June 13, 1973: Pat Chenoweth Acquitted of Sabotage on Treasure Island

June 13 1973, a Navy court martial on Treasure Island acquitted anti-war sailor Pat Chenoweth of sabotage charges for which he had been facing 30 years in prison. The campaign for his freedom was led by Vietnam Veterans Against the War/Winter Soldier Organization.

Chenoweth had been accused of dropping bolts and a paint scraper into the gears of the USS Ranger aircraft carrier. The act, which did about $800,000 in damage and delayed the carrier’s Vietnam deployment by 4 months, was one of roughly 30 acts of sabotage on the Ranger in 1972.

Despite a total lack of physical evidence, witnesses, or proof of when the sabotage actually occurred, the Navy charged the outspoken left-winger. After a 10-month campaign (and despite government attempts to move the trial to the Philippines) Pat Chenowith was finally freed.