THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION - "a man made disaster"

1. THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION
a pure man-made disaster
PRESENTED BY,
R.PRANAVSANKAR
15BME031
INDUSTRIAL SAFETY
ENGINEERING

2. CONTENTS
 SHORT INTRO
 BEFORE THE EXPLOSION
 THE IMO CARGO
 THE MONT BLANC CARGO
 COLLISION
 CAUSES
 EFFECT OF THE DISASTER
 AFTERMATH AND RECOVERY
 CONCLUSION

3. SHORT INTRO
 HALIFAX IS A CITY LOCATED IN CANADA
 CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE WORLD’S DEADLIEST MAN MADE DISASTER
 CLAIMED ALMOST 2000 LIVES
 INCIDENT HAPPENED ON THE MORNING OF 6TH DECEMEBER 1917
 CARGO COLLISION LOADED WITH PICRIC ACID EXPLOSIVES BOUND FOR THE
BATTLEFIELDS OF THE WORLD WAR

4. BEFORE THE EXPLOSION
 HALIFAX WAS THE CHIEF TRANSPORT LINK BETWEEN CANADA AND EUROPE
 SHIPS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD CAME TO HALIFAX TO TRANSPORT GOODS
TO THE WAR ZONE
 IT WAS A BUSY, WARTIME PORT CITY IN 1917

5. IMO CARGO
 THE IMO – NORWEGIAN SHIP ORIGINALLY USED AS A LIVESTOCK CARRIER
(CATTLE TRANSFER)
 IN 1912 IT WAS REGISTERED AS A SUPPLY SHIP FOR THE SOUTH PACIFIC
WHALING COMPANY
 THE CAPTAIN OF THE IMO - HAAKON FROM, CONTROLLED A CREW OF 39
PEOPLE
 WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE FROM HALIFAX TO NEW YORK WHERE THE EXPLOSION
OCCURED

6. THE MONT BLANC CARGO
 THE MONT BLANC WAS A CARGO AMMUNITION SHIP OWNED BY THE FRENCH
 320 FEET LONG SHIP CARRIED ABOUT 41 FRENCH SAILORS
 SHIP WAS FILLED WITH TONNES OF BENZOL, HIGH EXPLOSIVE PICRIC ACID,
TNT AND GUN COTTON
 CAME THE OTHER SIDE FROM FRENCH TO THE HALIFAX

7. COLLISION
 THE INCIDENT OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY BY 8.45AM OF 6TH DECEMBER 1917
 TWO SHIPS MET AT THE SLIMMEST PART OF THE HARBOR WHERE THEY GOT
COLLIDED
 ALTHOUGH IT WASN’T CONSIDERED TO BE A BIG COLLISION BUT DUE TO THE
FRICTION, THE FIRE BROKE OUT RAPIDLY

8. CAUSES
 IMO CARGO STARTED TO DEPART FROM THE HALIFAX PORT
 MOVED TOWARDS HARBOR’S TIGHTEST NAVIGATION SECTION MOVING ON THE
EASTERN SIDE INSTEAD OF TRAVELLING TOWARDS THE WEST
 WEST DIRECTION WAS THE NORMAL TRAVELLING ROUTE OF THE OUTGIONG
SHIPS
 ALREADY BY EARLY MORNING IT HAD WITNESSED TWO INBOUND VESSELS
TRAVELLING TOWARDS BEDFORD BASIN STARBOARD –TO- STARBOARD
 THIS RESULTED THE IMO TO MOVE TOO FAR TO THE EASTERN SIDE
 THE MONT BLANC WHICH ARRIVED AT HALIFAX THE PREVIOUS DAY WAS
CLEARED BY THE HARBOR AUTHORITIES TO THE BEDFORD BASIN

9. CONTD…
 AFTER A SERIES OF WHISTLES AND MISCOMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE
OFFICIALS AND THE PILOTS OF BOTH CARGOS – RESULTED IN COLLISION
 SPARKS WERE GENERATED WHICH IGNITED THE VOLATILE GRAINS OF THE DRY
PICRIC ACID STORED BELOW THE DECKS OF THE MONT BLANC
 SENT A HUGE PLUME OF BLCK SMOKE TO THE SKY
 FIRE BROKE OUT FOR NEARLY HALF AN HOUR

10. EFFECTS
 THE MONT BLANC EXPLODED AROUND 9.05AM
 SENT OUT SHOCK WAVE IN ALL DIRECTIONS WHICH RESULTED IN TSUNAMI
 MORE THAN ABOUT 2.5 KM SURROUNDINGS WERE DEMOLISHED AND THE
BUILDINGS WERE COLLAPSED
 ALL STRUCTURAL BUILDINGS INCLUDING HOMES,OFFICES,VESSELS WERE ALL
DEMOLISHED
 CLAIMED THE LIVES OF ALMOST 2000 PEOPLE
 6000 PEOPLE WERE LEFT WITHOUT SHELTER

11. AFTERMATH AND RECOVERY
 WITHIN 2 DAYS SHIPS FROM BOSTON ARRIVED WITH $300,000 WORTH OF
RELIEF SUPPLIES
 MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WERE DONATED ALL AROUND THE WORLD TO HELP
RELIEF THE DEVASTATION OF THE HALIFAX
 EVERY CHRISTMAS HALIFAX SENDS A BIG CHRISTMAS TREE TO BOSTON TO
THANK THEM FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND RELIEF

12. CONCLUSION
IS THERE ANYTHING MORE
FRIGHTENING THAN CARELESSNESS
OF PEOPLE…..A QUESTION TO THINK
OF
“TREATMENT WITHOUT PREVENTION
IS SIMPLY UNSUSTAINABLE”