First published 2018
John U. Bacon reconstructs the largest manmade explosion before the atomic bomb through meticulous research and human storytelling. On December 1, 1917, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc departed New York City carrying three thousand tons of TNT and other explosives. The vessel navigated Atlantic waters patrolled by enemy U-boats during World War I. As Mont-Blanc approached Halifax's busy harbor, its deadly cargo detonated with 2.9 kilotons of force. The ship vanished in one fifteenth of a second. The blast leveled the surrounding city and triggered a thirty-five-foot tsunami. Bacon chronicles the fateful decisions leading to disaster, profiles the 11,000 casualties, and captures the remarkable survival stories and heroic rescue efforts that saved thousands. The author reveals how this catastrophe dominated world headlines despite the ongoing war, prompted Boston's immediate relief efforts, and provided J. Robert Oppenheimer crucial data for atomic bomb development. Bacon's narrative transforms a historical disaster into an accessible account of human tragedy and resilience.
Genres: history, 20th-century, non-fiction, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: heroic-rescue, human-tragedy
Setting: Halifax, New York City
Period: 1917, World War I
432 pages · Paperback · Mariner Books