Near Concord in Contra Costa County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Port Chicago Naval Magazine
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 17, 2019
1. Port Chicago Naval Magazine Marker
Photo: 1944 Pier One.
Photograph of Port Chicago Naval Magazine in 1944. The town of Port Chicago is to the top right.
The first ship pulled up to the new 1,260 foot-long dock in December, 1942, and the job of loading munitions for the Pacific campaign began.
Following World War II, Port Chicago Naval Magazine became the major ordnance shipping center on the West Coast. Through here passed much of the ordnance used in Korea, Vietnam and Persian Gulf War I. Though storage on the site has ceased, the shipment of munitions through the base continues today.
1944 Pier One
Photograph of Port Chicago Naval Magazine in 1944. The town of Port Chicago is to the top right.
The docks here could - and still can - accommodate the largest ammunition carriers in the world.
Erected 2019 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Disasters • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is July 17, 1944.
Location. 38° 3.444′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this memorial is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, on the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dangerous Work (within shouting distance of this marker); Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); (Port Chicago) Disaster (within shouting distance of this marker); The Only Train Stop in Clyde (approx. 2.4 miles away); De Anza Expedition 1775-1776 (approx. 4.3 miles away); Don Fernando Pacheco Adobe (approx. 4.3
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 17, 2019
2. Port Chicago Naval Magazine Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. Port Chicago (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Disaster (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
More about this memorial. Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial is on the grounds of Military Ocean Terminal Concord. Access is restricted.
Also see . . . The Port Chicago Disaster Remembered -- Military.com. At 10:18 p.m., an explosion ripped apart the night sky. Witnesses said that a brilliant white flash shot into the air, accompanied by a loud, sharp report. Flashing like fireworks, smaller explosions went off in the cloud as it rose. Within six seconds, a deeper explosion erupted as the contents of the E.A. Bryan detonated in one massive explosion. (Submitted on July 18, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 17, 2019
3. Port Chicago Naval Magazine
Credits. This page was last revised on August 18, 2019. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 528 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 18, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
