Texas City Disaster

The Texas City Disaster was the explosion of 2300 tons of ammonium nitrate and small arms ammunition on board the French ship SS Grandcamp in the port of Texas City, Texas, on April 16, 1947. Another ship that was nearby, the SS High Flyer, was carrying an additional hold of nearly 1000 tons of ammonium nitrate, and it exploded approximately fifteen hours later. The incident is regarded as the worst industrial accident in the history of the United States, and killed nearly 600 people. Damage from the blast, felt up to 250 miles away, was estimated at $100 million.

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