Accidental Explosion Obliterates a Town

Halifax Harbor in Nova Scotia supports the communities of Halifax on the west shore and Dartmouth on the east shore. By 1917, the harbor area was home to 65,000 people, and it was a critical naval hub in World War I.
On Dec. 6, 1917, the Norwegian ship SS Imo was sailing out with relief supplies bound for Belgium, and was speeding to make up for delays. Meanwhile, the French ship SS Mont-Blanc was sailing into the harbor, seeking to rendezvous with a convoy staging in Bedford Basin, the wide inner harbor on the far side of the narrow strait separating Halifax and Dartmouth.
The Mont-Blanc was laden with a full cargo of guncotton, TNT, picric acid and benzole fuel.