The Halifax Explosion | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror
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- Опубликовано: 22 фев 2021
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"On the 6th of December 1917 two ships collided in the mouth of Halifax Harbour in Nova Scotia, Canada..."
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This incident is a prime example of "but wait it gets even worse"
_”At least it can’t possibly get worse than this”_
At least it wasn't raining burning twine I guess.
This was literally Murphy's Law turned up to 11.
*Billy Mays voice* - "BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!!!!"
The Canadian National institute for the blind came as a direct result of this. As so many had eye injury because of glass.
The mass blinding helped birth the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. Jane Beaumont, CNIB's volunteer archivist, says the scale of the disaster led to fundamental changes.
"It was a big enough event that it compelled people who cared and governments to take notice that we had needs of people with vision loss," she says.
One of the worst things to happen in this country. And all because a couple of guys decided to play chicken with loaded ammunition vessels.
And killed hundreds of people. Many children.
Barbara T Thousands. I blame the Emo (I know it's Imo) ship, damn stubborn careless incompetent captain. I don't see what mont blanc did wrong here. Did the Imo crew die?
@@jegeriufanen4415 Yeah, they dead
@@jegeriufanen4415 I think he said all the crew were killed by the Tsunami caused by the explosion
It’s so crazy the level of human stupidity. I’m so sorry this happened
My great grandmother was on the train Vince Coleman stopped. If he hadn't done that, i may not be here today. I have a photo of Mr. Coleman hanging in my apartment, and always will.
Makes me wonder how many people aren’t commenting because they never existed because their would-have-been ancestor(s) died. I’m very glad for you and very sad for them. Mr. Coleman is a class act.
+00+
Bs hahaha 🤡
@@alexr3430 who hurt you
True hero God rest his soul
My great grandmother was a child when this happened. She loved to always show us the scar on her leg caused when a piece of glass from their window sliced it open.
She was a tough lady until the day she passed. Rest In Peace Nanny Kay (Kay the pie lady)
hahahah that's awesome if i had a scar that gnarly i bet i'd wanna show it off alll the time too! sounds like a cool lady. may she rest in peace
BS
Nice one Hannah 💗🇬🇧💯🙏
@@meghansullivan6812
She was a firecracker all her life
😂
Fun Fact: The reason we know the explosion happened at exactly 9:04:35 was because it broke the city hall clock at exactly that time. It still displays that time to this day, even though the clock has since been replaced.
I don't know if you should consider that a "Fun Fact"...
@@chrisjohnson7929 it’s not a boring fact. Fun indicates that it’s fun to know, not that the fact itself is a happy one.
The original “Back to the Future”, no lol intended.
It'd be the 'way' we know, not the 'reason' (it's HOW we know, not WHY) but whatevs.
@@user-re9gj2zd5e 😐
Imo: Speeds
Imo: Sails in the wrong area
Imo: Doesn't make an effort to yield for a ship that has right of way
Imo: botches the maneuver and crashes into the other ship
Mont-Blanc: Evacuates a doomed ship and tries to warn onlookers to get to safety
Judge: Oh yeah, totally the frenchies
imo the Imo was 100% to blame
So crappy.
This blame game never ends.
That is so horrifically wrong I can’t even! The injustice makes my blood boil! 🤬
Did anyone ask why the American ship was in the wrong lane? And it's there a visual to see where the tugboat was that the imo couldn't position back into the proper lane?
In all it serves as a good lesson in not rushing to get somewhere or through a task because by rushing it can cause even more trouble
I mean who's the judge going to convict if almost everyone on the Imo died? Seems they got instant-karma'd.
"Only in death, does duty end."
RIP Vince Coleman, may your legacy of service and sacrifice inspire generations to come, Hero of Halifax.
"Not even in death, does duty end"
"Even in death I still serve"
I'm from Halifax. This is one of the best mini-documentaries I've seen about the Halifax Explosion, and I've watched HUNDREDS of them.
SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE
I know the story from Sea Tales, which was a very poignant, human telling of the tale: ruclips.net/video/sDRXuF6OTss/видео.html
That's amazing to hear,! Hope you've checked out more of these videos, I'm addicted.
@@borderlineiqthanks for sharing one
@@lauratejeda8188 Oh my gosh yes. They're some of the most detailed and deeply researched mini-docs I've ever come across. I, too, am an avid watcher of the channel.
"to this day Nova Scotia provides Boston with a tree"
*Everyone liked that*
We love it. It's such a nice gift and tradition.
Probably the most expensive christmas tree ever. It costs something like $230,000 to get them tree there
Many people don't realize how tied Boston and Halifax really are. They're essentially sister cities. Back in the early part of the 1900s, people often left Halifax to work in Boston. Many many halifax families have relatives in Boston (including my own family). Boston was often thought of as "the big city".
@@jordanc7263 Absurd! I highly question that.
[Strong disliked that]
For a sense of scale most people today can relate to, this explosion was 3x larger than the Beirut explosion last year. It remains the largest accidental explosion to ever occur.
Don't quote me on it, but isn't it the largest non-nuclear man made explosion in history?
@@PerishingPurplePulsar There have been larger ones done for weapons testing.
@@PerishingPurplePulsar No, that record is set by an American detonation on a pacific atoll where they set off some insane amount of TNT. This was the largest accidental one, however.
What Beirut explosion last year? They're always blowing things up over there. Is any of that really news to anyone anymore?
@@alukuhito the one that was on the news 24 hours a day for weeks?
Vince Coleman’s bravery was incredible. He chose to save others knowing he was probably going to die doing so. Amazing man. I’m glad he is remembered so respectfully. Thanks.
Glory to God for that man!
@@EQOAnostalgia He went to meet his maker knowing he'd done the best he could.
Love the tribute to Vince Coleman. And the fact that Halifax still sends a Christmas tree to Boston is so heartwarming. Despite all the corruption in this world goodness still carries on.
I was about to lose it near the end when Vince Coleman wasn't mentioned. Glad they were able to bring his story into the narrative. A true hero whose sacrifice will always be remembered.
From Boston here, never knew why the tree was sent before falling down the rabbit hole and learning about this tragedy. At least this tragedy caused some good in the end
There is more good deeds done in the world then what is mention.
Just imagine the impact one life made- he not only saved the 300 people on one train, and who knows how many on the other trains that heeded the warning, but think of the descendants! His actions still directly affect things happening now, over a hundred years later. What an inspiration. Just do your best, that’s all you can do. You will never know how far reaching your decisions will go.
Imagine if the captain of the Mont blanc had been a hero and drove his ship back out into the ocean? He had the opportunity to save thousands but now history remember him as a coward.
Now imagine the impact the dickhead Imo captain made on thousands and the city
@@unsafe_at_any_speed you mean IMO right? The Mont Blanc was coming from the port? I could be totally wrong that’s why I’m asking 😂
@@twitchstaff4226 that’s very true- and while it’s a drop in the ocean, Schindler saved many future generations. Didn’t they all gather around him once? It’s mind boggling the courage it took for him to look Nazis in the eyes and know what he was doing.
@@unsafe_at_any_speed He wasn't a coward, his actions were completely understandable. Honestly you and I would do the same. Not to mention, its a boat that was just hit by another boat. Boat don't usually work after that.
That last story has me tearing up. That man knowingly sacrificed himself to save the lives of 300 people he didn't know. What a beautiful act. Every once in a while my faith in humanity isn't completely extinguished. It's touching to know there are people willing to do that out in this world.
Glad to know I wasn’t the only one emotional over that message. What a hero.
He likely saved more people by having emergency services alerted early about the impending disaster
reminds me of Randall McDougal. A truck driver that knowing his truck would explode, put the safety of everyone around him before his own. He was the only who died at this accident :'( rest in peace to all this heroes
I got emotional at this one too. This whole video was really painful to watch. I'm glad the man was able to save so many people, but it still makes me sad he had to sacrifice his own life to do it.
If you haven't heard the story of Alexei Ananenko, Valeri Bezpalov and Boris Baranov then I would entreat you to discover their heroism as well. They give me hope.
I often visit my best friend in Dartmouth. He's told me so many interesting stories about the explosion. Did you know that there are still trees with shards of metal stuck in the middle of them? The sawmills can't use any of those trees because they mess up the blades when it comes in contact with the shards.
Hidden gem like this are what kept me digging youtube comments...my silly thumb up for the neat little story☺️
The same is true for many old trees on the WWI battlefields in France. They cannot be cut down, as their trunks are too full of schrapnel from The Great War.
@@davidsigalow7349 oh yeah, wasn't much left of Mont Blanc after that blast. most of the ship got turned into shrapnel.
There is a street in an area we know as the Northwest Arm called Anchor Drive. It's called that because the 1150lb anchor from the Mount Blanc was launched 4km through the air and landed in that area.
There was also glass stuck in the ceiling of St Mary's Basilica that they discovered a few years back while touching up the murals
I'm vacationing in Halifax right now, and went past the triple smokestack, at the exact location on The Narrows that the explosion took place. If someone would kindly tell me where Mr. Coleman is buried, I'd like to pay my respects. What sheer bravery....
Vince Colman had to have nerves of steel to keep his hand steady on that telegraph. I can't even type out an email without typos when stressed and this man got that message out perfectly staring death in the eye. Legendary courage.
He stared down Death itself until he blinked. But even Death itself could never take away the immortalization and legacy of Vince's heroics. Vale, Vince Coleman. The Hero Of Halifax.
"Goodbye boys"
I'm not crying, you're crying.
Yes, at that moment I also got something in my eye.
🌹🥺🌹
these damn bugs always bother my eyes at the worst times i swear
The most inopportune time to cut onions.
Damn allergies.
Vince Coleman - what a true hero. I'd heard his story before, but never that he left and returned, just makes his bravery even more amazing.
Agree, this man had the time do decide whether to save himself or warn everybody else and he chose the latter. What a man!
I'm just glad the guy managed to make it back in time whilst dragging along such a massive pair. What a hero!
This video is a re-enactment of the wiki page
I know, think of ALL the ancestors who are alive today, due to the actions of this one heroic man.
@@XanCalGil some of us cant stop and read so it's fine
Growing up in Massachusetts, they usually tell the story of this tragedy on the news right around the time that the tree arrives in Boston. Glad we could help out in such a trying time, and glad that the tradition still carries on.
Thanks to all of you Bostonians from Canada! 🇨🇦
here in ns they usually show your tree from us being lit up on our news ♥
Canadian here. This disaster cuts deep to all of my fellow countrymen that were taught it. Coleman has been and will always be a true hero in my books. Just a little side note, the train he managed to stop had 700 hundred, not 300 passengers on it that catastrophic day.
Thanks so much for the video! ❤
What a true hero. Actually, probably the most definition of a hero I have heard of in real life.
And that's added to the fact that his message was relayed to many other stations and trains. It may have been meant for that one, but it branched out and saved many others.
Wtf says countrymen?
What's wrong with saying countrymen?
@@jimgray3346country has been taken over by border jumpers so former country men is more accurate! Same in Germany ,France,America,Italy,Greece,Sweden all have lost their history,heritage and culture by invaders jumping borders.
*ships crash*
“But wait it gets worse!”
*ships explode killing 1,600 people*
“But wait it gets worse!”
*destroys hundreds of buildings*
“But wait it gets worse!”
*starts fires around the city*
“But wait, it gets *even* worse!”
*makes thousands of people blind*
“Still getting even worse!”
*few people went to help because they thought it was an attack*
“Worse again!”
*blizzard traps tons of survivors in rubble and makes many people impossible to save*
in england se call that a massive cock-up.
Man, everything that could have gone wrong in this disaster happened.
And to think we might not be discussing this disaster had that captain just been patient to wait or go slow.
And the tsunami
A Nova Scotia blizzard is the worst 😱
Seriously. Watching this was like a horrific real-life version of "the dog died" joke. ._.
I love the unintentional symbolism of the hands getting blown off Coleman's watch. In his herosim he became timeless.
There was already something heroic in his visage, wasn't it?
That's a very poignant and sweet tribute to Mr. Coleman, Tilly. 🤗❤️👋
They literally couldn't stop his pocket watch at the time of his death. 💜 ⏰
I remember vividly seeing his story on TV back in the day on the Canadian heritage moment segments. He's a legend and a hero.
LMAO. WE DID IT REDDIT!!
Vince Coleman’s sacrifice is truly a legacy that deserves to be immortalized. Online it says that “Coleman was survived by his wife Frances, although she and the youngest of their four children were seriously injured in the explosion.” His wife lived to be in her 90s. His legacy still lives on through his children, and I’m sure his current day family is proud of him. Amazing and heartbreaking story.
I read “The Great Halifax Explosion” by John U Bacon. Excellent book, fills in a lot of gaps.
I visited Halifax in the early ‘80s. The most prominent thing I remember was on a second floor landing, the imprinted “shadow” of a person, from the blast, on the wall opposite the window, which faced the harbor.
Those shadows were also found in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after both were struck by atomic bombs.
I remember hearing a story about some one that found what seemed to be the skin of a persons face hanging on a fence around the time it happen. Don't know if its true but knowing damage this caused I cant help but think its a pretty plausible story.
It was a priest. The silhouette can still be seen on the window of the church, even having been replaced
@@bethanyboudreau3164 that doesn’t even make sense
@@themostdiabolicalhater5986I can fill in a gap here. The shadow is real, in both cases. The shadow on the wall could be scorch marks in the shape of a person, or the opposite, the shape of a person because the other parts of the wall were 'bleached' by the blast.
The shadow on the window is less discernable. I grew up outside of Halifax and have seen the glass myself many times. There is an outline there, even though the window was replaced many times. Now, it is in a church, so I hesitate to say it is there to intentionally draw attention using a dead man's fate, but it is possible. The second option is that it is some kind of leak leaving a stain on each new pane of glass, and humans see a human outline, because that is how our mind works. The third, a local superstition, is that it is spiritual residue, and comes back because something horrible happened there (since the priest died looking at the event from the window, by getting hit by the glass shattering). W.e you believe, the shape is there in a window that has been replaced many times, in a church that you generally wouldn't expect to do something like that, for attention, for decades.
"Goodbye boys" sent shivers through my brain.
a man amongst boys. He will not be forgotten.
@@CanadianaEast that made it so real. I can't image how scared he was, but his actions saved numerous people. RIP
I thought it was “Good Bye, and God Bless”....
Does not matter.
He died a true Hero in my book.
By saving those 300 lives, that train was able to send an SOS that alerted Boson Massachusetts to what happened.
A train from Boston was the first to arrive despite the incoming weather with the first aid and help for the citizens of Halifax.
As a thanks, every year the people of Halifax send a Christmas tree to the people of Boston every year still to this day.
Coleman’s SOS saved those train passengers and probably other people affected by the blast.
He earned his angel wings that day!
RIP Coleman. Your last moments were not in vain.
Seriously, the first part of the message was an inspiring display of heroism...
But as it is with many things from history- it’s easy to feel slightly disconnected from the events, due to the significant passage of time.
However, the *”this will be my last message, goodbye boys.”* part of the telegraph was a quick “reality slap to the face”- and it immediately humanized him.
His story was no longer just an interesting part of a historic tragedy, he was a real person, a real hero -and exactly the kind of person I would hope to be, if ever I found myself in a similar situation...❤️
Such a great last effort.
His message reminded me of a WW2 fighter pilot who was hit and going down over the ocean. He knew he was crashing and would be dead in a moment. His last radio contact he said, Time for a bath.
The rules: *apply to everyone in the harbor*
The captain of SS Imo: "My parents told me i'm special"
i mean, they had to yield TWICE to ships in the wrong place but yeah he made many errors and definitely contributed to the explosion . not everyone was following the rules tho, even remotely.
@@r-robertson-d Yeah. That poor guy wasn't alone to blame.
@@dreamshooter90 Others doing wrong doesn't justify yourself doing so
@@Zamandu That's not what I said. That's not what I said at all...
Then its a good thing they all died for their transgressions.
My grandmother was a young girl at the time, looking out her second floor bedroom window at the harbour and the two ships that were burning. The blast shattered the pane of glass in front of her, instantly blinding her and breaking her nose, blowing her back to the far side of the room. She spent the rest of her life blind, nose never reset, but married and continued on into her 80's. Her older sister, living in the old family house 90 miles away, heard the windows of the house and dishes rattling not long after the explosion.
Oh Joe,
thank you for sharing. That is so sad. What a brave woman.
Rest peacefully those that did not survive.
This is an extremely disturbing story. 😢
My great grandfather was orphaned by this event at the age of 5.
They found him as the only survivor of his family in rubble.
If he had not survived this, WW1, and WW2 I would not be here. (My grandfather was the youngest)
Fun fact: the sinking of the Titanic, which happened just 5 years prior, helped the people of Halifax in organizing and cataloguing a large volume of dead bodies, as that is where the recovered Titanic dead were transported. This information proved useful when the harbor disaster occurred.
I was wondering when this topic would come up. Truly fascinating.
I learned that too, while visiting the Maritime Museum in Halifax.
That’s incredible! Thank you for this, I had no idea!
I didn’t know that! So interesting. Thanks for sharing.
That is very interesting. I don't know if I'd call it a "fun" fact; maybe "interesting" fact?
The controversy over your use of 'fun fact' is cracking me up. Given that 'fun fact' literally means an interesting or entertaining piece of trivia (yes I googled it because I thought I was losing my mind), I think people need to calm down a bit. And who are we supposed to be tiptoeing around given that this happened over a hundred years ago?
this tragedy has reverberated throughout three generations of my family. my great-grandfather was a dock worker who was killed in the explosion. my great-grandmother was injured and had to give up my grandmother and great uncle, who were raised in a series of orphanages. the trauma of this caused my grandmother to grow up to be a very anxious, distant woman, which greatly impacted my father's upbringing and paved the way for my own often strained relationship with him. the aftershocks of the halifax explosion are still being felt.
Heart goes out to you and your family.
I'm sorry to hear about the after effects to your family but perhaps you have touched people's lives in positive ways that you aren't aware of.
My great grandfather was also killed while working on the docks, i wonder if they knew each other ? He was only 32 and had 2 children one of which was my grandfather who was only 1 at the time. Not sure my grandfathers story after that as we werent close at all but eventually he moved out west where I still reside today
@@clarencethomas5311 i just got chills, that’s so wild. maybe they did - mine was about 25, irish catholic.
@@stadbab i was looking at the nova scotia archives the other day, thay have a list of all the victims and some family info, pretty cool. Check it out
"Blessed is he who gives his life for another." You earned your place in heaven, Vince Coleman.
He went to meet his maker knowing he'd done everything he could.
He certainly did earn his place in heaven..God Bless you 🙏 Vince Coleman ❤
Where's that quote from
Hearing of Vince Coleman's last actions gave me goosebumps. Saving ~300 people, as well as other people in the streets or their homes who could have been killed by shrapnel from the train.
I just saw a comment saying that, there was actually approximately 700 on board that train, not 300.
"Canadian here. This disaster cuts deep to all of my fellow countrymen that were taught it. Coleman has been and will always be a true hero in my books. Just a little side note, the train he managed to stop had 700 hundred, not 300 passengers on it that catastrophic day.", posted by "Patty Slater".
RIP to a real one: Vince Coleman; and to evreryone who lost their lives in this horrific tragedy.
@@CanadianaEast A hero for all times 💔
A reaI human bean.
Vince Coleman, self-sacrificing hero, saved the lives of hundreds to thousands.
Vince Carter could have helped but he was in Toronto at the time.
awsome story. until today i thought the most famous vince coleman in history was a stolen base artist and centrefielder for the Saint Louis cardinals in the 80s. my mother was right. you do learn something every day.
A genuine hero.
And imagine how many descendants of those hundreds saved there are today...
🙏😷
"I can't believe I survived that explosion"
God - have a tsunami.
"I can't believe I survived that flood"
God - have a fire.
"I can't believe I survived that explosion, tsunami, fire, and metal rain"
God - have a blizzard.
😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
Don't forget the glass: thousands lost eyes because of flying glass that blew both outward and BACK INTO the direction of the explosion. Given the scale of the disaster and the fact that it was 1917, the decision as made to remove the eyes of people who suffered such damage.
I don't know how old my dad was at the time but he could feel it from Debert he said, he also said he could see the large cloud of smoke from the explosion. I can't imagine how horrible it was, a lot of the Halifax Citizens were told to take shelter at the military fortress on citadel hill which still stands to this day. After the explosion happened there was miniature tsunamis and that large blizzard, many froze but thanks to Boston's help many didn't, I am so glad I live in Nova Scotia, we have so much history here and I get to learn about this in school
Blaming the Montblanc is absurd. I'm happy this decision was overturned.
It isn’t mentioned in this video, but the reason Montblanc was blamed (besides the captain of the Imo being dead) was that they had failed to show Imo (or anyone else) the flags showing dangerous cargo, having feared German submarines. Furthermore the court found that the captain and crew had panicked and abandoned ship within minutes of the fire starting, making no real attempt at putting it out, reversing the ship out to sea, or at least tried to cast anchor to prevent the Montblanc from drifting into port. In addition, before the fire, the Montblanc had not thrown her engines in reverse to avoid collision like the Imo, and it was judged that the Montblanc should have yielded way to the Imo despite the Imo being in the wrong lane, because the Montblanc was a smaller ship and would have been able to manuevre more easily in behind the American vessel in the centre lane that it would have been for the Imo to back up and wait for the other three ships to pass. To top it off, because of everyone else being dead, the only witnesses to the Imo’s alleged speeding was the Montblanc officers who were on trial, which many percieved to be victim blaming from the Montblanc crew.
@@luxborealis Thanks Lux, that's useful and relevant info
@@luxborealis Furthermore, the Moutblanc's crew abandoned ship, the Imo's crew remained on deck. Crew members on doomed vessels who leave early are almost always criticised for their dishonourable rashness and biases towards their own self-preservation rather than the wellbeing of others. This event happened only 5 years after the Titanic's sinking, where the captain of that vessel remained on-deck and went down with his ship.
If you want to know why people are very much against crew members who abandon ship early, this is why. It is dishonourable for the crew to abandon ship in early haste.
@@DR3ADER1 OTOH, had the Mont Blanc's crew not abandoned ship, Vince Coleman would not have been able to warn the trains of the impending explosion. So some good came of it.
@@Baalek1 Agreed. Plus, there was probably nothing they could have done to prevent the disaster, knowing the volatility of their cargo. They at least could warn people, which did some good as you say.
My grandmother told me that she remembered the windows rattling in her house all of a sudden, which was an hour away by car. It was a few hours later before she found out why.
Where did she live? I grew up in Kentville (an hour away) and always wondered if they would have felt it there too.
yeah i also live hour away again and was told by a senior the windows rattle for a few min
An hour away! That has to be at least 10 - 15 Kilometers away. Wow
@@McCartneysMyLove I've heard that the explosion rattled windows in Charlottetown, so presumably most of Nova Scotia was shaken by the blast.
This is one of those things where it's hard to really understand the size of the explosion unless you're there. I had heard of the explosion in school. But it wasn't until I actually visited Halifax and saw how far the destruction went. I would be seemingly far from the harbour, only to realise I was still in the blast zone.
The only point of reference I can think of without directly going to Halifax is the Beirut Explosion. I think we all saw the video of the 2020 explosion and saw how massive and destructive that was. This explosion had a yield 6 times greater than that.
@@troybaxterWow thanks for the helpful reference, that explosion stuck in my mind because of the instant shock wave, hard to imagine that over 3km 😮
Imagine the descendants of those 300 train passengers telling generations to come about the great man who’s message made their existence possible.
There is one
The fact that children were offering to help carry things across town is something else.
Children don’t understand how good their hearts are.
I would be one of them
Except that was a long time ago, if this happened today kids would have their phones out making tik toks
@@kingssuck06 grr phone bad!
I haven’t seen a kid mowing a yard or doing anything outside in over 20 years. The gen-X and millennials are the most inept and lazy generation in world history.
@@MovieMakingMan ok boomer
My great-grandfather was partially blinded in the explosion. The aid sent by Boston was one of the reasons he decided to move to the area in 1920.
The City of Boston gets it’s Christmas tree from the people of Halifax ever since, as a thank you for their help.
I'm born and raised just south of Boston and work in the city (well, not at the moment but returning soon!) and it's an event when the tree arrives every holiday season. There's news coverage and a big rally when it's lit, it is still a very big deal for the city of Boston.
That doesn't make sense. Your great-grandfather was motivated to move to Halifax by the humanitarian acts of Bostonians that occurred AFTER the explosion - yet he was injured by the explosion before he moved there?
@@randallsmerna384 he moved to Boston dude lol
@@randallsmerna384 His great grand father was motivated to move to Boston because of the aid that they sent to Halifax.
This event and the Texas City disasters are two things I tend to mention whenever someone talks about some sort of local disaster that they think ranks as serious. Then I tell ask them, have they ever heard of Texas City or Halifax? And they always say no. People tend to be shocked these events happened and have been essentially forgotten. RIP to the victims of both disasters.
I wouldn't say that the Halifax Explosion was forgotten. It is still a relatively well known tragedy in Canada.
The propane facility explosion in Mexico 1984 I'm surprised isn't on this channel
Halifax is fairly well known. At least in the Northeast US, where it still comes up every now and then in the stories they may run on slow news days. It's one of those disasters that other disasters get compared against. Plus New York City had 2 similar incidents one the year before, and one a few years later, that illustrated how close a call they had had. NYC had the Black Tom Explosion. Which was a rail yard storing ammo on a small spit of land. Thankfully when it went up only a small number of people are believed to have been killed. But German Sabotage was the main suspect. There was later a raging fire aboard an ammunition ship in 1943. Some brave harbor crews towed the ship away from shore and two of the FDNY Fireboats in concert with the Coast Guard managed to drown the ammo stores and prevent a catastrophic explosion. The Fireboats that held station alongside the burning ammo ship were the Firefighter and the John J Harvey. So using the Halifax disaster often plays into the backstory of those two well known vessels. The John J Harvey is currently a private museum and Special Charter Vessel located at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan. She gained some fame when she came roaring back into service with an all volunteer museum crew on 9/11.
Texas City is less well known unless you are a Firefighter. Which is surprising as unlike Halifax, there is actual film footage of the Texas City explosion. For many years it was not for general public consumption, as the cameraman was filming the firefighters on the dock when the blast occurs. So it shows the death of the City Fire Chief 9the City Fire Department) and the photographer. The Camera somehow survived.
At least Texas City has a modern point of reference. It had the same yield as Beirut’s 2020 explosion. Really goes to show how massive the explosion was, and how dangerous ammonium nitrate is
I am from Nova Scotia but went to college in Boston. I had the privilege of performing at the Boston tree lighting in front of the tree donated by my province. It was very emotional and my small way of showing my gratitude towards the city of Boston. All my family in Dartmouth was able to watch the tree lighting televised 💕 forever grateful to the city of Boston for their part in our history
As a Maritimer I'd like to let everyone who watched know that this is probably the best account I've gotten of the event, and I've been to the actual museum for this several times with different staff on each. Also watched a full on hour+ documentary. GREAT video!
thank you for that, appreciate knowing this. I've been binge watching (or rather listening - while other things done - ) content from this channel - but this one - watched, (cried) - omg *respect* to Vince Coleman
As a Maritimer I found out yesterday from my 'auntie' (my mum's best friend - since they were 13, now both in their mid 80s) - that my great-gran volunteered for (probably) Mission to Seafarers (in Auckland, New Zealand) - (thanks, you just reminded me to contact them...)
if you ever come down this way there is an excellent maritime museum in Wellington, and a smaller, but also very interesting one next to the Navy base in Devonport, here in Auckland. (as I discovered when my mum & I were invited many years back to the re-dedication of the main administration building to William Sanders (one of my/our greats is Caroline Sanders - not sure if his auntie or sister - he died a bachelor - on my ever increasing to-do list = contact the dots - mum doesn't know - her 'cousin' (3rd, 4th - lovely woman) ensured we were invited
anyway - you might enjoy his story - (youtube tends to delete links - easy enough to find his info
Lieutenant Commander William Edward Sanders, VC, DSO (7 February 1883 - 14 August 1917) was a First World War New Zealand recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that could be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces at the time. (from his wiki page)
I'm particularly fond of this bit:
Because the use of Q-ships such as Prize was still secret, the particulars of the action leading to the awards made to Sanders and his crew were not made publicly available.[35] Instead, the published details of his VC when it was gazetted simply read:
In recognition of his conspicuous gallantry, consummate coolness, and skill in command of one of H.M. Ships in action
I mean - conspicuous gallantry, consummate coolness...
I came here to say the same thing. I lived in Halifax and also visited the museum (even got married there) numerous times. This is the best account I’ve seen
I live in Halifax, born and raised. I agree 100% that this is the best account of the event!
Remind me to visit that museum next time I roll through.
Although it appears to be an illegal copy of the Sea Tales episode, the hour-long program is here, with several eyewitness accounts, and very humanizing context: ruclips.net/video/sDRXuF6OTss/видео.html
I really enjoyed this longer episode. The last part about Mr. Coleman was not only fascinating but inspiring, and you paid him a wonderful tribute. I enjoy all of your videos but I hope you can continue making pieces of this length.
Yes, I enjoy the lengthier ones more.
Same!
I'd be willing to send money to the man who makes these documentaries. They are of such a high caliber.
Ive been constantly commenting about this incident on here for like 6 months...l glad he finally made and episode about it. This was such an event.
@@aewtx that's what she said
I live in Halifax. The stories you hear about this event are just straight up horrific.
After the explosion, a young boy was found on a hill screaming. Some locals came to aid the boy and help him to find his family. The problem is that the boy had absolutely no memory of anything before the explosion, and no family could ever be found. He was adopted by a local couple and today is the uncle of one of my good friends.
As bizarre as this may seem, this is actually a fairly common occurrence.
Halifax also has a connection to another major disaster that occurred only a few years prior. After the sinking of the Titanic, the CS Mackay-Bennett was dispatched for recovery and brought back over 300 bodies of victims and burying about another 20 at sea. The bodies were brought back to Halifax (including that of JJ Astor) where the process of identification began, all done using a hockey rink as a makeshift morgue. This led to some important advances in forensics. Many of the bodies were buried in a cemetery on the north end of the city as many of the victims were poor and families could not afford to repatriate them. One included a then un-identified toddler (later identified as Sidney Godwin through DNA).
Halifax is an amazing city. It is a small city but packs a lot of punch for its size. I'm not from there, or the Maritime provinces, but have visited a few times and will again.
As a Bostonian, it’s always bitter sweet to see the tree arrive. Such a beautiful tradition
God Bless the people of Massachusetts. You deserve each and every needle on that fir tree, and each and every year in perpetuity. As I said in my comment above, my paternal grandmother had some family members that were treated by the Boston medical team.
As a Nova Scotian, I can only say thank you for helping. I'm pretty sure without the support a lot more people would have died from exposure
@@CaptainLicorice As a Massachusetts resident who grew up working on my family's Christmas tree farm, holy shit you guys have some big balsam fir and spruce trees. If Boston had asked us for one that big, we would have said we can have it ready in 30 years or so.
Norway sends a tree to London due to Britain's aid in World War 2, also. I never knew about the Halifax-Boston relationship, though. These sorts of things always warm my heart.
@@netreacher My great grandmother was also treated by the Boston medical team. Her 14 year old son dug her out of their burning home where she had been trapped in the wreckage. She ended up at the temporary hospital set up at the Bellevue building on Spring Garden Road (present day location is the Halifax library). NS born Prime Minister Borden was in PEI at the time of the explosion and visited the wrecked Halifax shortly after the explosion and would have visited this hospital. Perhaps your relatives were at the same hospital? Sadly my great grandmother May Stewart died of her injuries a week and a half later... I hope your relatives fared out better. It was still an amazing feat by the state of Massachusetts... the explosion occurred on the morning of December 6th... and they had a train outfitted doctors, nurses and the equipment needed for essentially what was a hospital enroute to NS by the end of that same day... with more support to follow. I always follow the progress of the tree each year as it is cut down in NS, bundled onto a truck... and shipped to Boston. J Vincent Pelrine NS
Imo's Captain, probably: "I've moved twice for other ships this morning already, like Hell I'm moving a third time!"
He wouldn't have had to if he'd moved to the right side the second time. What an idiot.
@@nanahuatli2144 I know right. Ships have smaller turning circles than a shopping trolley. He could have turned the ship back to the right in 2 seconds. Even my grandma can do that, blindfolded!
@@hkr667 the had plenty of time plus he was over-speeding.
This is exactly what I think happened. He was already in a mood about leaving late, and then he was really in a mood when he was in the correct lane, but had to move twice. And that’s when he had his ‘Falling Down’ moment, ala Michael Douglas. Glad the government overturned the initial charge that it was all the French boats fault 🙄
@@hkr667 ships are not fast. It takes a lot more than 2 seconds for two ships to travel a mile.
As a member of the US Coast Guard I just took the Service Wide exam to advance to E6. In the exam was questions on this incident and the impact it had on future USCG operations to keep ports safe.
I always get goose bumps when people heroically and bravely sacrifice themselves in order to save hundreds of others. What a beautiful soul, I am so glad he is remembered.
mad respect to Mr. Coleman; knowing you're probably about to die must suck, to have the presence of mind to avert any part of the imminent disaster you're witnessing takes an absolute unit of a man
Hats off to Vince Coleman! That man was a hero, he sacrificed himself to save others. He ran into harms way, he knew he was giving his life. A lot of folks say they’d do that but he did, while others fled too.
There is no greater love than this, for a man to lay down his life for a friend. Or in this case hundreds of friends...
I moved from Canada's west coast to attend uni in Halifax in the 1980s, and at the time was unaware of this disaster. It was amazing how much I learned about it just by osmosis. The explosion, it's aftermath and the selfless efforts of everyone able to to assist are indelibly woven into the collective memory of that city - it will never be forgotten.
According to Wikipedia, this is the largest non-nuclear explosion in history...
Imagine trying to click out that message after running who knows how far in a panic AND knowing that you are going to die. I grew up near where the Texas City explosion occurred 30 years later and had heard of the Halifax explosion, but never the story of superhero Vince Coleman. I am glad his memory is cemented in history.
In Canada during the 90's they created what were called "Heritage Moments" that were dramatized mini-movies of important moments in Canadian history and showed them on Canadian TV during commercial breaks. The story of Vince Coleman was one of those moments they filmed, which hopefully shows that his sacrifice was valued and his legacy lives on: ruclips.net/video/rw-FbwmzPKo/видео.html
I'm curious how long it took. It wouldn't have been a few seconds. I'm estimating close to a full minute.
@@The_Fat_Turtle I remember it vividly. It was an intense 2 minute clip.
@@The_Fat_Turtle Thank you for that information. Heritage Moments has been mentioned many times here. Your country seemed to have had a great idea on how to instill your history but in short snippets. It seemed to have worked. Have a great day.
@@The_Fat_Turtle That was really interesting. Thank you for posting the link to that~
It’s men like Coleman that truly amaze me. Rather than save his own life he saved the lives of many he never even knew.
It’s sad to me that this amazes people. That’s the person we all should be and yet so few of us are it’s worthy of amazement when someone is.
@@Hannah-zw9ow the part that amazes me is that many times in life and death situations our desire to live outweighs our dedication to others. I would love to think I could be this selfless but honestly I just don’t know. 🙁
@@crymars5890 of course you could it takes passion for humanity to make that sacrifice.
@@crymars5890 I'm of the belief that doing such a selfless act of sacrifice labels you a hero, but not doing so does not make you a villain. All of us are only human, and it is one of our primal instincts to stay alive. It is one thing to save yourself when there is ample opportunity to save another, but when it is a choice between your life and theirs the line becomes grey. If Vince had decided not to go back and instead saved himself, I would not blame him but under no circumstances would I claim that is heroic. Not everyone can be a hero, and expecting everyone to be is an unrealistic expectation. To me what really counts is that you did your duty, if you survived the explosion and are fit enough to help, then help, but if you are like the captain of the Costa Concordia and abandon your duty and refuse to help after getting to safety then you become a villain. If that makes sense, I have trouble articulating sometimes, so I mean no disrespect towards Vince Coleman or any others who saved lives at their own expense, just saying that if you were in his position and didn't go back, I wouldn't say you are a bad person, just not a hero
@@PerishingPurplePulsar I completely understand what you are saying. I also agree with what you say. I wouldn’t think any less of him if he saved himself etc but the fact he didn’t does in my opinion make him a hero. A guy I graduated with him HS saved his younger brother from drowning when he himself couldn’t swim (he sadly drown after saving his brother). Even with immediate family I find that hard to fathom. Thankfully I’ve never been in this type of situation but I do strive to be selfless like that.
I'm from hali and always love hearing how others explain this tragedy. also seeing folks reactions to hearing it for the first time, whereas i obviously learned about it quite young.
But for real Vincent Coleman was a fucking hero. The best of us really. One of the newer ferries in the harbour is named after him.
This was an amazing summary of what happened. What many people don’t know is there were poor populations who lived on the banks of Nova Scotia at that time. There was an indigenous population on the Dartmouth side and Africville on the Halifax side that were completely decimated and ignored by many rescuers. As a Nova Scotian, I remember doing research projects on the people neglected after the explosion and found it interesting.
I heard about Africville
Just imagine for a moment, how many people alive today owe their existence to the selfless heroism of Vince Coleman.
More so because he knew it would mean his death but he chose to stay anyway. Seems like he should have a lot more recognition. Silly but i would much rather see his face on a tshirt than Che or Kartrashians.
@@deborahhanna9126 who is che
@@fart63 Gavarra sp?
@@deborahhanna9126 that does not explain a thing but thank you
@@fart63 You should look him up, but only for your own historical information. NOT because he was any kind of a hero or *great man* (so thought only by idiots). ;-)
In any case, that segues into my point that, once again in history, we have an example that "Only the Good Die Young." (Not me - I'm one of the "Leftovers," so-to-speak! ;-D )
PVC's last message gave me literal chills. I hope that, if there's an afterlife, he's being heavily rewarded.
I sure hope he is.
@@_Green_Onions_ That's amazing! Who wrote that?
🇨🇦 I had the great honour of speaking on the phone with a survivor of the Halifax explosion. I work in a call centre and this phone call happened almost twenty years ago. The gentleman was quite elderly and we were having a friendly conversation and the subject of getting older came up. He was a life long citizen of Halifax and he stated that I’d likely never heard of the Halifax explosion and when I said that I certainly had, he was delighted and asked if I had a few minutes to listen to his story. I said that I did and he said that he was just a little fella, but he remembered the chaos and of that day, being carried by his mother as she ran. He said that almost everyone they knew had been killed and it was talked about for most of his life. I thanked him for sharing that with me and I told him that it was kind of him to tell me about it. I’m certain that he must have passed by now, but I’ll always remember him.
My great-great-great grandmother lived in Halifax at the time. I remember hearing about this through my grandmother. It was a life-changing day for them for two completely different reasons: Finland (their home country) got their independence and this incident.
Bless Coleman. He could have continued to run, but he ran back, into harms way to save lives, knowing that he most likely would not survive. Definitely a true hero.
Yes , the term "hero" is used far too often which diminishes the term.
The defining requirement is not that an individual's actions helps or saves the life of others - but that he/she does so in the certain knowledge that their own life would be forfeit doing so.
And proceeds regardless.
@@johnd1727 The Kroger near me has a "Heroes Work Here" sign
That last part was especially poignant, what a hero.
I’m from Halifax and the Halifax explosion is something we all know about and learn in school but we never really learned that much about it. I’ve been watching your channel for about a month now and have become a fan, so when I found this video I was like “he knows about us!”. I haven’t clicked on a video faster and I’m glad I did. This video gives more insight than history classes ever did
What a incredibly brave man Mr Coleman was it reminded me of my own local hero John 'Jack' Phillips who was the telegrapher on the Titanic who stayed at his post until the power went, hats off to you Sir.
Sure… make it about you
@@klooks1013 If you need a friend just reply here and we can chat
@@klooks1013 So is your job to go around RUclips videos and act like a jerk? I've seen numerous disrespectful comments from you.
The captain orders “ ‘abandon ship.’ They needed no further encouragement to do so.” Ha ha ha. I don’t blame them. You didn’t have to tell them twice!
They know that there's enough explosives on it to turn everything in a large radius into dust I'm sure they needed no further prompting
@@emilyv424 yes that’s the reason they where charged…because they survived and the others didn’t
Much of my family is from Nova Scotia. I once visited the Maritime Museum when I was little. Learning about all the death on the harbour, and then later walking down the wharf where so many bodies had been laid had a profound impact on me. Not only was it where the Halifax Explosion occurred, it was also where the recovered bodies from the Titanic were placed as they were taken off the boats that found them. These days, it is a place where people walk and enjoy the beautiful view, but it felt strange, knowing how much tragedy was attached to where I was walking.
I always feel that way walking through any place that has seen a large loss of life. It's like I can feel emotional aftershocks and can be quite unnerving.
I heard about this incident many times, but this was the first time I heard about the heroic efforts of Patrick Vince Coleman. A true hero. Rest In Peace.
We watch the tree being shipped to Boston every holiday season. One of my favourite NS traditions. 💙🎄
Vince Coleman was just a regular guy, and he did something so amazing on a moment's notice. I am often really moved by these videos, but this has me in tears.
Vince Coleman didn't wear a cape but was a true hero! I hope his story is remembered forever! So brave and selfless!
No but he did wear under wear over a pair of tights.
"Let me sing you a song, boys, of fire and flame
Of a French ammo ship, the Mont-Blanc was her name
How the brave Nova Scotia was never the same
On the morning when Halifax burned…" -Fire and Flame, The Longest Johns.
T’was in early December 1917, she was packed to the gills with grade A TNT...
I was looking for a comment like this
I’m from Boston, and every year we are gifted a Christmas tree from the Nova Scotians because we sent help to them. Truly tragic what happened, but I’m happy that my city was able to do some good.
In Canada we aired 'Heritage Moments' on television, short stories about important moments in Canadian History, and one of the most memorable is of Vince Coleman's recognition of the impending disaster and self-sacrifice in sending of the message. It still makes you tear up thinking of all those who died, but also of all those saved by his action. The photos of the before and after are shocking.
I remember those!! The one that always stuck with me is the “I smell burnt toast” one.
This is totally what I thought of too!
Yes! Those heritage moments were great! I think you can find most of them on RUclips
@@EllawoodBlues Marconi ..Through the air across the ocean...
@@stinkletoes8285 But I need those peach baskets back!
Why Didn't I shoot 'em
It means... we were here
Come on Vince, COME ON!!!
I seriously love this channel. It treats the victims with respect and retelling the events as accurately as possible
Hearing about Mr. Coleman made me cry a little. What an amazing person. I'm really glad you closed the episode with his story.
I love these documentaries, just facts , no sides taken. I had no idea about this incident and considering how many lives lost I’m really surprised. Keep up the great work
My grandmother was 14, living in Peggy's Cove, about 30 miles from Halifax. They felt and heard the explosion.
The irony of a wave of water causing a sea of flames.
It didn't. The fires were started by overturned stoves and oil lamps along with, of course, the blast itself.
My Grandmother survived this and used to tell me about it. I'm 60,from Halifax,grew up and still live in the area,about a 20 minute walk from where it happened. We had neighbors who had an enormous bolt protruding from the backyard of their property,right across from our house. It was always assumed that the bolt came from the explosion and we never doubted it. These neighbors arrived on our street in 1970,a year after we did. I think they made a mild attempt to remove it. It is fairly large and still there.
Anyone else tear up reading Goodbye, boys?
What a heroic act. Selfless. Truly remarkable
Another massive but ignored Canadian disaster is the Lac Megantic derailment.
Hope FH covers it! He'd do it justice!
Yesss I've so been hoping he'll do a video on this
liking for a boost! I want to learn!
With the cancellation of pipelines, we very might see another in the future
@@Ragerian i think thats why its isn't mentioned much by the powers that be. Makes too strong of a case for pipelines.
I genuinely got chills and started choking up about the heroism of Vince Coleman, been years since that's happened. What a legend!
I grew up in Halifax during the 60's and heard stories from my grandparents and uncles all my life. I was just there last week on vacation and was in the Hydrostone almost every day. Aside from the stand alone houses that were located at the west end of each boulevard, which were torn down sometime in the 70's, all of the buildings remain standing, not just some.
One thing this doesn't mention was the fate of Halifax's fire department.
With the burning Mont-Blanc drifted towards the pier, Halifax's fire crews, with some of the most modern equipment of the era and including most of their senior staff, went to the pier prepared to fight this fire, almost all dying in the explosion, depriving the shattered city of it's most experienced fire fighters and of the people who would be needed to organize rescue efforts.
Saw this in my recommended and I clicked so fast. I live in Bedford (the town that’s situated around what’s known as the Bedford basin) From my room where I’m sitting right now I have a clear view of the Bedford basin and the Halifax narrows as I live really close to the shore. My house was built in 1884 and every single window was blown out by the explosion except for one which is still intact to this day. It was so weird but cool to hear you talk about this event when I could see exactly where it took place just out my window. Growing up in Bedford we learn about this just by common knowledge and also through school, we even went on field trips based on the Halifax explosion. Not to mention the many tests I had to take based on this subject. It’s a big part of my community’s history and I’m so glad you shared it with so many others! :)
Damn
Thank you for sharing your story xx
You are living in a part of History.... ❤️
69th thumbs up yo' ;|)
It's odd and unfortunate that not all canadians know about this incident. I grew up on the other side of Canada in British Columbia, and this is the first I'm hearing of this tragic event.
I was going to recommend this event for you to cover! My great grandmother lived near Halifax and was 18 when this happened. She went to the site to help and was so overwhelmed by the death and injury that she decided there to become a nurse in the war. Because of that, she met my great grandfather when he was one of her patients.
This was such a touching tribute. I'm from Ontario and I've been to Halifax several times. I've been to the big museum dedicated to the explosion, as well as both the cemetery and memorial. Halifax really is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Wow never heard of this! Was in the Army and sometimes around munitions. Ain’t no joke! 🎖️
Salute to Vince Coleman, what a bro. 🕊️
Coleman was like Columbo, “Oh, just one more thing!”
My grandmother was living in Halifax in 1917. She was fifteen years old and she told us many stories about that day and the weeks that followed. Unfortunately l was young and l don't remember all of them. Just bits and pieces. Like the glass shards sticking out of the side of the houses and mounds of shoes collected from the dead. But without her, no me.
It’s probably difficult for people to really grasp the size and power of this explosion. When I was listening to the distance that the heaviest things that were thrown it started to become clear just how far away the explosion propelled huge items. The shock wave must have been devastating.
You’re absolutely right about the size and destruction of this blast. So big in fact the members or The Manhattan Project heavily researched it and came up with the conclusion that the damage would have been considerably more devastating had the blast happened above land... which led to the atomic bombs being detonated above targets.
Yes the anchor from the exploding ship was hurled over 3 miles inland...the anchor weighed several tons...the force to do that was incredible!
@@Lord_Shal I was thinking about it that for the devastation held a 27 year record of the most deadly. Until they dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
what really strained my imagination was the six-story tsunami. It's so hard to comprehend that a WWI ship could contain that kind of power.
@@kevinmathewson4272 WWI was the first major conflict after chemistry became the science we know it as today. Explosives and chemical weapons defined the conflict and for the first time in human history the notion of war crimes was formalized into international law. WWII gets a lot more press but the brutality of WWI makes it look compassionate by comparison.
I’m from Halifax & you couldn’t have done a better job of telling this bit of our province’s history; truly well done. Maybe I’m just homesick, but I was getting teary by the end.
My great grandmother was living in Halifax when this happened, she was just a little girl at the time. Her home was far from the explosion but she was still asleep when suddenly the blast had blown in her windows and part of her home too but her and her family survived without injury. It's a good thing she was still asleep because if she had been awake and looking out the window at the smoke, she may have lost her vision from glass shards too or possibly worse.
I had a family member that was around when the explosion happened. Her name was Marguerite Mackey, she was only 6-7. She was in school when it happened and she said all the windows to her school were blown in. Now my dad lives about 1/2km from where it all happened. I feel like we’re constantly taught about huge moments in history in other parts of the world but I think it’s really important to get to know where you live too. Very cool video!
they also used curling rinks to store bodies, something they learned a few years earlier with the disaster of the titanic.
Is that... Theodore Tugboat?
@@sr2971 yep!!
Something about the early 1900s and ships just didn't mix well.
As well as St. Patrick’s Alexandra School on Maitland Street.
Fascinating and so heartbreaking.
On a very different note: your voice is incredibly soothing and delightful to listen to.
'Curse Of The Narrows' by Laura MacDonald, covers this event very well.
Other good that came out of this disaster is that it led to major advances in the medical specialty of paediatrics. Up until then, the prevalent thinking was that children could be treated as, basically, scaled-down adults. But so many children had been injured at once in Halifax that it quickly became clear that this was NOT the case.