One Hundred Years Ago

[Grant Lamontagne]

One hundred years ago, on December 7th, 1917 two vessels collided in Halifax Harbour.  One was a Norwegian vessel called the SS Imo, and the other was the SS Mont Blanc, which was loaded with munitions.  The collision caused a fire, which then set off the munitions and created the world's largest non nuclear, man made explosion and wiping out a good portion of the city of Halifax- and a small tribe of indigenous people.

In fact, my house in Halifax is in the area that was utterly destroyed in the Halifax Explosion.

Because of the aid that was sent to Halifax from Boston, to this day the finest Christmas tree in Nova Scotia is packed up and sent to Boston to be displayed in the Boston Common every year.

Tomorrow (today for some of you) marks 100 years since that fateful day.   It is immortalized in this Heritage Minute that is well known to every Canadian:



For more details on the Halifax Explosion you can check out the Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion

It's a huge deal for much of Canada, and especially for anyone who has lived or is from the East Coast.

Def

[Nix]

Halifax is a great city. Everyone should visit at some point.

When I was there for the first time, I went to the Maritime Museum and learned about the explosion. I then visited some of the graveyards where the numerous casualties of this disaster were buried. That really brought it home.

But Halifax has since rebounded and become one of the jewel cities of North America.

Thanks for the reminder, Def

[ThundahBeagle]

Grant,

Thank you and yours from me and mine.

I'm in Boston and have enjoyed the tree you folks have sent down every year since I was a boy and had no idea where it even came from.

More than 10 years before that naval disaster, my great grandfather was arriving in Halifax from Ireland and that family mixed with French Canadians and they eventually headed down to Boston.

Growing up, when I learned Halifax sent it down every year, I wondered as a kid, well what do we give Halifax in return. Obviously I learned early on about this. It is a beautiful and friendly international gesture, and I sure hope that Boston is being as generous a friend to anyone who has ever helped us out. Such as during the Molasses incident or the great fire on Nantucket. I hope so.

Some of you may remember a recent post I made in the Flashlight section (EDCMagLites), where I was thinking about giving the still-in-package Leatherman OG Super Tool / Mini MagLite combo to a fellow employee who is in the Custodial and Maintenance department, but all he wanted was his Leatherman Wingman repaired. He's originally from the Halifax area and is salt of the earth. He'd give you the shirt off his back.

Knowing him, I'm not surprised that the people of Halifax are so kind and generous.

[Poncho65]

A day that we all need to remember

Not sure I even knew of this before now but it is something I will try and observe on the 7th

[Don Pablo]

 

[Gerhard Gerber]

Never heard of this incident before, will read up on it a bit! 

[Don Pablo]

"Mont-Blanc's forward 90 mm gun, its barrel melted away, landed approximately 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) north of the explosion site near Albro Lake in Dartmouth, while the shank of her anchor, weighing half a ton, landed 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) south at Armdale" 

[Don Pablo]

"while the harbour floor was momentarily exposed by the volume of water that vaporized"

[Whoey]

Halifax is about as much my hometown as it can be (was born there). Obviously well informed about it over the years.

[ThePeacent]

due to my fascination with explosions I read about it as a child, and it was in each and every "Top 10 biggest non-nuclear explosions" of the 20th Century, together with the Tunguska Event (1908), the blowing up of Heligoland (2nd WW) and other famous events.

It's incredible that it's been 100 years already.
What I didn't know was the tree gesture, very neat thing to do   

Long live Halifax!

[Grant Lamontagne]

"Mont-Blanc's forward 90 mm gun, its barrel melted away, landed approximately 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) north of the explosion site near Albro Lake in Dartmouth, while the shank of her anchor, weighing half a ton, landed 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) south at Armdale" 

Those are still there.  Right in the middle of neighborhoods you see a small park area and a giant anchor with a plaque next to it.

90mm gun barrel:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@44.6833031,-63.5797723,3a,60y,357.64h,89.53t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1stIOW0_ZzsRFMyFPJZvJRYA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

If the link doesn't take you there, streetview the corner of Pinehill and Albro Lake Road.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

"while the harbour floor was momentarily exposed by the volume of water that vaporized"

I always wondered about that- anyone that would have been close enough to see that would not have been around to tell anyone.

Additionally I figured much of the water was pushed away by the shockwave as well as vaporization.

CBC also put this together, which is pretty cool and informative:

http://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/halifaxexplosion/

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

For those who may be curious about where my house is, here is the blast zone:



And here is where my house is:
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/3782+Kencrest+Ave,+Halifax,+NS+B3K+3L5/@44.6728401,-63.6109223,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4b5a211658665053:0x410bca1d0a5fb44e!8m2!3d44.6727028!4d-63.6110296

Looking at the two maps you can see my neighborhood was pretty well flattened, which is interesting because at the time, the park across the road from my house (Merv Sullivan Park) was a penitentiary called Rockhead Prison.  I often wonder how badly it was affected by the explosion. 

Even in this smaller estimation of the blast zone you see the location of my house is well within range.



Def

[Don Pablo]

Also on this day, another(smaller) explosion. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_TV3

[Aloha]

   I recently watched a video of disasters and recall this one.  Pretty incredible event explosion wise not to mention lives lost.  I also didn't know about the trees sent to Boston.  Thanks for reminding us. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Also on this day, another(smaller) explosion. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_TV3

I was aware of that one, but not the date.  Thanks for sharing!

Def

[Don Pablo]

Also on this day, another(smaller) explosion. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_TV3

I was aware of that one, but not the date.  Thanks for sharing!

Def

Thank the "on this day" Wikipedia page. 
 

[El Corkscrew]

   Those poor people.   

Thanks for sharing.

[AlephZero]

Also on this day 100 years ago...

Little known country called Finland declared its independence 

[Marc_in_NS]

One hundred years ago, on December 7th, 1917 two vessels collided in Halifax Harbour.  One was a Norwegian vessel called the SS Imo, and the other was the SS Mont Blanc, which was loaded with munitions.  The collision caused a fire, which then set off the munitions and created the world's largest non nuclear, man made explosion and wiping out a good portion of the city of Halifax- and a small tribe of indigenous people.

In fact, my house in Halifax is in the area that was utterly destroyed in the Halifax Explosion.

Because of the aid that was sent to Halifax from Boston, to this day the finest Christmas tree in Nova Scotia is packed up and sent to Boston to be displayed in the Boston Common every year.

Tomorrow (today for some of you) marks 100 years since that fateful day.   It is immortalized in this Heritage Minute that is well known to every Canadian:



For more details on the Halifax Explosion you can check out the Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Explosion

It's a huge deal for much of Canada, and especially for anyone who has lived or is from the East Coast.

Def

You mean today the Sixth...

[Marc_in_NS]

A day that we all need to remember

Not sure I even knew of this before now but it is something I will try and observe on the 7th

Ponch...it’s today... 09:04 this morning Atlantic Standard Time.

[AlephZero]

6th of december, Finland declared it's independence from Russian Empire/Soviet Union, 27th January - 15th May 1918, Finnish Civil War, between the Whites and the Reds 

[AlephZero]

30th November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finnish territory, starting the Winter War 

[AlephZero]

I guess I shouldn't be hijacking this thread... 

[AlephZero]

Moving on to my own thread

[El Corkscrew]

   I didn't mind the history lesson one bit 

[Poncho65]

A day that we all need to remember

Not sure I even knew of this before now but it is something I will try and observe on the 7th

Ponch...it’s today... 09:04 this morning Atlantic Standard Time.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

30th November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finnish territory, starting the Winter War 

 I am sisu

[AlephZero]

30th November 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finnish territory, starting the Winter War 

 I am sisu

Let's just say, you don't smurf with the Finns!

[ducttapetech]

I have read about the explosion but did not know about the yearly tree tradition. Very cool!