Halifax explosion memorial halifax, nova scotia atlas obscura. Franceamerique line, out of marseilles, which had arrived from gravesend bay, new york. New books remember the great halifax explosion the star. Western alumnus ken cuthbertson grew up hearing the stories. The disastrous 1917 explosion of a munitions ship in halifax harbor, nova scotia, forms the backdrop to this rich, abundantly humane love story chicago tribunea powerful piece of work washington post book world that marks an auspicious fiction debut for an already accomplished author and awardwinning journalist chicago suntimes. Oct 09, 2015 on december 6, 1917, harbour pilot francis mackey was guiding mont blanc, a french munitions ship, into bedford basin to join a convoy across the atlantic when it was rammed by belgian relief vessel imo. In 1917, two ships collided in halifax harbor, resulting in the largest explosion in history up to that time. Nov 09, 2017 as onlookers watched in amazement, flames reached the explosives in the mont blanc s hold, triggering an explosion that destroyed large parts of halifax and, across the harbour, dartmouth. Dec 12, 2019 the halifax explosion is regarded an unparalleled chapter in the history of maritime disasters. The norwegian vessel ss imo collided with ss montblanc, a french cargo ship laden with high explosives, in the narrows, a strait connecting the upper halifax harbour to bedford basin, causing a large explosion on the french freighter, devastating the richmond district of halifax. Mac donald read 22 may 2017 this book tells of the explosion caused by a collision of two ships, the mont blanc and the imo, in the harbor at halifax, nova scotia, on 6 dec 1917. What frank baker heard was the biggest explosion of the preatomic age. Bacons the great halifax explosion trace the reverberations of the deadly disaster. There are some curious similarities between the halifax disaster of 1917 and the texas city texas disaster of 1947.
The halifax explosion occurred on december 6, 1917, when the city of halifax, nova scotia, canada, was devastated by the detonation of the ss mont blanc, a french cargo ship that was fully loaded with wartime explosives. A world war i story of treachery, tragedy, and extraordinary heroism. The halifax explosion devastated the north end of the city, killing nearly 2,000 and injuring 9,000. The great halifax explosion sheds new light on this sad but fascinating event. Deadly blast and shock waves headed for halifax and nearby dartmouth. Bacons book, called the great halifax explosion, reconstructs what happened on december 6. The halifax explosion is regarded an unparalleled chapter in the history of maritime disasters. Mont blanc and imo and the halifax explosion of 1917. Kitz 4 times halifax explosion by graham metson 3 times too many to mourn by james mahar 3 times burden.
I made it a point to walk from the harbouurfront to the anchor site in order to appreciate. The blast took its greatest toll in the richmond district of halifax. A piece of the montblancs fivehundredkilogram anchor soared. Alumnus book explores halifax explosion western alumni. Fascinated by the halifax explosion, i decided to find the site where the anchor of the mont blanc landed. Halifax explosion project gutenberg selfpublishing.
The halifax explosion marking the 100th anniversary of one. The mont blanc was a french munitions ship owned by cie. The halifax explosions untold story of mikmaw communities lost. Today in historythe halifax explosion occurred on december when the 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. Bacons new book, the great halifax explosion, recounts the catastrophe that unfolded when two ships collided in halifax harbor on dec. The halifax explosion was the explosion of the mont blanc that destoryed a good section of the city. Mont blanc anchor site halifax 2020 all you need to. Dec 03, 2017 on the 100 year anniversary of the halifax explosion, global news set out to map the homes of as many of the victims as we could and the results paint a staggering picture of the human cost of. He often told me stories about the disaster, but i never heard or read about it anywhere else.
The explosion was ignited after the french ship mont blanc, carrying 2,500 tons of high explosives and a deckload of monochlorobenzene, collided with the imo, a norwegian vessel, in what is known as the narrows, a strait that connects the halifax harbour to bedford basin. Montblanc pilot francis mackey recalls halifax 1917. A newly discovered diary tells the harrowing story of the deadly halifax explosion. The explosion occurred after two shipsthe montblanc and imocollided in halifax harbour.
It resulted in over 2000 deaths, 6000 injured, and 9000 people left homeless. A world war i story of treachery, tragedy, and extraordinary heroism bacon, john u. An anchor, weighing 1140 pounds landed some 2 miles away at armdale. The dramatic story of one of the greatest disasters in history in 1917, the port of halifax, nova scotia, was crowded with ships leaving for wartorn europe. The imo speared the montblanc at an angle near its bow. A world war i story of treachery, tragedy, and extraordinary heroism, which launched tuesday with a great event at michigans rackham auditorium. Nearly 2,000 people died and some 9,000 were injured in the disaster, which flattened more than 1 square mile 2. A newly discovered diary tells the harrowing story of the deadly. Jul 14, 2017 a newly discovered diary tells the harrowing story of the deadly halifax explosion. Dec 06, 2015 and now a page from our sunday morning almanac. A halfton chunk of its anchor still lies where it landed 2. A shock wave was followed by a tsunami that washed over both sides of the harbour, and 2. As the imo proceeded out of the narrows, the french munitions ship, montblanc, was on her way in. Ss montblanc drifted by a halifax pier, brushing it and setting it ablaze.
The halifax explosion occurred on december 6, 1917, when the city of halifax, nova scotia, canada, was devastated by the detonation of the ss montblanc, a french cargo ship that was fully loaded with wartime explosives. Montblancs captain, the halifax pilot who guided the. The town that died was first published in 1962 and covered the explosion of the french freighter mont blanc on december 6, 1917 that nearly obliterated the canadian town of halifax. View the wreck of the mont blanc and learn about the history of the halifax explosion. The blast released an explosive force equal to about 2. The place where the anchor shank came to rest on the morning of december 6, 1917. The montblanc was vapourized, and part of its anchor flew nearly 4km away. The halifax explosion was the deadliest disaster in canadian history. Large, oceangoing ships in the harbour were completely. Marc wortman has written three history books, including 1941. The mont blanc in halifax and the grand camp in texas city were both french registered. The montblanc in halifax and the grand camp in texas city were both french registered.
On december 6th, two of themthe mont blanc and the imocollided in the narrows, a hardtonavigate stretch of the harbor. Globe magazine the roots of bostons christmas tree go back 100 years to a disaster in halifax during world war i, bostons response to a devastating explosion in nova scotia created an. Members of the halifax fire department responded quickly, and were positioning their engine up to the nearest hydrant when ss montblanc disintegrated in a blinding white flash, creating the. On the morning of december 6th, 1917 in the port city of halifax, nova scotia, an explosion took place that obliterated half of the town in an instant a french munitions ship, the mont blanc. I first heard about the halifax explosion from my canadian grandfather, who was 12 years old in 1917 when mont blanc blew up. An anchor from the mont blanc was found five kilometres from the. Heroic dispatcher keyed warning, perished in cataclysmic halifax explosion back to video vincent colemans last words, tapped out in the dots and dashes of morse code, raced. An armchair believed to have been constructed with a piece of anchor from the halifax explosion is. On the morning of december 6th, 1917 in the port city of halifax, nova scotia, an explosion took place that obliterated half of the town in an instant.
The explosion laid waste to much of halifax, killing. Ablaze, and with explosions on her deck filling the sky, the mont blanc grounded against the citys docks. Hidden history is a diary series that explores forgotten and littleknown areas of. The halifax explosion was a disaster that occurred in halifax, nova scotia, canada, on the morning of 6 december 1917.
The resulting massive explosion destroyed halifaxs north end and left at least two thousand people dead, including pilot william hayes aboard. One ship which arrived to the halifax harbor was the mont blanc. Mont blanc blew up to cause the halifax explosion, this shank of the anchor of the mont blanc flew 2. Oct 29, 2019 in 1917, two ships collided in halifax harbor, resulting in the largest explosion in history up to that time. Mont blanc pilot francis mackey recalls halifax 1917 explosion the story fifty years later, the mont blanc s pilot maintains his ship had the right of way in the collision that sparked the disaster. Halifax explosion dec 6, 1917 at halifax, the french munitions ship mont blanc. The halifax explosion was the explosion of the mont blanc that destoryed a good. At the same time as the mont blanc sailed in, a second ship the imo prepared. Ss mont blanc, a french cargo ship fully loaded with wartime explosives, collided with the norwegian vessel ss imo in the narrows, a strait connecting the upper halifax harbour to bedford basin. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that.
Heroic dispatcher keyed warning, perished in cataclysmic halifax explosion back to video vincent colemans last words, tapped. Ablaze, and with explosions on her deck filling the sky, the mont blanc grounded. Ss montblanc, a french cargo ship fully loaded with wartime explosives, collided with the norwegian vessel ss imo in the narrows, a strait connecting the upper halifax harbour to. On december 6th, two of them the mont blanc and the imo collided in the narrows, a hardtonavigate stretch of the harbor. On december 6, 1917, the french freighter montblanc and norwegian ship imo collided in halifax harbour. The halifax explosion and the road to recovery by janet f. Visit mont blanc anchor site on your trip to halifax or canada.
In early december, 1917, it approached the port city of halifax on the eastern shore of canada. The hms highflyer was involved in halifax and the ss high flyer was involved in texas city. The montblanc detonated after colliding with the norwegian ss imo in a part of halifax. On the morning of december 6th, 1917 in the port city of halifax, nova scotia, an explosion took place that obliterated half of the town in an instant a french munitions ship, the montblanc. The roots of bostons christmas tree go back 100 years to. Anchor shaft blown miles from exploding ship the ss mont blanc blew up in halifax harbor in 1917. Effort to save chair with possible halifax explosion link.
The montblanc was on its way to europe with six million pounds of high explosives, its cargo intended for the battlefields of world war i. Ss mont blanc drifted by a halifax pier, brushing it and setting it ablaze. The explosion was so violent that a one of the mont blanc s guns flew over 3. Stern of montblanc before the explosion during a prewar visit to halifax, aug. Bacon about a ship collision and explosion during world war i. A cargo ship accident that occurred between a french ship carrying explosives and a norwegian vessel carrying provisions for wartime relieving provisions, the halifax disaster in 1917 happened just towards the fagend of the first world war. Members of the halifax fire department responded quickly, and were positioning their engine up to the nearest hydrant when ss mont blanc disintegrated in a blinding white flash, creating the biggest manmade explosion before the nuclear age. The halifax explosion still reverberates the globe and mail. For the 800 or so folks who just about filled the place, thank. In 1917, the port of halifax, nova scotia, was crowded with ships leaving for wartorn europe. Photographs portray halifax after the catastrophe, as well as the beginnings of the recovery efforts. The roots of bostons christmas tree go back 100 years to a. Ss mont blanc, a french cargo ship laden with high explosives, collided with the norwegian vessel ss imo in the narrows, a strait connecting the upper halifax harbour to bedford basin.
Halifax became the standard of blast comparisons for decades. The immense power of the blast was such that the mont blancs 454 kg halfton anchor shank fell to the earth over 3 km 2 miles away. Montblanc pilot francis mackey recalls halifax 1917 explosion the story fifty years later, the montblancs pilot maintains his ship had the right of way in the collision that sparked the disaster. A century ago this week, the french munitions ship mont blanc and the norwegian. She arrived from the new york harbor too late on december 5 to enter the harbor that day. The mont blanc was a floating munitions dump carrying an incredibly large amount of explosive material to aid the allied armies during the first world war. Dec 06, 2017 100 years after the great halifax explosion steve inskeep talks with author john u.
Dec 06, 2017 the explosion was ignited after the french ship mont blanc, carrying 2,500 tons of high explosives and a deckload of monochlorobenzene, collided with the imo, a norwegian vessel, in what is known as the narrows, a strait that connects the halifax harbour to bedford basin. Mont blanc anchor site halifax all you need to know. Beyond the halifax explosion, cuthbertson is the author of numerous books. I made it a point to walk from the harbouurfront to the anchor site in order to appreciate the magnitude of the distance this anchor traveled.
Dec 06, 2017 on the bright, freezing morning of dec. With roots running deep into nova scotia, the veteran journalist spent countless summers as a boy on the coast visiting his mothers side of the family. Vessels were loading cargo, awaiting convoys, or under repair. View the wreck of the mont blanc and learn about the history of. It had been sent to halifax by the british, because it was too slow for the american convoys.
I picked this after hearing about the release of a book about the same topic, though written by an american. Bacon about a ship collision and explosion during world war i thats been called the worlds first weapon of. Oct 11, 2019 two men on the halifax side who had learned that an explosion was imminent were vincent coleman, a railway dispatcher in the nearby railway yards, and william lovett, chief clerk of the yards, who was warning people in the yards about the mont blanc s deadly cargo. A french munitions ship, the montblanc, bound for europe and the western front, collided in the busy harbour with a belgian relief ship, the imo. The halifax explosion of 1917 canada history and mysteries. Macdonald details the events leading up to the explosion as well as the aftermath. Halifax explosion, also called halifax explosion of 1917 or the great halifax explosion, devastating explosion on december 6, 1917, that occurred when a munitions ship blew up in the harbour of halifax, nova scotia, canada. The mont blanc was instantly fragmented, with much of it vaporising in the giant fireball that rose over a mile into the air. Halifax explosion memorial halifax, nova scotia atlas. The ship was blown apart and a powerful blast wave radiated away from the explosion at more than 1,000 metres 3,300 ft per second. On thursday morning, 6 december 1917, she entered halifax harbour in nova scotia, canada laden with a full cargo of highly volatile explosives. Ships of the halifax explosion maritime museum of the. Part of its anchor shaft, weighing over 1100 pounds, flew clear over the city and landed here, more than two miles away.
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