On This Day in History - Halifax Explosion

[Iron Woode]

The Halifax explosion occurred on December 6, 1917, when the former city of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship that was fully loaded with wartime explosives. The Mont-Blanc detonated after colliding with the Norwegian SS Imo in a part of Halifax Harbour called The Narrows. About 2,000 people were killed by debris, fires, and collapsed buildings, and it is estimated that around 9,000 others were injured.[2] Until the Trinity test explosions of atomic bombs, it was the largest man-made explosion in recorded history.[3]

At 8.40 am, the Mont-Blanc, chartered by the French government to carry munitions to Europe, collided with the unloaded Norwegian ship Imo, chartered by the Commission for Relief in Belgium to carry relief supplies. Mont-Blanc caught fire 10 minutes after the collision and exploded about 25 minutes later (at 9.04:35 am).[4] All buildings and structures covering nearly 2 square kilometres (500 acres) along the adjacent shore were obliterated, including those in the neighbouring communities of Richmond and Dartmouth.[2] The explosion caused a tsunami in the harbour and a pressure wave of air that snapped trees, bent iron rails, demolished buildings, grounded vessels, and carried fragments of the Mont-Blanc for kilometres.

and the legacy because of Boston's tremendous assistance:

In 1918, Halifax sent a Christmas tree to the City of Boston in thanks and remembrance for the help that the Boston Red Cross and the Massachusetts Public Safety Committee provided immediately after the disaster.[81] That gift was revived in 1971 by the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers Association, who began an annual donation of a large tree to promote Christmas tree exports as well as acknowledge Boston's support after the explosion. The gift was later taken over by the Nova Scotia Government to continue the goodwill gesture as well as to promote trade and tourism.[82] The tree is Boston's official Christmas tree and is lit on Boston Common throughout the holiday season. Knowing its symbolic importance to both cities, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources has specific guidelines for selecting the tree.[83] Besides the annual Christmas Tree donation, a notable proportion of Nova Scotians (and Haligonians in particular) identify as supporters of Boston's major professional sports league teams, a loyalty which is often traced to the relief effort of 1917.

:awe:

 

[JTsyo]

That's why the navy is pretty annal about insensitive munitions. Most warships sink when their own stores go up.

 

[LTC8K6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_explosion#Explosion

Holy Crab!

 

[Linflas]

and the legacy because of Boston's tremendous assistance:



:awe:

I will never forget the generosity and compassion that Halifax and other Canadian cites displayed post 9/11 in dealing with all the Americans stranded by the grounding of all flights in the US. It is good to know it has worked in both directions.

 

[techs]

What a load of crap. Just like Boston to commie up.
The government shouldn't be involved in disaster relief. FEMA should be disbanded, or run by a complete incompetent.
Just another example of people looking to suck on the governments teat.

/end Republican talking point

 

[Linflas]

What a load of crap. Just like Boston to commie up.
The government shouldn't be involved in disaster relief. FEMA should be disbanded, or run by a complete incompetent.
Just another example of people looking to suck on the governments teat.

/end Republican talking point

Is there nothing you won't troll with your obsessive political bullshit?

 

[KeithTalent]

Wow, that is an awesome explosion, in the true sense of the word.

KT

 

[Dominato3r]

Time for a heritage moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oaRr6A-gkA

Best part of commercials in the 90's.

 

[Markbnj]

Wow, that is an awesome explosion, in the true sense of the word.

KT

There is a diarama of the event at one of the museums in Halifax, might be the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and the portion of the city that was devastated and afire after the explosion is truly sobering to see.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

I will never forget the generosity and compassion that Halifax and other Canadian cites displayed post 9/11 in dealing with all the Americans stranded by the grounding of all flights in the US. It is good to know it has worked in both directions.

Makes you wonder why borders exist at all, eh?

 

[Number1]

I will never forget the generosity and compassion that Halifax and other Canadian cites displayed post 9/11 in dealing with all the Americans stranded by the grounding of all flights in the US. It is good to know it has worked in both directions.

We didn't look at nationality. We housed a lady from the Bahamas at our place until the airliners got moving again. We are still in touch to this day.

 

[jlarsson]

My grandmother was 2 years old when it happened and lived in the area (not sure how close to the bay). But, she has mentioned that all the windows in their house were knocked out and there was some other minor structural damage.

 

[Iron Woode]

I will never forget the generosity and compassion that Halifax and other Canadian cites displayed post 9/11 in dealing with all the Americans stranded by the grounding of all flights in the US. It is good to know it has worked in both directions.

Operation: Yellow Ribbon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Yellow_Ribbon

 

[qliveur]

What a load of crap. Just like Boston to commie up.
The government shouldn't be involved in disaster relief. FEMA should be disbanded, or run by a complete incompetent.
Just another example of people looking to suck on the governments teat.

/end Republican talking point

Is there nothing you won't troll with your obsessive political bullshit?

This.

Techs is such a polititard.

 

[kranky]

Was not familiar with this disaster before. Just the fact that all other explosions from that point up to the A-bomb were measured against it tells you how immense it was. Every building in a 16 mile radius destroyed or badly damaged.

Can't imagine how terrifying that must have been at that point in history.

 

[LTC8K6]

http://www.cbc.ca/halifaxexplosion/he2_ruins/he2_ruins_countdown_catastrophe.html

Quite a cargo...

 

[silverpig]

Was not familiar with this disaster before. Just the fact that all other explosions from that point up to the A-bomb were measured against it tells you how immense it was. Every building in a 16 mile radius destroyed or badly damaged.

Can't imagine how terrifying that must have been at that point in history.

Imagine seeing the ship burning in the harbour for ~ 20 minutes... then BOOM.

 

[D1gger]

Imagine seeing the ship burning in the harbour for ~ 20 minutes... then BOOM.

Imagine being the telegraph operator who watched the fire while sending out an alert to stop the passenger train that was about to arrive?

The day brought death and destruction, but it also created many
heroes. Most notable, Vince Coleman. The railway yards were located
near the harbor, close to the site of the collision. As the crowds
gathered to watch, a warning was given to employees at the railway,
freight yards - an explosion was about to occur. Realizing the danger,
Vince Coleman, a telegraph operator for the Canadian Government Railways,
heeded the warning to evacuate and began to leave for the safety of
higher ground. However, he remembered that within minutes, a passenger
train from Boston was due. The train had to be warned of the
impending explosion.

Vince Coleman was successful in getting his message over the wire
to stop the train. Mr. Coleman died that day, but he saved the lives of
over 700 railway passengers.

 

[McLovin]

As much crap as I give my friends up in Canadia, I really do like learning about things like this and Operation Yellow Ribbon. Always helps to have perspective of things that happen outside of the US that I, and really just about everyone in ths US, never get exposed to.

Thanks OP.

 

[Iron Woode]

As much crap as I give my friends up in Canadia, I really do like learning about things like this and Operation Yellow Ribbon. Always helps to have perspective of things that happen outside of the US that I, and really just about everyone in ths US, never get exposed to.

Thanks OP.

You're welcome!

Yeah, we have some interesting history here. At least 4 armed rebellions, 1 terrorist insurrection causing Martial Law to be invoked, One of the oldest companies in the world - HBC, Oldest Brewery in North America, longest undefended border in the world, Germans during WWI called our soldiers Storm Troopers, Viking settlements in Newfoundland, etc...