April 16, 1947:
Docked in Texas City, TX, the S.S. Grandcamp, loaded with a cargo 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, suddenly and mysteriously caught fire. After failed attempts to extinguish the flames, the cargo exploded, launching the cargo 2,000-3,000 feet in the air and causing a 15-foot tidal wave. The shock could be felt as far as 250 miles away. The S.S. High Flyer, also loaded with ammonium nitrate, ignited and also exploded 16 hours later.—NOAA
Impact:
- Nearly 600 confirmed fatalities
- Thousands injured
- Town decimated
Related Resources:
- HSDL In Focus: Maritime Domain
- Record of Proceedings of Board of Investigation Inquiring into Losses by Fires and Explosions of the French Steamship Grandcamp and U.S. Steamships Highflyer and Wilson B. Keene at Texas City, Texas, 16 and 17 April 1947
- Regulation of Fertilizers: Ammonium Nitrate and Anhydrous Ammonia [July 31, 2013]
- HSDL search results for: Texas City 1947
Photo: (Credit: Alfred S. Gerson/wiki user)The Wilson B. Keene. The large piece of shrapnel in the foreground is probably a piece of the Grandcamp.