Devastating images of the Halifax Explosion, a cataclysm so great that some victims were blinded simply by looking at it.
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1 of 34Everything within a half-mile of the explosion was completely obliterated.
December 6, 1917City of Toronto Archives 2 of 34A massive smoke cloud ripples upward above the Halifax Explosion.
December 6, 1917Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 3 of 34Farther from the harbor, the homes of Halifax lay in ruins.
December 6, 1917Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 4 of 34Two survivors sift through the ruins of what was once their home.
December 6, 1917Wikimedia Commons 5 of 34Tufts Cove School, located in the nearby city of Dartmouth, is every bit as destroyed as the homes in Halifax.
December 6, 1917Wikimedia Commons 6 of 34Soldiers move onto the scene, trying to rescue anyone they can from under the rubble and debris.
December 6, 1917Library and Archives Canada 7 of 34The dead are laid out on a sled and dragged away.
December 6, 1917Library of Congress 8 of 34American Red Cross workers help carry a wounded man to a makeshift hospital set up nearby.
December 6, 1917Library of Congress 9 of 34A tent city set up for the survivors of the explosion.
January 5, 1918.Wikimedia Commons 10 of 34Volunteers tend to the wounded inside of a makeshift hospital set up in a commercial building.
Circa December 1917 to January 1918.Wikimedia Commons 11 of 34A child, injured in the explosion, recuperates in a hospital bed.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 12 of 34The badly burned legs of a young child caught in the fire.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 13 of 34Women from Africville, the black district of Halifax, make their way through the rubble.
December 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 14 of 34The ruins of the Halifax Harbor.
December 6, 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 15 of 34A pair of boats starts to move once more amid the devastation of Halifax Harbor.
December 1917.Library and Archives Canada 16 of 34The ruined heap of the SS Imo, one of the ships that caused the explosion, lies lifelessly in the water.
January 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 17 of 34St. Joseph’s Convent, a church and a school, in ruins after the devastation.
January 26, 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 18 of 34Crushed hens struggle for air inside of a ruined hen house.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 19 of 34Rescue workers sift through the debris and devastation.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 20 of 34Two women look at the debris, hoping something of the life that went up in flames can still be recovered.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 21 of 34The people start to rebuild.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 22 of 34A Knights of Columbus building has been converted into a hospital to manage the massive numbers of wounded poeple.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 23 of 34Nurses help the wounded inside of a temporary hospital.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 24 of 34A family stands vigil over their wounded child’s bed.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 25 of 34The Army and Navy Brewery company after being torn in half by the blast.
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. December 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 26 of 34A building destroyed in the explosion.
December 1917.Wikimedia Commons 27 of 34A home lies in ruins.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 28 of 34Workers sift through the ruins of peoples’ homes.
December 1917.Library and Archives Canada 29 of 34A church destroyed in the explosion.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 30 of 34Caskets for the recovered dead are laid out for burial.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 31 of 34A crowd gathers to watch the funeral for the 2,000 who died in their city.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 32 of 34Workers prepare to rebuild their city.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 33 of 34The people of Halifax start to rebuild their city.
January 26, 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:
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The Halifax Explosion: 33 Photos Of History’s Worst Explosion Before Nuclear Weapons View Gallery
“Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbor making for Pier 6 and will explode.”
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1 of 34Everything within a half-mile of the explosion was completely obliterated.
December 6, 1917City of Toronto Archives 2 of 34A massive smoke cloud ripples upward above the Halifax Explosion.
December 6, 1917Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 3 of 34Farther from the harbor, the homes of Halifax lay in ruins.
December 6, 1917Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 4 of 34Two survivors sift through the ruins of what was once their home.
December 6, 1917Wikimedia Commons 5 of 34Tufts Cove School, located in the nearby city of Dartmouth, is every bit as destroyed as the homes in Halifax.
December 6, 1917Wikimedia Commons 6 of 34Soldiers move onto the scene, trying to rescue anyone they can from under the rubble and debris.
December 6, 1917Library and Archives Canada 7 of 34The dead are laid out on a sled and dragged away.
December 6, 1917Library of Congress 8 of 34American Red Cross workers help carry a wounded man to a makeshift hospital set up nearby.
December 6, 1917Library of Congress 9 of 34A tent city set up for the survivors of the explosion.
January 5, 1918.Wikimedia Commons 10 of 34Volunteers tend to the wounded inside of a makeshift hospital set up in a commercial building.
Circa December 1917 to January 1918.Wikimedia Commons 11 of 34A child, injured in the explosion, recuperates in a hospital bed.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 12 of 34The badly burned legs of a young child caught in the fire.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 13 of 34Women from Africville, the black district of Halifax, make their way through the rubble.
December 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 14 of 34The ruins of the Halifax Harbor.
December 6, 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 15 of 34A pair of boats starts to move once more amid the devastation of Halifax Harbor.
December 1917.Library and Archives Canada 16 of 34The ruined heap of the SS Imo, one of the ships that caused the explosion, lies lifelessly in the water.
January 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 17 of 34St. Joseph’s Convent, a church and a school, in ruins after the devastation.
January 26, 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 18 of 34Crushed hens struggle for air inside of a ruined hen house.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 19 of 34Rescue workers sift through the debris and devastation.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 20 of 34Two women look at the debris, hoping something of the life that went up in flames can still be recovered.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 21 of 34The people start to rebuild.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 22 of 34A Knights of Columbus building has been converted into a hospital to manage the massive numbers of wounded poeple.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 23 of 34Nurses help the wounded inside of a temporary hospital.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 24 of 34A family stands vigil over their wounded child’s bed.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 25 of 34The Army and Navy Brewery company after being torn in half by the blast.
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. December 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 26 of 34A building destroyed in the explosion.
December 1917.Wikimedia Commons 27 of 34A home lies in ruins.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 28 of 34Workers sift through the ruins of peoples’ homes.
December 1917.Library and Archives Canada 29 of 34A church destroyed in the explosion.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 30 of 34Caskets for the recovered dead are laid out for burial.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 31 of 34A crowd gathers to watch the funeral for the 2,000 who died in their city.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 32 of 34Workers prepare to rebuild their city.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 33 of 34The people of Halifax start to rebuild their city.
January 26, 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:
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And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts:
35 Photos Of Chernobyl Today After Being Frozen In Time By A Nuclear Meltdown
The Forgotten Explosion Of The Sultana, The Worst Maritime Disaster In American History
Joachim Ronneberg, The Resistance Fighter Who Sabotaged Nazi Nuclear Weapons, Dies At 99
1 of 34Everything within a half-mile of the explosion was completely obliterated.
December 6, 1917City of Toronto Archives 2 of 34A massive smoke cloud ripples upward above the Halifax Explosion.
December 6, 1917Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 3 of 34Farther from the harbor, the homes of Halifax lay in ruins.
December 6, 1917Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 4 of 34Two survivors sift through the ruins of what was once their home.
December 6, 1917Wikimedia Commons 5 of 34Tufts Cove School, located in the nearby city of Dartmouth, is every bit as destroyed as the homes in Halifax.
December 6, 1917Wikimedia Commons 6 of 34Soldiers move onto the scene, trying to rescue anyone they can from under the rubble and debris.
December 6, 1917Library and Archives Canada 7 of 34The dead are laid out on a sled and dragged away.
December 6, 1917Library of Congress 8 of 34American Red Cross workers help carry a wounded man to a makeshift hospital set up nearby.
December 6, 1917Library of Congress 9 of 34A tent city set up for the survivors of the explosion.
January 5, 1918.Wikimedia Commons 10 of 34Volunteers tend to the wounded inside of a makeshift hospital set up in a commercial building.
Circa December 1917 to January 1918.Wikimedia Commons 11 of 34A child, injured in the explosion, recuperates in a hospital bed.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 12 of 34The badly burned legs of a young child caught in the fire.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 13 of 34Women from Africville, the black district of Halifax, make their way through the rubble.
December 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 14 of 34The ruins of the Halifax Harbor.
December 6, 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 15 of 34A pair of boats starts to move once more amid the devastation of Halifax Harbor.
December 1917.Library and Archives Canada 16 of 34The ruined heap of the SS Imo, one of the ships that caused the explosion, lies lifelessly in the water.
January 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 17 of 34St. Joseph’s Convent, a church and a school, in ruins after the devastation.
January 26, 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 18 of 34Crushed hens struggle for air inside of a ruined hen house.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 19 of 34Rescue workers sift through the debris and devastation.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 20 of 34Two women look at the debris, hoping something of the life that went up in flames can still be recovered.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 21 of 34The people start to rebuild.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 22 of 34A Knights of Columbus building has been converted into a hospital to manage the massive numbers of wounded poeple.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 23 of 34Nurses help the wounded inside of a temporary hospital.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 24 of 34A family stands vigil over their wounded child’s bed.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 25 of 34The Army and Navy Brewery company after being torn in half by the blast.
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. December 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 26 of 34A building destroyed in the explosion.
December 1917.Wikimedia Commons 27 of 34A home lies in ruins.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 28 of 34Workers sift through the ruins of peoples’ homes.
December 1917.Library and Archives Canada 29 of 34A church destroyed in the explosion.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 30 of 34Caskets for the recovered dead are laid out for burial.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 31 of 34A crowd gathers to watch the funeral for the 2,000 who died in their city.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 32 of 34Workers prepare to rebuild their city.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 33 of 34The people of Halifax start to rebuild their city.
January 26, 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:
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And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts:
35 Photos Of Chernobyl Today After Being Frozen In Time By A Nuclear Meltdown
The Forgotten Explosion Of The Sultana, The Worst Maritime Disaster In American History
Joachim Ronneberg, The Resistance Fighter Who Sabotaged Nazi Nuclear Weapons, Dies At 99
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1 of 34Everything within a half-mile of the explosion was completely obliterated.
December 6, 1917City of Toronto Archives 2 of 34A massive smoke cloud ripples upward above the Halifax Explosion.
December 6, 1917Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 3 of 34Farther from the harbor, the homes of Halifax lay in ruins.
December 6, 1917Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 4 of 34Two survivors sift through the ruins of what was once their home.
December 6, 1917Wikimedia Commons 5 of 34Tufts Cove School, located in the nearby city of Dartmouth, is every bit as destroyed as the homes in Halifax.
December 6, 1917Wikimedia Commons 6 of 34Soldiers move onto the scene, trying to rescue anyone they can from under the rubble and debris.
December 6, 1917Library and Archives Canada 7 of 34The dead are laid out on a sled and dragged away.
December 6, 1917Library of Congress 8 of 34American Red Cross workers help carry a wounded man to a makeshift hospital set up nearby.
December 6, 1917Library of Congress 9 of 34A tent city set up for the survivors of the explosion.
January 5, 1918.Wikimedia Commons 10 of 34Volunteers tend to the wounded inside of a makeshift hospital set up in a commercial building.
Circa December 1917 to January 1918.Wikimedia Commons 11 of 34A child, injured in the explosion, recuperates in a hospital bed.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 12 of 34The badly burned legs of a young child caught in the fire.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 13 of 34Women from Africville, the black district of Halifax, make their way through the rubble.
December 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 14 of 34The ruins of the Halifax Harbor.
December 6, 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 15 of 34A pair of boats starts to move once more amid the devastation of Halifax Harbor.
December 1917.Library and Archives Canada 16 of 34The ruined heap of the SS Imo, one of the ships that caused the explosion, lies lifelessly in the water.
January 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 17 of 34St. Joseph’s Convent, a church and a school, in ruins after the devastation.
January 26, 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 18 of 34Crushed hens struggle for air inside of a ruined hen house.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 19 of 34Rescue workers sift through the debris and devastation.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 20 of 34Two women look at the debris, hoping something of the life that went up in flames can still be recovered.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 21 of 34The people start to rebuild.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 22 of 34A Knights of Columbus building has been converted into a hospital to manage the massive numbers of wounded poeple.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 23 of 34Nurses help the wounded inside of a temporary hospital.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 24 of 34A family stands vigil over their wounded child’s bed.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 25 of 34The Army and Navy Brewery company after being torn in half by the blast.
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. December 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 26 of 34A building destroyed in the explosion.
December 1917.Wikimedia Commons 27 of 34A home lies in ruins.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 28 of 34Workers sift through the ruins of peoples’ homes.
December 1917.Library and Archives Canada 29 of 34A church destroyed in the explosion.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 30 of 34Caskets for the recovered dead are laid out for burial.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 31 of 34A crowd gathers to watch the funeral for the 2,000 who died in their city.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 32 of 34Workers prepare to rebuild their city.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives 33 of 34The people of Halifax start to rebuild their city.
January 26, 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr 34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:
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1 of 34Everything within a half-mile of the explosion was completely obliterated.
December 6, 1917City of Toronto Archives
2 of 34A massive smoke cloud ripples upward above the Halifax Explosion.
December 6, 1917Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr
3 of 34Farther from the harbor, the homes of Halifax lay in ruins.
December 6, 1917Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr
4 of 34Two survivors sift through the ruins of what was once their home.
December 6, 1917Wikimedia Commons
5 of 34Tufts Cove School, located in the nearby city of Dartmouth, is every bit as destroyed as the homes in Halifax.
December 6, 1917Wikimedia Commons
6 of 34Soldiers move onto the scene, trying to rescue anyone they can from under the rubble and debris.
December 6, 1917Library and Archives Canada
7 of 34The dead are laid out on a sled and dragged away.
December 6, 1917Library of Congress
8 of 34American Red Cross workers help carry a wounded man to a makeshift hospital set up nearby.
December 6, 1917Library of Congress
9 of 34A tent city set up for the survivors of the explosion.
January 5, 1918.Wikimedia Commons
10 of 34Volunteers tend to the wounded inside of a makeshift hospital set up in a commercial building.
Circa December 1917 to January 1918.Wikimedia Commons
11 of 34A child, injured in the explosion, recuperates in a hospital bed.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
12 of 34The badly burned legs of a young child caught in the fire.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
13 of 34Women from Africville, the black district of Halifax, make their way through the rubble.
December 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr
14 of 34The ruins of the Halifax Harbor.
December 6, 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr
15 of 34A pair of boats starts to move once more amid the devastation of Halifax Harbor.
December 1917.Library and Archives Canada
16 of 34The ruined heap of the SS Imo, one of the ships that caused the explosion, lies lifelessly in the water.
January 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr
17 of 34St. Joseph’s Convent, a church and a school, in ruins after the devastation.
January 26, 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr
18 of 34Crushed hens struggle for air inside of a ruined hen house.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
19 of 34Rescue workers sift through the debris and devastation.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
20 of 34Two women look at the debris, hoping something of the life that went up in flames can still be recovered.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
21 of 34The people start to rebuild.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
22 of 34A Knights of Columbus building has been converted into a hospital to manage the massive numbers of wounded poeple.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
23 of 34Nurses help the wounded inside of a temporary hospital.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
24 of 34A family stands vigil over their wounded child’s bed.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
25 of 34The Army and Navy Brewery company after being torn in half by the blast.
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. December 1917.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr
26 of 34A building destroyed in the explosion.
December 1917.Wikimedia Commons
27 of 34A home lies in ruins.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
28 of 34Workers sift through the ruins of peoples’ homes.
December 1917.Library and Archives Canada
29 of 34A church destroyed in the explosion.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
30 of 34Caskets for the recovered dead are laid out for burial.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
31 of 34A crowd gathers to watch the funeral for the 2,000 who died in their city.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
32 of 34Workers prepare to rebuild their city.
December 1917.City of Toronto Archives
33 of 34The people of Halifax start to rebuild their city.
January 26, 1918.Nova Scotia Archives/Flickr
34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:
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The Halifax Explosion: 33 Photos Of History’s Worst Explosion Before Nuclear Weapons View Gallery
The Halifax Explosion: 33 Photos Of History’s Worst Explosion Before Nuclear Weapons View Gallery
The Halifax Explosion: 33 Photos Of History’s Worst Explosion Before Nuclear Weapons View Gallery
The Halifax Explosion: 33 Photos Of History’s Worst Explosion Before Nuclear Weapons View Gallery
The Halifax Explosion: 33 Photos Of History’s Worst Explosion Before Nuclear Weapons
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These were the last words of Vince Coleman, the train dispatcher who met his end on December 6, 1917, in the Halifax Explosion. Seconds later, the ship would explode and set off the 3,000 tons of explosives inside. It would be the biggest and most devastating explosion in history until the invention of the nuclear bomb.
The Halifax Explosion started when two ships collided in the harbor of the Nova Scotian capital of Halifax. A Norwegian ship, the SS Imo, had slammed into the SS Mont-Blanc, a French ship filled to the brim with TNT, picric acid, benezole, and guncotton.
The collision cracked open the barrel of benezole, dousing the ship in flammable chemicals. Then the SS Imo’s engine kicked in, setting off a spark that would kill thousands.
All 3,000 tons of explosives then went off at once, burning with a heat of more than 9,000 °F. In seconds, the flames eviscerated every building in a half-mile radius, while a brutal shockwave tore through the rest of the city, traveling more than half a mile per second and shaking the city to its bones.
The inferno tore through Halifax, burning so bright that some were blinded just from looking at the light of the explosion. Others were trapped inside their homes by the roaring fires around them. They had no way to escape from the smoke that slowly choked them and the flames that left nothing but ashes in their wake.
“The sight was awful,” one witness said. “People hanging out of windows dead. Some with their heads missing, and some thrown onto the overhead telegraph wires.”
By the end, the Halifax Explosion had ended 2,000 lives and seriously injured at least 9,000 more.
As horrible as it was, though, it would have been worse if it wasn’t for that one final message from Vince Coleman. He stayed at his post to make sure the train bound for the harbor wouldn’t come in. He gave up his chance for one last mad dash for survival to save the lives of the 300 people on board that train.
“Guess this will be my last message,” Coleman said as he watched the flames burn through the hull of the SS Mont-Blanc. “Good-bye boys.”
After this look at the Halifax Explosion, find out about the devastation of the Mt. Pelée volcanic disaster and the most devastating disasters of the 21st century.
