On December 6th 1917 two cargo ships traveling through Halifax harbour collided, creating the largest explosion until the detonation of the atomic bomb. The explosion killed many people and devastated Halifax, its harbour and the neighbouring towns of Richmond and Darmouth. The towns surrounding the harbour were thriving thanks to the war overseas and their populations grew drastically. Halifax quickly became a "boom" town by 1917, only three years after the war. Halifax's population was about 50, 000 before the explosion, which at the time was one of the largest in Atlantic Canada. Businesses and industries around the harbour were on the rise since everything in Halifax revolved around the harbour. Since WWI broke out, Halifax harbour was extremely busy due to wartime shipping. It was so busy that the harbour traffic control couldn't keep up with the sheer volume of ships passing through daily. Collisions were frequent in the harbour. The ships usually followed "the rules of the road", which meant that ships had to pass each other on the right and signal their intentions and respect those of others. The two ships involved in the collision, the Monte-Blanc and the Imo did not adhere to any of the harbour rules. The devastating explosion could have been averted if harbour patrol had been warned of what the ship was carrying, if the Monte-Blanc had raised a flag warning of its cargo and if the public had been warned of the collision.The Great War had brought prosperity to Halifax. The harbour was constantly busy with convoys of men and materials bound for Europe. But on the evening of December 5, two ships' captains anxiously awaited departure. The Imo, a Belgian relief ship at anchor in the harbour, had a late inspection that forced a delay departure until morning. Outside the harbour sat the French steamship Mont Blanc, awaiting morning access to the harbour and official clearance. Four days earlier the Mont Blanc freighter had been loaded with tons of picric acid,…
