Vallejo in Solano County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

In Memory of the Port Chicago 50 - Vallejo, August 1944

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 28, 2020

1. In Memory of the Port Chicago 50 - Vallejo, August 1944 Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

This memorial is dedicated to the 50 African American sailors who in August 1944 courageously refused to work under unsafe and dangerous conditions loading munitions at Mare Island Navy Yard. Just weeks before, they had survived a deadly July 17, 1944, explosion at Port Chicago that killed 332 service members. Following the explosion, the men were transferred to segregated Navy barracks on the Vallejo side of Mare Island Strait, near this memorial. The courage of the 50 sailors, in the face of insurmountable odds, would later help lead to the desegregation of the United States military.

Erected 2019.

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is July 17, 1944.

Location. 38° 5.487′ N, 122° 15.028′ W. Marker is in Vallejo, California, in Solano County. Memorial is at the intersection of Ryder Street and Midway Street, on the left when traveling west on Ryder Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Vallejo CA 94590, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Beyond These Sentry Houses (approx. 0.7 miles away);

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Red Men's Hall (approx. 0.7 miles away); Widenmann-Plutchok Home (approx. ¾ mile away); The Elsa Widenmann Home (approx. ¾ mile away); Craven-Voss House (approx. ¾ mile away); Vallejo As State Capital (approx. ¾ mile away); The Alibi Clock (approx. 0.8 miles away); D.C. Madam's House (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Vallejo.

Also see . . .
1. The Port Chicago 50 at 76: Time for Exoneration...(National WWII Museum, July 17, 2020). "July 17, 2020 marks the 76th anniversary of a frequently overlooked episode during World War II that had profound changes on the US military and the legal and social structure of American society....For reasons that can never be accurately determined, a cataclysmic series of explosions—the largest man-made detonation in history to that point—erupted with the force of 5,000 tons of TNT. Instantly, 320 men, two-thirds of them African American, were killed and hundreds more were injured. The ships they were loading were nearly obliterated; a locomotive evaporated. The force of the blasts was felt 20 miles away in San Francisco." (Submitted on July 29, 2020.)

2. Port Chicago Mutiny (1944) (Black Past)

In Memory of the Port Chicago 50 - Vallejo, August 1944 Marker- wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, July 28, 2020

2. In Memory of the Port Chicago 50 - Vallejo, August 1944 Marker- wide view

. (Submitted on July 29, 2020.)
3. Port Chicago disaster (Wikipedia). (Submitted on July 29, 2020.)
4. The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights (YouTube, 46 min.). (Submitted on July 29, 2020.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 153 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 29, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.