Could you be referring to the Port Chicago disaster of July 7th, 1944? The SS E.A. Bryan exploded and was virtually atomised while ammunition was being loaded. The explosion also destroyed the SS Quinault Victory. Port Chicago is on the Sacramento River in California, about 35 miles from San Francisco.The explosion killed 320 people and injured hundreds. It was heard 200 miles away; a pilot at 9,000 feet claimed to see pieces of white-hot metal "as large as a house" flying straight upwards past his plane.
Apart from the loss of life and injuries, the Port Chicago Disaster gave rise to one of the greatest and most shameful miscarriages of justice in U.S. Naval history, when 50 black seamen, who had voiced fears about safety when loading ammo on to ships in the port, refused to load ammo after the disaster unless safety was improved and were charged with mutiny. They were sentenced to 15 years each ( later commuted ) but true justice has never been afforded those 50 men.
