Book Review: The Great Halifax Explosion, author John U. Bacon

     Professor Bacon has done the research of an event that occurred 100 years ago on the east coast of North America.  At the height of WW I, the Allies were desperate for more artillery shells, more bombs, more bullets, more explosives in general.   England and France could not produce the amounts necessary to stop the Kaiser's troops in the various battles on the Western Front.  In April of 1917, President Woodrow Wilson of the US decided that it was time to join the fight.  The infamous Zimmerman Telegram was the tipping point.
      In December of 1917, a French ship was loaded with tons of explosives that were destined for the European conflict.  The SS Mont Blanc, manned by a French crew, was stacked from stem to stern inside and out with a cargo of TNT, Picric acid, gun powder, and shells.   This loaded vessel ready to brave the North Atlantic which was home to the German U-Boat, the undersea submarine that was causing havoc to transatlantic shipping.  Hundreds of ships had already been sunk after 3 years of war.
      After leaving Boston Harbor on December 1st, 1917, the next port of call was Halifax, Nova Scotia, one of the maritime provinces of our northern neighbor Canada.   The winter weather was always questionable at this time and the captain and crew of the Mont Blanc were concerned, not only for U-boats, but foul weather.
      The ship arrived at the entrance to Halifax harbor 4 days later, but too late to enter the harbor because of the closing of steel nets designed to protect from U-boats sneaking into the space.  The captain would enter at first light.  Inside the harbor was the freighter Imo, a 430' freighter, that planned to exit the harbor at first light.   The stage was now set for a disaster.
     The author proceeds to describe the actions that resulted in a collision that was followed by a fire that was followed by the largest man-made explosion in history to that time up to Hiroshima in 1945.
6 million pounds of explosives detonated in 1/15th of a second, creating shock waves, heat and fire, and ground shaking that rivaled a substantial earthquake.   Over 1900 citizens were killed, many of whom died of wounds before help could free them from their trapped situations.  Many of the masonry buildings collapsed immediately, trapping helpless occupants.   Wooden structures were set afire which consumed blocks of central Halifax.  The city of 60,000+ residents was stunned in disbelief.  Many people thought the Germans were responsible in that many Canadian soldiers were then fighting the Germans in France and Belgium.   Troops ships had often been departing from these same docks.   25, 000 people were homeless; hundreds of children were now orphans; hundreds of parents were now childless.   Countless others were traumatized and would never forget the day.  It was their version of our Pearl Harbor in 1941 or 9/11/2001.
      More than 9,000 victims were wounded, many with horrible disfiguring wounds caused by broken glass that was sent flying as shrapnel when the ship exploded.  It would be hours before the world would learn what happened, but remarkably, within hours help would be on the way in the form of doctors and nurses with equipment and medicines from Boston, MA, to help with the necessary aid required to treat the casualties.