On December 6, 1917, at the height of World War I, a Belgian relief ship, the Imo, collided with the Mont Blanc in Halifax harbour. the Mont Blanc was loaded with 2622 Tons of high explosives bound for the war in Europe. The Mont Blanc caught fire and exploded in the largest non-nuclear explosion in history. The ground wave from the explosion was felt as far away as Prince Edward Island. One Thousand nine hundred people lost their lives and six thousand were injured. Over thirty thousand people in Halifax and Dartmouth were left homeless.
Most of the
cemeteries in the Halifax/Dartmouth area contain graves of the
victims of the explosion. The graves shown below are only two
of the explosion victims interred at Christ Church Cemetery in
Dartmouth. Christ Church is one of three cemeteries within walking
distance of the passenger ferry which runs across the harbour
between Dartmouth and Halifax. All three are included on self
guided walking tours available at any accommodation or visitor
centre.
The Halifax explosion is an important part of the history of Halifax/Dartmouth and there is much information available on the disaster. If you visit the area, you could spend several days just visiting the cemeteries, let alone the museums and heritage buildings.
