The Great Halifax Explosion

A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism

By: John U. Bacon

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

From New York Times bestselling author John U. Bacon, a gripping narrative history of the largest manmade detonation prior to Hiroshima: in 1917 a ship laden with the most explosives ever packed on a vessel sailed out of Brooklyn’s harbor for the battlegrounds of World War I; when it stopped in Halifax, Nova Scotia, an extraordinary disaster awaited. . . .

On Monday, December 3, 1917, the French freighter SS Mont-Blanc set sail from Brooklyn carrying the largest cache of explosives ever loaded onto a ship, including 2,300 tons of picric acid, an unstable, poisonous chemical more powerful than TNT. The U.S. had just recently entered World War I, and the ordnance was bound for the battlefields of France, to help the Allies break the grueling stalemate that had protracted the fighting for nearly four demoralizing years. The explosives were so dangerous that Captain Aimé Le Medec took unprecedented safety measures, including banning the crew from smoking, lighting matches, or even touching a drop of liquor.

Sailing north, the Mont-Blanc faced deadly danger, enduring a terrifying snowstorm off the coast of Maine and evading stealthy enemy U-boats hunting the waters of the Atlantic. But it was in Nova Scotia that an extraordinary disaster awaited. As the Mont-Blanc waited to dock in Halifax, it was struck by a Norwegian relief ship, the Imo, charging out of port. A small fire on the freighter’s deck caused by the impact ignited the explosives below, resulting in a horrific blast that, in one fifteenth of a second, leveled 325 acres of Halifax—killing more than 1,000 people and wounding 9,000 more.

In this definitive account, Bacon combines research and eyewitness accounts to re-create the tragedy and its aftermath, including the international effort to rebuild the devastated port city. As he brings to light one of the most dramatic incidents of the twentieth century, Bacon explores the long shadow this first ""weapon of mass destruction"" would cast on the future of nuclear warfare— crucial insights and understanding relevant to us today.

nothing better than a story well told

stories are the messages that connect people over great expenses of time. The teachings, the methods of reaching into the past to teach the future as a vital skill not everyone can do that well. John U Bacon can and does.

Tragedy That Binds 2 Countries

After visiting Halifax several times over the past years I was eager to read a thorough historical account of this disaster. It is a fascinating read of the timing of vessels during this time period and the importance of the Halifax harbor. The resilience and degree of brotherhood and humanity is heart warming. I encourage everyone to read this - emphasizes the servant’s heart and brotherhood of 2 countries and their people to recover from such a devastating catastrophe!

A tragic but also very hopeful book

Excellent research. Riveting Writing/Performance Opens with the foibles and blindness to possible tragedy that all humanity suffers from. Describes in detail how real people dealt with the biggest human made explosion in history up to that point in time. Describes how when everything is gone humans are basically good, caring and wanting to help others. Left me feeling that we still have hope to return to less hateful, polarized times. I'm just praying it doesn't take a terrible tragic event to get us there

Fascinating Day in Historu

Man’s humanity to his fellow man in the aftermath of a disaster. Resilience and fortitude in the face of a horrific tragedy.

A Good, Humane, Account of an Inhumane Tragedy

I found the text to be an excellent grounding to contextualize the events leading up to the explosion, as well as being generous to the majority of those he reported upon.

The biggest question I’d always had about the explosion had been to wonder how Mont Blanc got saddled with sole blame at the two initial legal cases. This book offers an explanation that feels very compelling to me.

The narrator does a great job with the text. I recommend this work to all readers.