The Halifax Explosion: A Defining Moment In Canadian History

The Halifax Explosion was a defining moment in Canadian history, due to the tragedy that it created. On 6 December 1917, two ships collided and exploded in Halifax Harbour destroying many parts of the city, killing almost 2,000 people and injuring more than 9,000. The accident occurred at 8:40 a.m. when the ships Imo and Mont Blanc collided in the middle of the harbour.

Imo was heading out of the harbour while Mont Blanc was heading in. The Mont Blanc was carrying 2,653 tonnes of heavy artillery, ammunition and other explosives. The Imo was moving too fast and sailing in the wrong side of the harbour. The Imo’s captain was trying to avoid a tugboat. He did not see the fast approaching Mont Blanc. Both ships blew their whistles as a warning, but neither ship moved out of the way until the last second. The Imo crashed
Knowing that they had all the heavy explosions on board, the French crew of the Mont Blanc abandoned ship. When they reached shore, the sailors tried to warn everyone but they could not speak English. Sailors from the ship Stella Maris tried to put out the fire aboard Mont Blanc but they failed. The burning Mont Blanc floated deep into the harbour, struck Pier 6 and became stuck. Halifax firefighters arrived to fight the fire, and many more people stood around watching the spectacle. Thirty-five minutes later, the ship exploded causing the biggest artificial explosion ever.

The explosion destroyed the adjacent harbour facilities and killed most people in the immediate area. This area was soon engulfed in a fire that spread quickly to other buildings. The aftershock from the blast caused a tidal wave and a pressure wave which demolished more buildings, uprooted trees and tossed other ships.