Halifax Explosion 1917 December 6 1917 Belgian relief

Halifax Explosion 1917

December 6, 1917 • Belgian relief ship Imo is leaving Halifax harbour as French ship Mont Blanc is entering the harbour – not an uncommon sight as the port city was busy due to the shipping of troops, weapons and relief supplies. • Mont Blanc was carrying a full cargo of explosives – incl. 300 rounds of ammunition, 2300 tonnes of picric acid, and 400, 000 lbs of TNT.

Mont Blanc

What Went Wrong? • Due to miscommunication between the ships, the desire to not change course, and the difficulty of quickly moving large ships, Imo and Mont Blanc collided. • Aware of the explosives on board the Mont Blanc crew quickly boarded lifeboats and screamed warnings to those watching as the ship set aflame.

Fires • Mont Blanc was on fire. • As it drifted passed Halifax pier it was set ablaze. • The Fire Department rushed to the pier to control the fire. • They were their for mere moments when the ship exploded.

Explosion • The blast killed ~1900 immediately and as days passed bodies found and deaths from wounds rose this number to greater than 2000. • Around 9000 more were injured – many permanently. More than 250 eyes needed to be removed, 38 were left completely blind, and 25 limbs were amputated. • ~250 bodied were so badly disfigured they could not be identified and many more simply went missing. • Small shards of glass flew at such a speed during the explosion that some 20 years later people had glass come to the surface of their skin.

Why so many casualties? • Explosion occurred 20 minutes after collision, allowing thousands to gather at the port, and stand watch at their windows. • Curiosity drove people close to the scene – What happened? Did the Germans attack? • People did not realize boat was full of explosives. • ~1000 people sustained eye injuries from looking out their window at the explosion.

Physical Destruction • 325 acres of Halifax was destroyed. • Winter stockpiles of coal burned down many homes. • Parts of the ship were found several miles away from the site of explosion. • The shock wave was felt as far as 270 miles away.

Physical Destruction • 13, 000 homes and businesses were damaged or completely wrecked. • Resulting in 6000 homeless. • Windows in a 50 mile radius were shattered.

And then came the water and snow • Within minutes the dazed survivors were awash in water. The blast provoked a tsunami that washed up as high as 18 meters above the harbour's high-water mark on the Halifax side. • The next day Halifax was covered in ~16 inches of snow as a blizzard hit. • This slowed all rescue efforts. • People trapped in fallen buildings froze to death before they could be saved.

To the Rescue • Money came in from all over the world – as far away as New Zealand China. • CAN gov’t gave 18 mill • BRIT gov’t gave 5 mill • State of Massachusetts donated $750, 000 and goods. • To this day Halifax sends Boston a Christmas tree as a thanks for their assistance.

Back on their feet • Within 7 weeks 3000 homes were repaired. • Temporary apts. were being built at a rate of 1 per hr. • 328 “hydrostone” homes quickly put up.