Halifax Explosion
...Mont Blanc was far more dangerous than that of any other ship in the area. On board it was carrying 2300 tons of picric acid, 200 tons of TNT, 35 tons of benzyl (on deck), and 61 tons of gun cotton. The only ones aware of all the explosives being carried were the crew members themselves. This ship’s pilot, Francis MacKey, was also in a rush to get moving because of the delay from being held up the night before. Seconds before 9:05 am on the morning of December 16, 1917, the largest man-made explosion until the atomic bomb occurred in Halifax. At the same time the Imo had decided to go through an area appropriately named “the Narrows”, the Mont Blanc was doing the same thing, only entering the harbor instead. Controversy exists today over who’s responsibility the collosion actually was, but in any event, the Imo and Mont Blanc ran into each other. The impact had not caused significant damage to the Mont Blanc, but the sparks created did start fires. Knowing the imminent danger they were in, the crew of the Mont Blanc jumped ship or boarded life boats. The Imo’s crew were not so quick to move, they did not know of the vast quantity of explosives carried by the vessel they just hit. Neither did the rest of Halifax. As the Mont Blanc burned, it naturally got the attention of many people. They were all just watching the ship burn as it gradually floated up to Pier 6. Then it hit. The explosion that broke every window in the city, sent an anchor (weighing over ½ ton) flying for 2 miles, and a cannon over 3 miles in the opposite direction. The magnitu...