Texas City Explodes: 600 Die in America's Deadliest Industrial Disaster
The French cargo ship Grandcamp, loaded with 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, caught fire and exploded in Texas City harbor at 9:12 AM on April 16, 1947. The blast was heard 150 miles away. It detonated the nearby High Flyer, another ship loaded with ammonium nitrate and sulfur, sixteen hours later. The twin explosions leveled much of the waterfront, destroyed the Monsanto Chemical Company plant, killed 581 people, injured over 5,000, and left 2,000 homeless. The blast created a 15-foot tidal wave. Two small aircraft were knocked out of the sky. The disaster remains the deadliest industrial accident in American history. It prompted the first class-action lawsuit against the US government and led to sweeping reforms in industrial chemical safety regulations.
April 16, 1947
79 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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