causey [Causky], Wayland E. S1c Cebella, Rudy J. S1c Chase, Robert E. S1c Chastain, Claude L. S1c Gee, John Jefferson S3c Hartman, Ralph B. Unknown Hollandsworth, Clarence R. S1c Muirhead, Kenneth H. S1c Mulligan, Jesse W. S1c Quick, Lloyd J. S1c Setzer, Martin Jack S1c Singer, George H. S1c Small, Listern L. S1c

Folgender Abschnitt belegt nochmal die Verurteilung von Arbeitern:

The surviving black sailors of Port Chicago were furious. They had lost friends, comrades, and even brothers loading ships under careless supervision with inferior equipment. Of the 320 men killed in the explosion, 202 were African-American. The explosion at Port Chicago accounted for 15% of all African American casualties during World War II.

The Navy decided not to give the men any time off and told them that they would continue to load munitions at another location. Some of the sailors agreed to return to work, but others wanted their case heard. Fifty sailors said that they would not load munitions until working conditions were made safer and better equipment was provided. The Navy court martialled all fifty on the grounds of mutiny. The sentence could have been death, but they received between eight and fifteen years at hard labor. Soon after the war, in January 1946, all of the men were given clemency and an opportunity for an honorable discharge. In December 1999, President Clinton pardoned Freddie Meeks of Los Angeles, one of the few surviving members of the original 50.

(Verweis: http://www.nps.gov/untold/banners_and_backgrounds/militarybanner/militarystories/portchicago.htm -- Seite deaktiviert)

Anbei zwei Bilder von den Zerstoerungen in Port Chicago.
Steffen Marx