Red Sea Wreck Guide
On 6 December 1917 the abandon the area immediately
French ship Mont Blanc to anyone who could hear. The
collided with the Norwegian French crew’s warnings went
ship the SS Imo in Halifax largely unheard by the mainly
Harbour in Nova Scotia, English speaking community
Canada. There was initial minor of Halifax. Twenty-fi ve minutes
damage to the bow; however, later the fi re aboard SS Mont
a small fi re broke out as a Blanc ignited the cargo of
result of sparks igniting some 2,366 tons of picric acid, 250
of the benzol and picric acid tons of TNT, 62 tons of gun
barrels on the bow deck. The cotton and 246 tons of benzol.
crew, unable to reach the fi re-fi ghting equipment, abandoned ship under
the orders of the skipper, Aime Le Medec, and within ten minutes had
Buildings covering nearly two square kilometres (500 acres) around the
reached portside where they immediately ran for their lives.
adjacent shore were wiped out, including those in the neighbouring
communities. The massive explosion caused a tsunami in the harbour
Proceeding hurriedly along a main road they shouted their warnings to reaching 18m high and a pressure wave that snapped trees, bent iron
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