THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS OF THE PORT CHICAGO DISASTER OF 1944
Presentation Time: Fri, 12/10/2021 - 17:30
Keywords: Port Chicago, naval weapons, archaeology, explosion
The Port Chicago disaster that occurred on July 17, 1944, is a historically important, albeit infamous event for several reasons. 320 servicemen and civilians, mostly African American, were instantly killed and hundreds more were injured further away from the blast. The events surrounding the explosion highlighted racial injustices and shaped the eventual desegregation of the armed forced shortly after. Ensuing investigations were predominantly of a military nature and occurred before GIS technology became a multidisciplinary approach to analyzing events. With continuing advancements in the geospatial sciences, it is now possible to add a new dimension of history which can be made available on a variety of GIST platforms. Here, a collaboration of historical data obtained and managed by the National Park Service is georeferenced and presented in a manner that tells the Port Chicago story and can be continuously updated and expanded upon. Using Geospatial data platforms, this project seeks to analyze the Port Chicago disaster in two main areas: The physical phenomenon of the explosion itself, and the resulting historical/archaeological remnants linked to that explosion over space and time. Datasets and features are created and centered on the focal point of the explosion (which occurred on an ammunition loading pier which was destroyed) and have been digitized based on historical maps and imagery. Coordinate system selection for analysis seeks to minimize distortion as much as possible, considering the size of the blast information over a large study area that spans over different CA state plane zones. Digitization of historic structures and buildings is attained from museum sources (i.e., maps and diagrams). Damage “zones” were then created to summarize physical impact, such as deaths, injuries, percentage levels of damaged structures and associated costs. Historical imagery, diagrams, personal accounts, and archaeological remnants are then documented and embedded within their respective feature classes. A collaboration of over 100 artifacts, ground level photos, and documents are available to be accessed on ArcGIS Online and can be used to construct web-based mapping applications. Overhead photos were geo referenced and overlayed using control points to current base maps and satellite imagery. This can be continually updated and compiled upon as more museum resources are attained and donations made. This study highlights the integration of history/archaeology with modern GIST mapping and display abilities. It will further aid in telling the Port Chicago disaster across space and give the user another paradigm from which to view how historical events unfold.
