Halifax Explosion

1917
 LOCATION OF THE INCIDENT
• Halifax is a city located in
Canada
• Considered to be one of the
world’s deadliest man made
disaster
• Claimed almost 2000 lives
• Incident happened on the
morning of 6th December 1917
• Cargo collision loaded with
picric acid explosives bound for
the battlefields of the world
war
 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 400,000lbs 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 • To this day Halifax sends
over the world – as far Boston a Christmas tree as
away as New Zealand and a thanks for their
China. assistance.
• CAN gov’t gave 18 mill
• BRIT gov’t gave 5 mill
• State of Massachusetts
donated $750,000 and
goods.
 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.
 Weakness
• delay
• alert
• disaster management protocol
 Lesson Learnt
• Public trust in government itself was so shaken in
Halifax after the explosion that when a shipboard
fire was observed several nights after the Mont-
Blanc disaster, terrified Haligonians stumbled from
their homes into the snowy night fearing another
blast.