One barge was blown out of the water while the plane’s wings were blown off by the force of the explosion.
The video above shows a terrifying explosion in the US city of Texas, known as the Texas City Disaster. Black smoke billowed into the air, and houses near the harbor were destroyed after a ship carrying 2,300 tons of explosives caught fire. And this explosion was just a prelude to another explosion that followed.
This photo shows the explosion of the Grandcamp ship in Texas in 1947, followed by a series of other explosions.
Video of the Texas city disaster in 1947.
The Texas City Disaster began on April 16, 1947. The weather that day was quite cold with a temperature of 13 degrees and a wind of 32 km/h. The cargo ship SS Grandcamp docked in the Texas city five days earlier, according to the Texas City Library.
Before that, Grandcamp stopped in Belgium to load 16 boxes of weapons and ammunition onto the train. After crossing the Atlantic, the ship docked in Cuba and Houston, USA to exchange goods before anchoring at the Texas city port. Grandcamp docked in Texas to load ammonium nitrate fertilizer onto the ship. Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound used in fertilizers and is extremely explosive.
On April 16, about 2,300 tons of fertilizer were loaded into the cargo hold. At 8 a.m. that morning, eight porters got into the ship to finish their work.
The Grandcamp was carrying 2,300 extremely explosive substances.
Just then, they smelled smoke. During the inspection, the workers discovered a small fire in the ship. They tried to put out the fire with several water cans and fire extinguishers, but the flames continued to spread.
At 8:25 a.m., the fire truck was dispatched. At this point, however, the area below the cargo hold heats up so quickly that water cannot put out the fire.
Ammunition weapons are located in compartment 5 of Grandcamp, separated from the fire by a steel fence. Workers were asked to remove ammunition from compartment 5. However, they only moved 3/16 boxes when the manager ordered them out of the ship.
Knowing most of the ammunition was still on board, the crew immediately evacuated, fearing that the ship would explode. The captain of the ship decided to try to put out the fire by releasing steam into the cargo hold. He hopes this helps put out the fire without damaging the cargo.
Smoke rises from the fire on the Grandcamp.
But this is a serious mistake. Steam has liquefied ammonium nitrate, producing dinitrogen monoxide, which is extremely volatile. Steam also heats cargo holds 2 and 4, increasing the temperature. The heat inside the Grandcamp quickly reached 450 degrees Celsius, the temperature at which ammonium nitrate would explode. Fuel oil in compartments 3 and 4 also leaked into the pockets of ammonium nitrate, intensifying the fire.
The fire from the Grandcamp ship created a thick, high column of smoke that could be seen across the city. City people flocked to the harbor to watch the fire extinguishing operation. And this explains why there were so many casualties when Grandcamp exploded.
Ammonium nitrate aboard the Grandcamp exploded at 9:12 a.m., dissolving the wreck, blowing debris 600-900 meters high.
The fireball created by the explosion could be seen many kilometers away. Two planes carrying passengers for sightseeing nearby had broken wings, forcing an emergency landing.
The explosion created a 4.5m high wave that crashed into the pier and flooded the surrounding area. Windows in Houston, 64km from the port, were smashed. People in Louisiana, 400km away, felt the shaking.
Photograph of the Texas City pier after the explosion.
Most of the buildings near the explosion were flattened. The Monsanto factory, just 90 meters away, was also destroyed by the explosion.
The Texas City Railroad warehouse along the harbor also suffered major damage. Hundreds of employees, pedestrians and bystanders were killed.
And yet, debris from the explosion flew into huge oil and chemical tanks at the refineries. Explosions continue to occur here.
A barge named Longhorn II moored at the port was even blown out of the water by the force of the explosion, falling 30 meters from shore.
The director and 27 employees from the Texas City Fire Department were killed in the first explosion.
The barge Longhorn II was even blown out of the water by the explosion.
At the time of the first explosion, only two other ships were moored in port: the SS High Flyer and the Wilson B. Keene, both cargo ships like the Grandcamp.
The High Flyer is located next to Grandcamp, has been loaded but is still waiting for repair. The Wilson B. Keene is further away and is being loaded with powder.
In addition to carrying about 1,000 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, High Flyer also carries 2,000 tons of sulfur. This is very dangerous because ammonium nitrate is more volatile when combined with sulfur. The force of the first explosion broke the High Flyer’s anchor, causing the ship to drift.
Authorities discovered the High Flyer was on fire and ordered all to pull the ship out of the harbor. Fearing another explosion, the captain of the High Flyer ordered the anchor to be pulled up to steer the ship away from Grandcamp.
Rescuers search for people trapped in the rubble.
Unfortunately, the crew was unable to lift the High Flyer’s anchor and the ship continued to drift close to Grandcamp. After an hour of trying to lift anchor, the High Flyer’s crew abandoned the ship. In the end, the second ship also caught fire.
At 1:10 a.m. on April 17, just 15 hours after the first explosion, the High Flyer also exploded, killing at least two people and causing additional damage to the port. The second explosion also destroyed the Wilson B. Keene, just meters from the High Flyer.
While the exact number of casualties is unknown, it is estimated that 500-600 people died in the explosion. The number of injured is believed to be in the thousands. According to Live Science, the Texas disaster left about 3,500 people injured.
The exact death toll is not verified because many bodies are not intact. In addition, there are many foreign sailors and unlicensed workers in the port who are not listed. To this day, the Texas disaster is still considered the deadliest industrial accident in US history and one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in the world.