December 6th, 1917, the most devastating manmade explosion in the pre-atomic age

[David]

December 6th, 1917 - At 9:05 a.m., in the harbor of Halifax in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, the most devastating manmade explosion in the pre-atomic age occurs when the Mont Blanc, a French munitions ship, explodes 20 minutes after colliding with another vessel.

As World War I raged in Europe, the port city of Halifax bustled with ships carrying troops, relief supplies, and munitions across the Atlantic Ocean. On the morning of December 6, the Norwegian vessel Imo left its mooring in Halifax harbor for New York City. At the same time, the French freighter Mont Blanc, its cargo hold packed with highly explosive munitions--2,300 tons of picric acid, 200 tons of TNT, 35 tons of high-octane gasoline, and 10 tons of gun cotton--was forging through the harbor's narrows to join a military convoy that would escort it across the Atlantic.

At approximately 8:45 a.m., the two ships collided, setting the picric acid ablaze. The Mont Blanc was propelled toward the shore by its collision with the Imo, and the crew rapidly abandoned the ship, attempting without success to alert the harbor of the peril of the burning ship. Spectators gathered along the waterfront to witness the spectacle of the blazing ship, and minutes later it brushed by a harbor pier, setting it ablaze.

The Halifax Fire Department responded quickly and was positioning its engine next to the nearest hydrant when the Mont Blanc exploded at 9:05 a.m. in a blinding white flash. The massive explosion killed more than 1,800 people, injured another 9,000--including blinding 200--and destroyed almost the entire north end of the city of Halifax, including more than 1,600 homes. The resulting shock wave shattered windows 50 miles away, and the sound of the explosion could be heard hundreds of miles away. Coast Guardsmen from the CGC Morrill were landed to provide assistance.

This disaster led to the creation of captains of the ports for the major U.S. ports. The Coast Guard was tasked with the new duty.

[revwardoc]

After this incident, the Commonwealth of MA rushed tons of medical supplies and food through Boston by rail and ship to Halifax. Today, in recognition of the efforts of the people of MA, the Province of Nova Scotia annualy donates a huge Christmas tree to Boston that is set up and displayed on the Common. However, a couple of years ago, the MA governor announced the iminent arrival of the "holiday tree" from NS. The government of the Province told the MA governor that it was a CHRISTMAS TREE, not a holiday tree, and if the governor of MA ever again called it a holiday tree, MA would not receive another. The 2009 version of the Christmas tree will arrive in Boston this week.