Port Chicago disaster

[Jim Eshelman]

Thanks for Derek for the tip on this one.

Wikipedia gives the following intro: "The Port Chicago disaster was a deadly munitions explosion that occurred on July 17, 1944, at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago, California, United States. Munitions detonated while being loaded onto a cargo vessel bound for the Pacific Theater of Operations, killing 320 sailors and civilians and injuring 390 others. Most of the dead and injured were enlisted African-American sailors." In response, a mutiny of hundreds of "servicemen" occurred, leading eventually to 50 convictions.

Data: July 17, 1944,10:17 PM, Chicago, IL (specifically 38°N03′27″122°W01′47″)

The SS E.A. Bryan, already carrying over 5,000 barrels of fuel oil, was loaded with munitions (4,600 tons of explosives by the time of the incident: it was 40% full at that point, so more than twice that much was expected to be carried). Nearby were 16 rail cards holding about 400 tons of explosives. Through a series of intersecting circumstances, an explosion occurred on the pier and started a fire, which triggered a much larger explosion ("a fireball which was seen for miles") of most of the ordnance within and near the Bryan. The fireball was reportedly 3 miles in diameter. (The Wikipedia article describes the actual damage in detail.)

the mutiny occurred August 8, 1944 - if I get time, I'll check on this separately.

[Jim Eshelman]

Data: July 17, 1944,10:17 PM, Port Chicago, CA (specifically 38°N03′27″122°W01′47″)

Year: Capsolar
Moon square MC (0°55')
Venus on IC (2°39')
Saturn on MC (4°00')
-- Moon-Venus square (35' mundo)
We see the start of a Venus-Saturn theme, reinforced by the Moon - typical for large fires. But the orbs don't quite come together. This is foreshadowing, but not much more.

Quarter: Cansolar
Mars rising (1°01')
Jupiter square MC (1°07')
-- Moon-Uranus conjunction (35')

Month: Caplunar
Moon square Ascendant (0°51')
Mercury on MC (7°13')
-- Moon-Mercury opposition (2°58')

Week: Arilunar
Mercury square MC (0°39')
Sun on Dsc (6°41')
Saturn on Dsc (7°56')
-- Su/Sa midpoint on Dsc (37')
-- Moon-Venus square (1°01')
-- Moon-Saturn square (2°31' mundo)

Day: Capsolar Quotidian
CapQ Asc sq t. Uranus (14')
CapQ MC op. s. Saturn (1°06')

Day: Cansolar Quotidian & Transits
CanQ Asc conj s. Mars (10'), t. Mars (1°06')
CanQ MC sq. s. Jupiter (20'), t. Jupiter (2')

Hour: Event Chart
Mars 1°23' above Descendant, exactly setting at 10:24 PM.

[Jim Eshelman]

The charts aren't great. The quotidians start to grab the event, and the time of the explosion is clear, but the lead-in charts fall short in most places.