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 SS Wilson B. Keene, destroyed in the disaster's second explosion | |
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| Date | 16 April 1947 |
|---|---|
| Time | 9:12 am (CST) |
| Location | Texas City, Texas, United States |
| Coordinates | 29°22′39″N 94°53′29″W / 29.37750°N 94.89139°W |
| Type | Ammonium nitrate explosion |
| Deaths | 581 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 5000 |
The 1947 Texas City disaster was an industrial accident that occurred on April 16, 1947, in the port of Texas City, Texas, United States, located in Galveston Bay. It was the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history and one of history's largest non-nuclear explosions.
The explosion was triggered by a mid-morning fire on board the French-registered vessel SS Grandcamp (docked at port), which detonated her cargo of about 2,300 tons (about 2,100 metric tons) of ammonium nitrate.[1] This started a chain reaction of fires and explosions aboard other ships and in nearby oil-storage facilities, ultimately killing at least 581 people, including all but one member of Texas City's volunteer fire department.[2]: 100
The disaster drew the first class action lawsuit against the United States government, on behalf of 8,485 plaintiffs, under the 1946 Federal Tort Claims Act.
- ^ Fire Prevention and Engineering Bureau of Texas; The National Board of Fire Underwriters (April 29, 1947). "Texas City, Texas, Disaster". Texas City Firefighters Local 159. Fire Prevention and Engineering Bureau of Texas. Archived from the original on 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2014-12-29.
- ^ Stephens, Hugh W. (1997-04-01). The Texas City Disaster, 1947. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-77723-X.
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