Editing Halifax Explosion (section)

{{Short description|1917 maritime disaster in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada}} 
{{About|the disaster|other uses|Halifax Explosion (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=August 2024}}
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{{Infobox event
|title=Halifax Explosion
|image=Halifax Explosion blast cloud restored.jpg
|caption=The [[pyrocumulus cloud]] produced by the explosion
|map={{infobox mapframe |coord={{coord|44|40|09|N|63|35|47|W}} |frame-width=250 |zoom=4}}|alt=Tall cloud of smoke rising over the water
|location=[[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], Canada
|target=
|date={{start date and age|6 December 1917}}
|time=9:04:35 am
|timezone=[[Atlantic Standard Time|AST]]
|fatalities=1,782 (confirmed)
|injuries=9,000 (approximate)
}}

On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship {{SS|Mont-Blanc}} collided with the Norwegian vessel {{SS|Imo}} in the harbour of [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], Canada. ''Mont-Blanc'', laden with [[Explosive material|high explosives]], caught fire and exploded, devastating the [[Richmond, Nova Scotia|Richmond district]] of Halifax. At least 1,782 people, largely in Halifax and [[Dartmouth, Nova Scotia|Dartmouth]], were killed by the blast, debris, fires, or collapsed buildings, and an estimated 9,000 others were injured. The blast was the [[Largest artificial non-nuclear explosions#Largest accidental artificial non-nuclear explosions by magnitude|largest human-made explosion]] at the time.{{sfn|Knauer|2012|p=56}} It released the equivalent energy of roughly {{convert |2.9|ktonTNT|TJ||lk=on}}.{{sfn|Ruffman|Howell|1994|p=276}}

''Mont-Blanc'' was under orders from the French government to carry her cargo from [[New York City]] via Halifax to [[Bordeaux]], France. At roughly 8:45&nbsp;am, she collided at low speed, approximately one knot ({{cvt|1.2|mph|disp=or}}), with the unladen ''Imo'', chartered by the [[Commission for Relief in Belgium]] to pick up a cargo of relief supplies in New York. On ''Mont-Blanc'', the impact damaged [[benzole|benzol]] barrels stored on deck, causing them to leak vapours which were ignited by sparks from the collision, setting off a fire on board that quickly grew out of control. Approximately 20 minutes later at 9:04:35&nbsp;am, ''Mont-Blanc'' exploded.

Nearly all structures within an 800-metre (half-mile) radius, including the community of Richmond, were obliterated.{{sfn|Armstrong|2002|p=42}} A [[Longitudinal wave|pressure wave]] snapped trees, bent iron rails, demolished buildings, grounded vessels (including ''Imo'', which was washed ashore by the ensuing [[tsunami]]), and scattered fragments of ''Mont-Blanc'' for kilometres. Across the harbour, in Dartmouth, there was also widespread damage.<ref name=cbc>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/halifaxexplosion/he2_ruins/he2_ruins_explosion.html |title=Halifax Explosion 1917 |publisher=CBC |date=19 September 2003 |accessdate=25 February 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514004232/http://www.cbc.ca/halifaxexplosion/he2_ruins/he2_ruins_explosion.html|archivedate=14 May 2011}}</ref> A tsunami created by the blast wiped out a community of [[Mi'kmaq]] who had lived in the [[Tufts Cove, Nova Scotia|Tufts Cove]] area for generations.

Relief efforts began almost immediately, and hospitals quickly became full. Rescue trains began arriving the day of the explosion from across Nova Scotia and [[New Brunswick]] while other trains from central Canada and the [[Northeastern United States]] were impeded by blizzards. Construction of temporary shelters to house the many people left homeless began soon after the disaster. The initial judicial inquiry found ''Mont-Blanc'' to have been responsible for the disaster, but a later appeal determined that both vessels were to blame. The [[North End, Halifax|North End]] of Halifax has several memorials to the victims of the explosion.