The Halifax explosion is the
largest man-made non-nuclear explosion in history. It occurred in Halifax, Nova
Scotia in Canada on December 6, 1917. The explosion was caused by the collision
of two ships, the SS Mont Blanc and
the SS Imo. Overall the cost of
damages equaled about $545 million modern Canadian dollars, which equals
roughly $483 million U.S. dollars. About 6,000 people were left homeless and
over 25,000 did not have adequate housing after the blast. On top of that, the
native Mi’kmaq people’s settlement was destroyed and abandoned. Most of Canada’s
civilian casualties of WWI are because of the Halifax explosion.
The location of the ships as they moved in the harbor
The SS Mont Blanc was a French ship carrying explosives and munitions to
Europe to be used in WWI. The SS Imo
was a Norwegian ship headed for New York City to pick up relief supplies for war
victims in Belgium. When the two collided, a fire broke out. About twenty
minutes later, the explosive cargo on the SS Mont Blanc blew up, launching debris and destroying all buildings
within a half-mile radius. Because the initial collision forced the ships
toward the shore, the damage was much more severe. Over 1,800 people were
killed, 9,000 were injured, and 1,600 homes were flattened. Windows were
shattered up to 50 miles away, and the sound could be heard hundreds of miles
away. The biggest issues after the event were finding shelter for those whose
homes had been destroyed and rebuilding the structures damaged by the blast.
Unfortunately, just a day after the event, a blizzard hit the town, hampered
relief efforts and survivor searches, and knocked down re-erected telegraph lines.
The pier before the explosion
The pier after the explosion
The SS Imo after the explosion
Originally the explosion was
thought to be a German attack, and the helmsman of the SS Imo was actually arrested on suspicion of being a German spy. The
local paper also helped to stir up fear that the event was German-based.
Eventually, the truth came out, and the blame was placed on the captain and
pilot of the SS Mont Blanc and the chief
examining officer of the Royal Canadian Navy in charge of the harbor. A major
cause of the explosion had been the French’s use of older ships to carry
dangerous cargo because German U-boats kept blowing their ships up. These ships
were often not well maintained and thus not equipped to handle problems like
the fire. Both ships had been delayed in departing and arrived because they came
after the harbor’s anti-submarine nets were raised. The SS Imo had also been going well above the speed limit, the traffic in
the harbor that morning was high, and the Imo
was moving on the wrong side of the harbor. After a brief signal exchange
between the two ships, neither the Imo nor
the Mont Blanc yielded their position
and the ships collided. The crews abandoned their ships, and while the crew of
the Mont Blanc should have flown red
flags to indicate the danger of their cargo, they did not because of threat of
submarine attack.
Another view of Halifax after the explosion
The pyrocumulus cloud from the explosion
While the town of Halifax was
certainly not prepared for an explosion of such magnitude, their firefighters
were quick to respond to the fires that broke out on the ships and did their
best to put them out before the explosion. The Halifax fire department also
assisted in minimizing the damages and chaos after the explosion. Vincent
Coleman, the local Intercolonial Railway dispatcher, likely saved hundreds of
lives by warning incoming trains of the imminent explosion. He heard that the Mont Blanc was carrying explosive cargo
and remained at his station until he heard that the trains stopped, costing him
his life. The community used the destruction of the town’s North End to modernize
the area, building homes with special fire-proof blocks. The local poor house
became a shelter and hospital for victims of the explosion and was "rendered
great service to the people of Halifax." Hundreds of people and
organizations from all over helped with rescue efforts.
A first-hand account from a survivor of the explosion
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