Significant Historical Fire

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss the worst industrial accident of the States- the explosion of the French freighter Grandcamp that destroyed Texas City. Lax storage of explosives is claimed to be the rationale behind this horrific incident. Hoses were not employed to extinguish the fire, which if utilized, the incident would not have intensified to the level it actually did.

Significant Historical Fire

Introduction

The explosion of SS Grandcamp- the French freighter docked at the port of Texas City, which happened on April 16, 1947, was the worst industrial accident in history of United States. Grandcamp's cargo of ammonium nitrate caught fire, and in spite of instantaneous efforts to extinguish the fire, it rapidly intensified. The Grandcamp blew up in a blast, which also destroyed the nearby Monsanto Chemical styrene plant and set off subsequent fires and explosions that caused the devastation of Texas City. More than 580 people lost their lives in the incident, and around 3500 residents got injured. The docks were destructed as well, along with about 1,000 homes and businesses (Dingus, 1953), when the ship was literally blown to bits. It was that catastrophic incident which instigates the evolving of marine cargo-handling rules (Cornitius, 1997). This paper seeks to discuss the historical background of Texas Explosion, 1947; the laws that came out of the event and, type of technology that was not implemented at that time.

Discussion

Background

On April 16, 1947, a fire aboard the Grandcamp that was docked at the Texas City's port, burst the ship's cargo into flames, and the subsequent explosions took lives of over 580 people. The cargo was of ammonium nitrate, which was used as an explosive in World War II by the U.S. military (www.history.com). After the end of World War II, production of the ammonium nitrate continued due to its acceptance as a fertilizer. Nevertheless, in the post-war years, the precautionary measures used in its transportation became far more slipshod.

Along with government-owned ammunition and tobacco, the Grandcamp was being loaded with ammonium nitrate on April 16. Although, there was an official ban on cigarette smoking; however, it was a usual practice by dock workers. A fire had been caused by a cigarette on the docks just two days before the explosion. On the morning of April 16, within one of the holds of Grandcamp, smoke was spotted deep. Though, some water and an extinguisher were employed for blowing ...