The "riveting" (National Post) tick-tock account of the largest manmade explosion in history prior to the atomic bomb, and the equally astonishing tales of survival and heroism that emerged from the ashes
“Enthralling. ... Gripping. ... A captivating and emotionally investing journey.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
After steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering three thousand tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT—the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for HIroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in one fifteenth of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a thirty-five-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble.
This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion: a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands.
The shocking scale of the disaster stunned the world, dominating global headlines even amid the calamity of the First World War. Hours after the blast, Boston sent trains and ships filled with doctors, medicine, and money. The explosion would revolutionize pediatric medicine; transform U.S.-Canadian relations; and provide physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who studied the Halifax explosion closely when developing the atomic bomb, with history's only real-world case study demonstrating the lethal power of a weapon of mass destruction.
Mesmerizing and inspiring, Bacon's deeply-researched narrative brings to life the tragedy, bravery, and surprising afterlife of one of the most dramatic events of modern times.
John U. Bacon is the author of the national bestseller The Great Halifax Explosion and five bestselling books about college football, including Three and Out, Fourth and Long, Endzone, and Bo’s Lasting Lessons, co-authored with Michigan coach Bo Schembechler. A former feature writer for the Detroit News, his writing has been recognized three times in The Best American Sports Writing series. He appears often on NPR and national television, including ESPN’s 2019 documentary series on college football. He has taught at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and the University of Michigan. A popular public speaker, he lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and son.
Table of Contents
Part I A Forgotten Story
Chapter 1 A Century of Gratitude 3
Chapter 2 Under Cover of Darkness 5
Part II O Canada
Chapter 3 "Why Aren't We Americans?" 21
Chapter 4 Waking Up Just in Time 31
Part III The Great War
Chapter 5 As Near to Hell 43
Chapter 6 Halifax at War 55
Chapter 7 Life and Death on the Western Front 61
Chapter 8 Halifax Harbour 69
Chapter 9 "It Can't Be Any Worse" 75
Chapter 10 "The City's Newer Part" 83
Chapter 11 Wounded Inside and Out 92
Part IV A Dangerous Dance
Chapter 12 Two Ships 105
Chapter 13 December 5, 1917 118
Chapter 14 A Game of Chicken 124
Chapter 15 "Look to Your Boats!" 140
Chapter 16 Box 83 150
Chapter 17 "Oh, Something Awful Is Going to Happen" 158
Part V 9:04:35 A.M.
Chapter 18 One-Fifteenth of a Second 167
Chapter 19 Parting the Sea 175
Chapter 20 Blown Away 181
Chapter 21 They're All Gone 193
Chapter 22 The Panic 205
Part VI Help
Chapter 23 No Time to Explain 225
Chapter 24 Ready to Go the Limit 238
Chapter 25 A Steady Stream of Victims 244
Chapter 26 Blizzard 255
Chapter 27 Lost and Found 262
Chapter 28 The Last Stop 270
Chapter 29 The Yanks Are Coming 276
Chapter 30 A Working Sabbath 281
Chapter 31 "It's Me, Barbara!" 288
Chapter 32 Small Gifts 292
Chapter 33 A Toast to Allies 303
Part VII Rebuilding
Chapter 34 The Missing and the Dead 309
Chapter 35 The Inquiry 315
Chapter 36 Christmas, 1917 319
Chapter 37 Orphans 325
Chapter 38 "Don't Stare" 331
Chapter 39 The Trials 338
Chapter 40 The Wholesome Discord of a Thousand Saws 346
