Welcome to our page on the Halifax Explosion.
History of the Disaster
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Parts of Halifax were
completely demolished. |
The day was December 6, 1917. It started as a normal day in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but was soon to turn exremely tragic. The Halifax harbour was always busy even early in the morning. It was a frequent occurrance to see a bump or scrape in the harbour.
The munition ship, the Mont Blanc, destined for Bordeaux France was extremely overloaded with explosives as it entered the narrows of the harbour. Its contents included: 200 tons of TNT, 2,300 tons of wet and dry picric acid, and 35 tons of benzol in large steel barrels. A local pilot was assigned to each ship to ensure a safe arrival in the harbour. There was only one problem on the Mont Blanc, the crew was completely French and the pilot was English. This language barrier was a large problem.
The Imo, a Belgian relief ship once a passenger ship for the White Star Line, was forced to enter the harbour on the left side instead of the normal right because of an American tramp steamer entering on the wrong side. The Imo blew its whistle 2 times to tell the Mont Blanc of its prediciment. An order was given to the crew to change course by the pilot but they did not understand a word of it. The collision was imminent.
The Imo put its engines in reverse to avoid a the collision, but this was probably the worst thing to do because it turned the Imo's bow straight in the direction of the Mont Blanc. The Imo's bow ripped a hole at least 3 metres into the hull of the Mont Blanc.
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| A headline from the Halifax Herald after the explosion. |
At 8:45 the Mont Blanc set fire because of spilling benzine and sparks from the collision. A large cloud of black smoke rose in the air 100 metres. The Mont Blanc burned for ten minutes before the first alarm was sounded. Then the explosion occurred. A gigantic blast incinerated the Mont Blanc, shooting its anchor miles away. Shards of glass and other debris maimed and killed many in Halifax and Dartmouth, across the bay. Also a 4 and a half metre wave shot out from the explosion wrecking ships and killing many. Many survivors depict it as though the sea opened up and the sea floor was visible.
The blast could be heard as far away as Prince Edward Island. The explosion was the biggest man made explosion until the atomic bomb. 1,963 people were killed and 9,000 people were injured both in Halifax and Dartmouth.
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| A house totally demolished by the blast. |
This disaster was truely horrific and changed the lives of many. All of this could have been avoided if it weren't for huge human errors. Mainly the fact that the crew of the Mont Blanc could not understand the pilot.
Halifax Explosion Fact: Many people believe the explosion to be an attack from German Zeppelins on the city since Britain (Canada) were at war with Germany. Now you know.
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