A massive explosion occurred on December 6, 1917 in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia. At precisely 9:04 a.m. the French cargo ship SS Mont-Blanc, loaded with 2,400 tons of highly explosive wartime cargo, collided with the Norwegian ship SS Imo. Within twenty minutes, a fire ignited the explosives on the Mont-Blanc, resulting in a disaster causing horrific damage, injury and loss of life.