Halifax Disaster
By: Zachary
The Devastating Collision
There were several disasters in Canada during World War I, but the one on the morning of December 6, 1917 at 9:04 am was probably the biggest of all. A French ship the Mont Blanc accidentally hit another ship the Imo in Halifax Harbor. The Mont Blanc caught on fire. Tons of people gathered to watch the burning ship, but what they didn't know was that the Mont Blanc was filled with explosives. Suddenly, the ship exploded with a massive fireball sent more than a kilometre into the air. The Mont Blanc was gone.
The Aftermath
The explosion from the ship shattered windows, destroyed buildings, and killed more than 2,000 people. Much of Halifax was destroyed, at least 9,000 injured and more than 19,000 were either homeless or their homes and businesses were badly damaged.
After the devastating crash, lots of people blamed the Germans for the incident, but later it was shown to be an accident.