Download or read book The Halifax Explosion and the Royal Canadian Navy written by John Griffith Armstrong and published by UBC Press. This book was released on 2011-11-01 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Halifax Explosion of 1917 is a defining event in the Canadian consciousness, yet it has never been the subject of a sustained analytical history. Astonishingly, until now no one has consulted the large federal government archives that contain first-hand accounts of the disaster and the response of national authorities. Canada's recently established navy was at the epicentre of the crisis. Armstrong reveals the navy's compelling, and little-known, story by carefully retracing the events preceding the disaster and the role of the military in its aftermath. He catches the pulse of disaster response in official Ottawa and provides a compelling analysis of the legal manoeuvres, rhetoric, blunders, public controversy, and crisis management that ensued. His disturbing conclusion is that federal officials knew of potential dangers in the harbour before the explosion, took no corrective action, and kept the information from the public.
Download or read book Explosion in Halifax Harbour written by David Flemming and published by Formac Publishing Company. This book was released on 2004-10 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a definitive account of the Halifax explosion and its aftermath, and the most extensive collection of images - many in colour - available in print.
Download or read book The Seabound Coast written by William Johnston and published by Dundurn. This book was released on 2011-01-14 with total page 1292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Commended for the 2011 Keith Matthews Award From its creation in 1910, the Royal Canadian Navy was marked by political debate over the countrys need for a naval service. The Seabound Coast, Volume I of a three-volume official history of the RCN, traces the story of the navys first three decades, from its beginnings as Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Lauriers tinpot navy of two obsolescent British cruisers to the force of six modern destroyers and four minesweepers with which it began the Second World War. The previously published Volume II of this history, Part 1, No Higher Purpose, and Part 2, A Blue Water Navy, has already told the story of the RCN during the 19391945 conflict. Based on extensive archival research, The Seabound Coast recounts the acrimonious debates that eventually led to the RCNs establishment in 1910, its tenuous existence following the Laurier governments sudden replacement by that of Robert Borden one year later, and the navys struggles during the First World War when it was forced to defend Canadian waters with only a handful of resources. From the effects of the devastating Halifax explosion in December 1917 to the U-boat campaign off Canadas East Coast in 1918, the volume examines how the RCNs task was made more difficult by the often inconsistent advice Ottawa received from the British Admiralty in London. In its final section, this important and well-illustrated history relates the RCNs experience during the interwar years when anti-war sentiment and an economic depression threatened the services very survival.
Download or read book The Great Halifax Explosion written by John U. Bacon and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2017-11-07 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER 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.
Download or read book Explosion in Halifax Harbour 1917 written by Dan Soucoup and published by Nimbus+ORM. This book was released on 2017-10-30 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A riveting account of the collision of two ships—and the worst human-caused explosion in history before Hiroshima—with dozens of photos and illustrations. In late 1917, one of the greatest natural harbors in the world was humming with excitement. Halifax Harbor was filled with naval convoys and merchant vessels while factories worked overtime in support of the Allied war effort in Europe. But on December 6, Canada’s worst disaster struck, as two ships—one carrying high explosives—collided. The resulting blast killed and injured thousands, razing the city’s North End and destroying nearly everything in its path. This history is an account of tremendous human suffering and devastation, yet also of human bravery and survival against all odds. Chaos and confusion reigned that day in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, but what followed was a massive relief effort involving charitable assistance from all over the globe—especially Massachusetts. Explosion in Halifax Harbour, 1917 includes a detailed account of the event, chronicling many remarkable human tragedies, rescue and relief efforts, attempts to place blame for the collision, and the reconstruction program that created Canada’s first government-assisted housing program. Also included are 60 full-color images as well as sidebars on many monuments and commemorations that pay tribute to this catastrophic event. “Begins with a history of Halifax and its harbor and how important it was for the war effort in Europe…while there were countless acts of heroism, Soucoup writes there were also acts of looting and profiteering.” —The Star
Download or read book 6 12 17 written by John Boileau and published by . This book was released on 2017-08-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On December 6, 1917, two tramp steamers, the Mont-Blanc and the Imo, collided in wartime Halifax Harbour, creating what became the largest man-made explosion of its time. More than 2,000 people died, 9,000 were injured, 6,000 people were left homeless and an additional 19,000 were left without adequate shelter. In a combination of words and images (many never seen before), John Boileau delivers a breathtaking account of the magnitude of this event.
Download or read book Catastrophe written by T. Joseph Scanlon and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2020-11-27 with total page 437 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Catastrophe weaves together compelling stories and potent lessons learned from the calamitous Halifax explosion—the worst non-natural disaster in North America before 9/11. On December 6, 1917, the Canadian city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was shattered when volatile cargo on the SS Mont-Blanc freighter exploded in the bustling wartime harbour. More than nineteen hundred people were killed and nine thousand injured. Across more than two square kilometres some 1200 homes, factories, schools and churches were obliterated or heavily damaged. Written from a scholarly perspective but in a journalistic style accessible to the general reader, this book explores how the explosion influenced later emergency planning and disaster theory. Rich in firsthand accounts gathered in decades of research in Canada, the US, the UK, France and Norway, the book examines the disaster from all angles. It delivers an inspiring message: the women and men at “ground zero” responded speedily, courageously, and effectively, fighting fires, rescuing the injured, and sheltering the homeless. The book also shows that the generous assistance that later came from central Canada and the US also brought some unhelpful intrusions by outside authorities. Unable to imagine the horror of the initial crisis, they ignored or even vilified a number of the first responders. This book will be of particular interest to disaster researchers and emergency planners along with journalists, and scholars of history, Maritime studies, and Canadian studies.
Download or read book Scapegoat written by Joel Zemel and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Halifax Explosion written by Ken Cuthbertson and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2017-11-07 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On December 6, 1917, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc and the Norwegian war-relief vessel Imo collided in the harbour at Halifax, Nova Scotia. That accident sparked a fire and an apocalyptic explosion that was the largest man-made blast prior to the 1945 dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Together with the killer tsunami that followed, the explosion devastated the entire city in the wink of an eye and instantly killed more than two thousand people. While much has been written about the disaster, there is still more to the story, including the investigation of the key figures involved, the histories of the ships that collided and the confluence of circumstances that brought these two vessels together to touch off one of the most tragic man-made disasters of the twentieth century. The Halifax Explosion is a fresh, revealing account that finally answers questions that have lingered for a century: Was the explosion a disaster triggered by simple human error? Was it caused by the negligence of the ships’ pilots or captains? Was it the result of shortcomings in harbour practices and protocols? Or was the blast—as many people at the time insisted—the result of sabotage carried out by wartime German agents? December 6, 2017, marks the centennial of the great Halifax explosion. The Halifax Explosion tells the gripping, as-yet untold story of Canada’s worst disaster—a haunting tale of survival, incredible courage and, ultimately, the triumph of the human spirit.
Download or read book Halifax and the Royal Canadian Navy written by John Boileau and published by Nimbus Publishing (CN). This book was released on 2010 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On May 4, 1910, the Liberal government of Sir Wilfrid Laurier passed the Naval Service Act, which created the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Ever since, the RCN and the city of Halifax-a strategic Canadian port on the Atlantic-have been partners. During the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic, Halifax was a major centre of operations for the RCN, which was tasked with the crucial missions of escorting merchant ships and hunting German U-Boats not far off Halifax's coast. But the relationship with the city of Halifax was not without turmoil: at the conclusion of the war the pent-up frustrations of sailors boiled over into the V-E Day riots. Part of the popular Images of Our Past series, Halifax and the RCN marks the centennial of the Royal Canadian Navy's founding in 1910. Author John Boileau's superbly researched narrative is supplemented with over 150 historical photos of the sailors, ships, and shore establishments that defined the RCN. An accessible and lively photographic history, Halifax and the RCN is a worthy tribute to the Royal Canadian Navy and its home port.
Download or read book Canada s Bastions of Empire written by Bryan Elson and published by Formac Publishing Company. This book was released on 2014-10-10 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a fresh perspective on North American history, and the key role played by Halifax and Victoria in ensuring that Canada emerged as an independent country in the 20th century. Brian Elson focuses on the significance of the bases for the all-powerful British navy at Halifax and Victoria through the 19th century and the First World War. As he explains, Halifax gave the Royal Navy the land base they needed to project British power along the whole east Atlantic coast of North America. Victorias Esquimault did the same thing for the Pacific coast. During the 1800s the United States grew dramatically, adding huge swaths of lands west, south and north that had belonged to France, Spain, Mexico, and Russia while pushing aside native peoples. More than once the American government came into conflict with Britain over British territory in North America. There were threats of war and annexation, and American popular support for absorbing Canada was strong. In this book Bryan Elson shows how the British presence in Halifax, and later in Victoria, stood in the way of US designs on Canada. American leaders knew that the British Navy, with its bases on both coasts, had the power to cut them off from the rest of the world with a naval blockade. The American threat to Canada was effectively countered by the British presence in these two cities. The two bastions played their most important role in the early years of the First World War. As Bryan Elson explains, in 1914 the United States stood aside while the British Empire, including Canada, took on Germany. In this situation, the British navy including the Canadian navys first east coast warship mounted a show of force by stopping all incoming and outgoing traffic from the port of New York. This lasted until the US finally opted into the war, on the side of Britain, in 1917. Meanwhile, on the west coast the Equimault naval base was buttressed by the extraordinary action of the B.C. provincial government which at the start of the war bought two new submarines from a shipyard in Seattle for the fledgling Canadian navy.
Download or read book Shattered City written by Janet Kitz and published by Nimbus+ORM. This book was released on 2010-09-01 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This chronicle of the 1917 Halifax Explosion presents a vivid account of the historic tragedy and the relief and rebuilding efforts that followed. On December 6th, 1917, the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo in the Narrows that lead into Halifax Harbor. The Mont-Blanc was carrying a shipment of explosives from New York, ultimately bound for Bordeaux, France. A fire onboard ignited the cargo, causing a blast that obliterated everything within a half-mile radius. The Richmond district of Halifax was destroyed. A tsunami created by the blast washed the Imo ashore and wiped out a Mi’kmaq community. Shattered City is the most comprehensive book on the Halifax Explosion, detailing the event, the aftermath, and the restoration. It encompasses dozens of previously unpublished stories, photographs, and documents, along with some thought-provoking coverage of the inquiry into the disaster.
Download or read book North Atlantic Run written by Marc Milner and published by US Naval Institute Press. This book was released on 1985 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focuses on a series of bitter and tragic battles fought by the RCN in mid-Atlantic during the latter half of 1942. Events of those 6 months constituted the crisis of Canada's naval war. The fall-out from this crisis, its impact on the operational deployment of the fleet, and the violent upheaval it caused in Ottawa are key parts of this story. Portrays both Canada and the RCN as dynamic elements in the struggle for the convoys against the marauding U-boats of World War II.
Download or read book Halifax at War written by William Naftel and published by Formac Publishing Company Limited. This book was released on 2008-10-15 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of Halifax's extraordinary role in the Second World War.
Download or read book Sailors Slackers and Blind Pigs written by Stephen Kimber and published by Anchor Canada. This book was released on 2010-06-25 with total page 397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The untold story of how war transformed the city of Halifax. Stephen Kimber recreates life in Halifax during the Second World War, a city transformed by the influx of military and civilian personnel serving the war effort. Poorly governed and corrupt, the city erupted at the end of the war in Europe in the infamous V-E Day riots of May 1945. Halifax was the only Canadian city directly caught up in the drama, danger, death, and disaster of our last “good” war. Through the eyes and experiences of the people who lived it—sailors, slackers (civilians), prohibitionists, spies, profiteers, and just plain local folk—Stephen Kimber brings this extraordinary period of history to life. From an initial outpouring of imperial patriotism and local paternalism to the final Bacchanalian orgy of booze, looting, dancing in the streets, public fornication and general mayhem, this is the true, untold story of how a city changed a war, and a war changed a city. Drawing on primary sources ranging from local government and military archives to personal diaries, Kimber recreates life in Halifax during the Second World War so convincingly that readers will feel that they have journeyed back in time to meet some of the most colourful characters ever encountered in a history book.
Download or read book Aftershock written by Janet Maybee and published by Nimbus+ORM. This book was released on 2015-10-16 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the greatest maritime disasters in history is reexamined in light of new evidence in this revealing chronicle of the 1917 Halifax explosion. On December 6, 1917, harbor pilot Francis Mackey was guiding the SS Mont Blanc, a French munitions ship, into Bedford Basin to join a convoy across the Atlantic when it was rammed by the Belgian Relief vessel SS Imo. The resulting massive explosion destroyed Halifax's north end and left at least two thousand people dead, including pilot William Hayes aboard Imo. The tragedy left the country in shock—and looking for someone to blame. Federal government and naval officials found in Pilot Mackey a convenient target for public anger. Charged with manslaughter, he was imprisoned, villainized in the press, and denied his pilot's license even after the charges were dropped. A century later he is still unfairly linked to the tragedy. Through interviews with Mackey's relatives, transcripts, letters, and newly exposed government documents, author Janet Maybee explores the circumstances leading up to the Halifax Explosion, the question of culpability, and the unjust, deliberate persecution that followed for Mackey and his family.
Download or read book The Woman Reporter and the Halifax Explosion written by Michael Dupuis and published by FriesenPress. This book was released on 2024-05-29 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wartime explosion in Halifax harbour has wrecked the city killing 2,000, injuring 9,000 and destroying 1,600 houses. Toronto Advocate cub reporter Kate Dawson is sent to Halifax to cover the explosion's aftermath and in the process prove herself equal to any male journalist. After reporting the devastation, interviewing key figures and covering the official inquiry into the disaster, she learns the authorities intend to place responsibility for the disaster on three innocent men. Kate faces a dilemma. Should she reveal the authorities' attempt at scapegoating the men, and by going public risk her career and imprisonment under the War Measures Act? Or, should she report the truth?
