My grandfather was there when it happened. He had just left the docks, where he was working as a longshoreman, and was on his way home when the Grandcamp blew. He told me he just turned around and went back to help. He always claimed there was something fishy going around that ship, he helped load some of the cargo and they were not allowed to go to certain areas by men who didn't look like crew or longshoremen. He also said that these same men were smoking on the ship when the smoking lamp was not lit as they were loading the fertilizer and got belligerent when called on it and told the men to just move along and mind their own business. My grandfather knew what would happen if the fertilizer caught fire as he ran a small family farm when he wasn't working on the docks. This video brought back a lot of memories of him. Thanks, History Guy!
@@guytansbariva2295 My Grandfather was inclined to believe that. He had no 'proof' just a lot of things didn't add up with the story that was told and what he saw.
@@dangilbert9477 Well, it might sense. The OSS, or a number of Gov agencies that were formed after WWII. Or it was just that they didn't want personnel around the area. Don't know if you're a big reader, but if you are check out W.E.B Griffin's novels about spy stuff in WWII.
It was known that Grandcamp was carrying small arms ammunition so that could be what the guard was for. I do find it intriguing the captain of Grandcamp insisted on using steam to quench the fires so as not to damage the cargo, but steam is just as damaging to ammonium nitrate as water is so maybe he was talking about something else...
Interesting. I was seven years old, living in Texas City at that time. My father was one of the volunteer firemen that was killed in the explosion, he is in one of the photos show in this film. Every year a memorial is held in Texas City on April 16th and many of the survivors are present.
We actually studied the Texas City explosion in the U.S. Air Force. I was a member of the Disaster Response Force and this particular disaster was one of the main reasons it was formed.
I was born in Texas City in January, 1957. We moved to Dickinson in 1961, after Hurricane Carly filled our house with eight feet of mud. I retained an awareness of disasters throughout my childhood. When I graduated from High School in 1975, I enlisted in the Air Force. In 1985, I retrained into the 242X0 career field -- Disaster Preparedness. In the 1990s, I became a 3E971 (Readiness Craftsman) and remained in the Civil Engineer Readiness Flight until my retirement in 1997. I understand that Readiness Craftspeople (how does one craft readiness?) are now Emergency Management personnel. I don't know what the AFSC is now, but it's good to know that Disaster Preparedness personnel are now recognized as Emergency Managers.
As a farmer & previously a fireman I can tell you exactly what happened here. The fertilizer was decomposing; BUT I can tell you that the fire started in the cotton bales. If the cotton was rolled too tight & was exposed to water it WILL spontaneously combust & there isn't enough water in the city to put it out. The same issue exists with hay when it's baled before it can properly dry. As for the second ship, let's just say that sulfur & ammonium nitrate do not play well together (especially if the ammonium nitrate is on fire). Water is a reeeeeally bad thing to add to this type of chemical reaction.
Dad was in a boat in Cameron Parish, LA, and they felt the concussion, the small boat suddenly rocked in the water. Unbelievable chain of events of stupidity and laxity cost more than 500 lives and countless other casualties.
My Mother was 9 months pregnant looking out her kitchen window washing dishes in Pasadena, Texas about 25 miles away when the ship exploded. As she watched the smoke column rise the whole house vibrated & the window panes chattered. Five days later I was born.
It continues to astonish me the sheer number of viewers with connections, both direct and indirect, to many of the "forgotten" events featured here. This is an unique online community in so many ways.
“Don’t use water or it’ll ruin the cargo.” And then the cargo exploded … which exploded the ship … which exploded the dock … which exploded the city. Priorities, folks. Priorities.
Nothing changes. I am a medic and firefighter and people will ask me to take my boots off when I come into a home, or fret over my stretcher being a threat to their walls or China cabinets.🙄🤦🤷
@@HM2SGT Lesson of the day: while having a heart attack, be sure to take off all your clothes, fold them neatly, open the front door, and move all your valuable furnitures out of the way before falling on the floor and struggle to breathe.
My grandfather was working at the Monsanto plant at that time but called in sick that morning. He went to the site to help look for survivors a couple days later. None of his immediate co-workers survived and several were never found. He said it was gruesome beyond belief.
that ranks with so many people who survived 911 by not calling off, showing up to work. "too nice out; called off". "had little cut on my hand so i stopped at walgreens to get a bandaid". "missed my normal train, so i was on the one 30 minutes after".
In 1978 I worked with a man who lived through the Texas City disaster. In 1947 Dick was residing in Texas City after having survived two years of combat in the Pacific as an infantryman. He told me he as was watching the blaze from over a mile away when the ship exploded. His military instinct took over and he jumped flat onto the dirt. A man standing near him did not and was decapitated by flying debris. A similar disaster, but on a smaller scale, took place in my mother's hometown of Richmond, IN, in 1968, killing 41 people and destroying or damaging 20 buildings. We had visited this tranquil community of 44,000 residents only a year prior. Ever since the tragedy the population of Richmond has steadily declined and now numbers fewer than 36,000. It can happen anywhere, anytime . . . on a sunny day, on a sunny street.
That reminds me of the videos from Lebanon 2 years ago where people were recording the blast with their phones and just stood there watching it through glass windows, not understanding the price they'd pay when the shock wave arrived.
You would think we would have gotten better about storing ammonium nitrate between this and the Halifax. But then we get Lebanon as the most recent example. Great episode!
True. But you can’t compare Lebanon with this! This disaster helped fix the problem of the storage of dangerous materials in the US! Lebanon is not part of the U.S. there not bound by the same rules as we are. So that’s not an accurate comparison, this is an American story not Lebanese!
I grew up partly in Texas city and then over in Galveston and heard a lot of the stories as well from our neighbors. They were stacking bodies crisscross on top of sheets of plywood in the auto garage is on top of the hydraulic lifts and they would push the bodies up in the air and then lower them again to add more to it and just pouring buckets of blood down into the sewer. One of our neighbors in Texas City told a story that he could walk but he was temporally blinded another man was the opposite his legs were badly damaged but he could see so he picked him up on his back and they were able to find their way through the wreckage with one seeing and one walking. At the time when the explosion first happened the people and some in the government thought it was a Russian atomic attack. That anchor you showed sits partly in the grounds of the Holiday Inn on the Texas City Dyke and that is where it landed across the bay from the refinery. We used to go look at it as a kid
I was born in Galveston and we moved to Texas City in 1955/56 where I lived for the next 23 years. In 1976 I worked with a man at Union Carbide who was constructing Union Carbide in 1946 during the disaster. He stated that when the Grand Camp blew they all ran for the gate and a laborer passed them pushing a wheel barrow. Union Carbide is about three miles to the west of Monsanto where the Grand Camp was moored... Needless to say I knew and meet a lot of people that survived that terrible event with lots of stories...I also saw some of the projectiles including that anchor that were blown far distances from the explosion, it was hard to believe something that size and weight could be hurled that distance...
It really speaks to why we should all learn more history when we see how often these avoidable awful accidents happen worldwide. More people slept thru history classes than I ever imagined. Too bad--we keep paying the price.
My paternal grandmother was a head nurse in Galveston when this happened. She immediately rounded up her nurses and drove to Texas City, they became local heroes. Us grandkids didnt know until she was 86. PS Beruit says hold my beer. Boom
My father said there was a nonstop flow of cars streaming into Galveston carrying all the wounded to John Sealy hospital, as they used any vehicles as ambulances.
Yep, she was a head nurse at John Sealey, I was born there in 1954. Grandma ran to the disaster, not away from, and she was treated as a hero, unbeknownst to us grandkids.
My dad was sent by his employer to assess the damage to company property shortly after the disaster, he always said no words could describe the destruction he saw.
My childhood home was just over 11 miles from where the ships exploded. When Grandcamp blew up it shattered every window in the house facing Texas City and crack others in the back.
For a high school history class we were assigned to write a ten page term paper about an industrial or natural disaster that happened in America. This was in the late 1970s in North Idaho. I wanted something unique and found mention of the Texas City Texas disaster. It fascinated me. I knew about the explosive properties of ammonium nitrate from blasters who used it on road projects. My term paper came out to be 14 pages long. All my research ended up giving me nightmares for over a year. My term paper and presentation got me an A even though my writing skills were not the best at the time. To this day, the disaster continues to interest me. Such a terrible and terrifying tragedy that ended up improving disaster preparedness and organization. Thank you for remembering and bringing again to light this forgotten, tragic piece of American history.
In Hattiesburg, MS, where I went to college, there was a nursing home. My wife worked there and I used to visit some the patients who had no family. In that nursing home was an almost blind old man. His name was Mr. Strange. He personally experienced this disaster. He described it as almost like Hiroshima.
@@G-Mastah-Fash So he's still living. That's wonderful. He was 91 years old in 1975 (long before you were born) so he's 138 now. The good doctor's taking real good care of himself.
Thanks for talking about this. My grandmother and her family lived through this. They were lucky to make it with only minor injuries and damages to their house.
My father was a surgeon in the public health service in Galveston and was sent to the disaster to triage the wounded. He remembered it vividly. The explosions and wounded taken out on the back of tractor trailers stacked on bunked cots. He was called back after the second to assist in the surgical treatment at Galveston.
This disaster is routinely studied in fire science courses in the US and Europe. I worked with a municipal health officer who started his career in 1947 in Texas City. His first hand knowledge was as terrifying as it was informative, he noted that numerous refrigerated trucks were brought in to act as temporary storage for the bodies of the victims. This certainly affected his work with our emergency services (I was Fire Service) in our disaster planning and preparedness.
I grew up in Texas City and have heard many tellings of this story. I learn something from everyone, and yours is no exception. Thank you for another excellent piece of history that deserves to be remembered.
On the drive to Texas city we can still see the massive ship propeller that was sent flying from the explosion. No one moves it because it's become a monument to the event
My cousin, Estelle Scarborough was considered by many rescuers and medical personnel to be the most severely injured survivor of the disaster. She had been a typist working on the second floor of a chemical company building on the docks. She did not remember the explosion, only waking up horribly shredded by shards of glass in the basement of the now missing building she had been working in. An injured black man was walking along railroad tracks next to the basement. The basement was rapidly flooding and the man climbed down to carry her out. He laid her on the railroad tracks, then laid down next to her and died. His throat was heavily cut and he most likely bled out. Estelle was evacuated to Galveston in hopes of providing medical care but she was too badly injured and the triage needs of other victims came first. Estelle’s brother and sister came to Texas City and searched the hospitals and morgues for her. They found Estelle in a Galveston convent with a white privacy screen around her bed, a measure taken for hopeless cases. Estelle’s siblings sent for a doctor and an ambulance from Tyler Texas. She not only survived, she was one of the most optimistic people I had ever known. She never married and always wore sleeves and pantsuits. She told me she often had shards of glass fall from her skin when taking showers and had to be careful to not step on glass shards on the shower floor. I never understood why she shared her story with me. She was very private about her survival and refused to attend the Texas City Disaster Memorials all her life.
Wow, I've never heard of this disaster. As one responsible for emergency preparedness where I work this is a sober reminder of needing to anticipate what can go wrong and how to respond.
My Dad was studying in the Veterinary college at Texas A&M meanwhile my Uncle was in Pre-med in Dallas. Both were drafted for the Texas City relief. Dad had worked as a pharmacist mate in San Diego in the receiving for wounded in the Pacific Theater. He later told me it was like the same horror all over again. Texas City is well remembered in the Lone Star State...
Along with the Great Storm in 1900, which was the most deadly hurricane in US history, we remember our terrible superlatives here in Galveston County. A photo is taken each year of the survivors of Texas City, but it's been a long time and there are fewer each year still alive.
I've read a lot about this disaster and am still "blown away" by the power of one ship exploding. The planes blown out of the air tells quite a bit about the power of the explosion.
I am so glad to see you do this grew up near Texas city always heard the warning siren test, also knew plenty of survivors and lots of horrific stories. Thank you for doing this one.
My grandfather made all 4 jumps with the 82nd in WW2. After the war he briefly worked as a merchant marine and came into the bay a few days after the explosion. Between the wrecked city and the smell of rotting bodies he immediately thought of the wrecked cities in Europe.
Thanks. This video was a reminder for me. As a chemistry major I read of this disaster, then later got a reminder from my father who was involved in Civil Defense/Emergency Preparedness. Around December, 1917, there was the Halifax disaster, involving picric acid, TNT, benzene and chlorinated benzenes. A book, Curse of the Narrows, details the fiasco and tragedy. Thank you again.
My husband has a chemistry degree (OU-1978) and we live about 15 miles north of TC. We went down because I'm a historian and wanted to see things. He explained how the chemicals had reacted and what happened. A lot of safety stuff came out of that explosion and the Halifax one. And NH4-NO3 plus fuel oil was part of the OKC bombing (I had to learn that for a book I wrote). Scary stuff.
My 4th grade teacher was raised in Texas City, and moved to Philly for a teaching job. When Dad found out where she was from he, asked, "Isn't that where... Yes. She replied. I lost 3 sisters, Mom, and my baby brother Alvin that day. Dad asked how she made it out unscathed? She smiled, then started to push on her face. In a few seconds she started to bleed, just as a piece of glass slid out of her skin, and onto her finger. She dabbed the blood with a Kleenex tissue, looked at Dad and said, Unscathed? She was one tough old broad!
My fathers ship (merchant marines) was in the cannel leading to the harbor but the ship had broken down and waiting to be towed in. My mother was in a town about 50 miles away and they thought a local refinery had blown up.
My parents lived in Pasadena, TX, about 25 miles northeast of Texas City. My Mother was pregnant with me at the time and was standing in the kitchen when the explosion occurred. My Father was a longshoreman at the time at the Port of Houston, and had been very close to the Grand Camp when it was docked there prior to the explosion. It was six months before I was born, but I remember my whole life the discussions about the disaster and recovery efforts. Many crews from Houston and Pasadena went to the scene to assist. Both Texas City and Houston ports and chemical plants have been the scene of many accidents and explosions throughout the years since, but none coming even close to this disaster. Thank you for your excellent description of this remarkable point in history.
I was surprised that they didn't see flour as a fire hazard. Grain terminals have experienced tremendous explosions. As one fire expert said, "anything that has been alive can burn...:" Sulfur is also used in making gunpowder.
As a kid, I did a demonstration of how a grain explosion occurs, using a teaspoon if flour, a lit candle, a one gallon metal can with a lid, and a rubber hose. It was most impressive to see that can lid fly 5 feet in the air!
My father related to me that he heard the two explosions all the way east to the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area. The event was significant to him because he had served as a Merchant Mariner during WWII.
I only learned of this disaster about 20 years ago (I'm 84) and I never miss an opportunity to read or hear more about it. It seems every source adds a little more information and The History Guy didn't waste my time. Thank you sincerely.
Thanks! I saw a video about this from a different channel a while ago, but this one was far more detailed. Yours has better footage and bbn photos too.
Just found your site and what a grand but sad story. My grandfather survived the Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin in 1871. Thank you for presenting these unforgettable stories.
I worked at a motor control building manufacturer in Houston for about 10 years back in the 90's. The man who started it was named Powell. At the time of the Texas City disaster he was working out of his garage building motor control cabinets. It was hard to get a foothold in the industry because there were many other companies who had been in the business for many years and they were who industries went to when they were in need of motor control cabinets. But when the explosion happened in Texas City, the industries that were damaged needed to get their plants back on line quickly so they gave this new upstart, Mr Powell, a chance. His work was good enough to make Powell a major player in the field of motor control cabinets in the years to follow. By the time I started there in 1994 they had a huge facility east of Hobby Airport and in the years since have had to move a few miles away so as to have room to expand more. They were very busy the years I was there. 10 months out of the year we worked 65 hours a week. Most money I ever made and they had great benefits too. Worst decision I ever made was to leave there to go back to college.
Well that's interesting timing, I was just looking at footage of the 2020 Beirut explosion. I saw some videos about the Texas City explosion in my search. Great video as usual!
THG you amaze me. Why is this not in the history books and I'm a history bluff and I'm 51 years old. Great job on producing this episode of History deserves to be remembered.
About 10 years agao I was operating a Track Hoe at the explosion site. This dock had not been touched since the explosion, a huge notch was taken out of the dock area when it happend. As I was excavating the actual explosion place I dug up chunks of steel from the ship which were picked up and tranported by the Port. I also found the concrete dock footings that were tilted at a 45 degree angle. The were demo'd later. There is now a new dock at the site and no more traces of the event remain there.
On the final note about industrial accidents being actively forgotten. There's even another industrial accident with nearly the same name, the Texas City Explosion (2005)
Indeed. My ambulance was one of the responding units. It was sort of like that scene from Hook where Smee is ringing the bell frantically and hollering "Anybody what's not already fighting, come quick!"
@@HM2SGT Yep, my Dad was a supervisor in the HEO Dept. out there. A co-worker told me he ran a picker on 4 flat tires with my Dad and 2 other supervisors slinging wire slings around whatever they could hitch to thru that mess to get to survivors. Dad won’t speak of it except to say he helped where he could but others said it was gruesome. An Uncle was a survivor in the trailer where 12 of the workers died.
@@Bayou_Russ YT did not like my reply. I was saying I haven't seen anything like that outside of Somalia & Kuwait. I'm relieved to hear they weren't patients of mine, and that there's a peculiar grotesquery and Glory in disasters like that, which are miserably horrible and bring out the very best in people.
That last sentence. I used to work where industrial accidents / diseases were referred to medical tribunals - some were horrific, some (Asbestosis and Byssinosis) took decades to show up.
I distinctly remember studying the Texas City Disaster while getting my Fire Science and Engineering degree in '86. It was studied for Incident Command structuring and Hazardous Material handling. After 27+ years in the Fire Service and Insurance Industry, I'm now retired.
I have heard this story before a few times, but you have revealed details that I had never heard. You are a masterful researcher and story teller. So There!
I have not watched the complete video yet, but it sounds a lot like the Halifax, NS, Canada, disaster. A ship explosion that brought experts from many countries to study. Killed about two thousand.
@@HM2SGT Hi WtW. Found it. Watched it. It was really well done. Since my Mother and Father met and wed in Halifax it strikes home. Also, my home port has "the narrows" too. It also mentions a few times the close relationship between USA and Canada. I love Boston although I have a conflicted relationship with the Bruins.
In 1982, I drove a delivery truck for Amerigas, Inc. out of Deer Park, Texas. Often I had to pick up a load of explosive gasses from the refineries in Texas City. Older locals would tell that story as I loaded my truck.
I feel like THG can do a Disaster history series on ammonium nitrate. I recollect reading about numerous horrific explosions throughout world history of the fertilizing substance (not forgetting Beirut.)
People who work with freight become passive when they have not had personal experience with disasters. Since neither they or friends have gone thru such a tragedy they forget to be justifiably fearful of something so common. That is why training every few years keeps people on their toes.
I saw all the impressive refineries and silos in Texas City coming from Galveston a few months ago but didn't learn about the Texas City explosion until after that. It was very eerie to know that the worst industrial disaster in American history occurred there.
This topic fascinated me ever since I spent three years of my Navy career at Naval Weapons Station Concord in California, site of the Port Chicago explosion on July 17, 1944. Seeing the remains of the pier (nothing more than pilings) and what few landmarks are left of the town of Port Chicago after the Navy bought it out and leveled it made me close my eyes and think about what it was like to live through it. I can only imagine what it was like for witnesses in Texas City, back before TH-cam, social media, 24 hour news on television, computers, the Internet, etc in trying to grasp what had happened.
The book "The Alchemy of Air" describes the invention of the process to create nitrogen fertilizers and early explosions. Two Nobel Prizes. A worthwhile read.
I have just found you and your beautifully described treasure trove of useful and some almost forgotten history. Keep being awesome and historically accurate History Guy!!!! I’ll gladly support this work!!!!
I was born in Texas City after the explosion. It was discussed often. When the fire department was dispatched, one firefighter was told to stay at the fire station to answer the phone (no cell phones back then). He was the only Texas City firefighter that survived. There was also the story of two Monsanto workers that survived. One guy was stumbling around with blood in his eyes. The other guy had fractured legs and couldn't walk but, could see fine. He convinced the other guy to put him on his shoulders to guide them out. When they reached help, they both fully recovered. In 1966 there was a 20 year special on TV. A lot of survivor stories. I am not sure if that is available.
Please check out a ship explosion that I remember as a 10 year old. It happened in the Los Angeles harbor. It was the SS Sansinena. Part of which ended up on the dock and it burned for 4 days. Thanks Lance, love the show !
Thank you, this story resonates well with me. I went to Texas A&M Galveston, so we went over this part of history during classes. I really enjoyed it. You covered it well and the effect it had on Texas to this day. Just look at the recent Beruit accident in 2020, over 200 killed and 6,000 injured. This stuff is dangerous.
I lived not far from this and have seen the screw from the ship. It’s crazy that it had the power to move that. One of the offices I went to in clearlake a few miles north of Texas City had photos of the disaster all along its lobby as I think OSHA had an office there. It was very interesting.
Excellent attention to historic accuracy, with one exception... The grain elevator did not collapse, it stood for years. Part of the headhouse and some of the ancillary structures did collapse, however, The entire Volunteer fire department were lost, except the Chief who was out of town.
I had heard about this somewhere else and they said over the war the city had tripled in size, but the volunteer fire department had never gotten any larger. It to mentioned how in the blast the entire fire department was killed
@@thomasswafford250 The Chief was out of town on business. The newest piece of fire equipment was, I believe on its first run, dockside, actually blown to pieces. The several chemical plants/refineries had internal firefighters and equipment on their properties. The nearest refinery was Sid Richardson, I believe. here were several. I was near failing History in the last half of my Senior year in High School, and the History teacher threw me a blanket, telling me to write a report about the Texas City Blast (as it was called locally). I presented him with 25 pages single spaced, with footnotes, after spending quite some time in the Texas City Sun Morgue. Of all things, I got an 'A' in History, and I heard the report was in the library at the high school.
I had never heard of this disaster. The aftermath of the explosion sound eerily similar to the Halifax explosion which occurred in during the 1st world War when 2 ships collided in the Harbour. Thanks for sharing this video
Thank you History Guy for such in-depth videos on History that deserves to be remembered. Every video I watch of yours is captivating and entertaining, and I will continue to watch to learn more about our worlds past!
Helluvva thing. My mother-in-law's father was there, fortunately he survived. Those explosions are inconceivably violent. I remember a nursing home in Baytown that had a plate of Steel about the size of a laptop that had been ejected from one of the refineries a mile or two away and come through their roof. I saw it back around 2004, and it wasn't new then but I don't remember when the explosion took place.
Something similar to this happened a few years ago at the west Texas fertilizer plant. I was on break in a semi at a pilot some miles away n we felt the shock wave.as a veteran it scared hell out of me. Definitely put my ptsd into overdrive.
That was in the town of West. About 20 miles north of Waco on I 35. I lived about 50 miles from there at the time. Many people heard the blast where I lived. If you ever go through West. STOP AND GET KOLACHES. Best in Texas. Stores are open 24 hours and there is always a line.
The Kolaches at West are not to be confused with the winnies in a roll or lunch meat ham and cheese that are passed off as real kolaches at 5 Star Donut Shops.
Excellent coverage.. I lived just up the street to Texas City (League City) 2 decades back now.. I had a friend who was a firefighter there and he took me around the town.. It is hard to imagine today what it must have been like back then, though I've seen the pictures and a few monuments to those who died... You did a heck of a job on this one! Thanks!
I learned about this tragedy after I moved to Texas City 48 years ago . And have met a few people that were still living here since the time of the explosion.
I'm just the next town north of Texas City, League City. Been here only since 1997. My 2nd time watching THG's episode. I believe I probably watched it when it was 1st uploaded. I remember 1st hearing about this when I read it in the Houston Chronicle in 97 at its 50th anniversary. They devoted a whole section to it. Thanks THG. This engineer loves history.
Thanks, History Guy! This horrendous tragedy does indeed seem to be largely forgotten today. It happened years before I was born, but I learned about it as a kid when my Dad was using ammonium nitrate fertilizer on our lawn; he briefly told me about the disaster (curiously, nearby Camp Wallace, where he went through boot camp during the war, was also reactivated to help with food and shelter needs). For THG fans who want to go a little deeper, Bill Minutaglio's City on Fire is a fascinating account of the disaster itself as well as landmark legal battles that followed. The Texas City Disaster, 1947 by Hugh W. Stephens is rather dry but also interesting. Apparently, for one thing, practically no one involved seemed to know how dangerous ammonium nitrate could, be...including people who should have known, and should have raised the issue, for example the Coast Guard.
My mother who graduated as a Registered Nurse in May 1947 from University of Houston and St. Joseph Hospital was one of the first responder there at the hospital for victims of this accident. She said the hospital (one of the closest in downtown Houston) was so filled that patients were staying in the hall ways for days. That is where she just started practicing nursing a month before graduation. All of the student nurses were called in to help. She was one of the last First-responders from this accident. She died on March 28th of this year at the age of 95. This was a remarkable story and a tragic loss of life.
Another point, the treatment of the wounded from the Texas City Disaster also indirectly led to the establishment of the American Association of Blood Banks later that year to standardize the labeling, storage and collection of donor blood which had a profound effect on our blood drives today.
Thank you for this report. I work at ground zero where this explosion took place. There is an anchor next to my office from the vessel. Years before I worked there I purchased an old book from a garage sale "CITY ON FIRE". since I worked in the petro chemical industry I found the book a little upsetting. I often say a little prayer for the port and for all the victims, first responders and their families and for the current port. I worked for over a year at my current position before I found out the historical details of the anchor and the explosion. An older consultant informed me about the explosion and the anchor. Strangely I had kept the book by my bedside and Bible. I photocopied some pictures and excerpts from the book for visitors who are aware and inquire. I have also spoken with port Chaplains and port clergy. This explosion was such a tragedy.
My grandfather was there when it happened. He had just left the docks, where he was working as a longshoreman, and was on his way home when the Grandcamp blew. He told me he just turned around and went back to help. He always claimed there was something fishy going around that ship, he helped load some of the cargo and they were not allowed to go to certain areas by men who didn't look like crew or longshoremen. He also said that these same men were smoking on the ship when the smoking lamp was not lit as they were loading the fertilizer and got belligerent when called on it and told the men to just move along and mind their own business. My grandfather knew what would happen if the fertilizer caught fire as he ran a small family farm when he wasn't working on the docks. This video brought back a lot of memories of him. Thanks, History Guy!
It could have been part of an OSS mission, perhaps.
@@guytansbariva2295 My Grandfather was inclined to believe that. He had no 'proof' just a lot of things didn't add up with the story that was told and what he saw.
@@dangilbert9477 Well, it might sense. The OSS, or a number of Gov agencies that were formed after WWII. Or it was just that they didn't want personnel around the area.
Don't know if you're a big reader, but if you are check out W.E.B Griffin's novels about spy stuff in WWII.
It was known that Grandcamp was carrying small arms ammunition so that could be what the guard was for. I do find it intriguing the captain of Grandcamp insisted on using steam to quench the fires so as not to damage the cargo, but steam is just as damaging to ammonium nitrate as water is so maybe he was talking about something else...
Interesting. I was seven years old, living in Texas City at that time. My father was one of the volunteer firemen that was killed in the explosion, he is in one of the photos show in this film. Every year a memorial is held in Texas City on April 16th and many of the survivors are present.
I am sorry for your loss.
God Bless
My father was also 7 years old and living in Texas City at this time. My father lost his grandfather and uncle in the explosion. Small world
DYLAN ROOF: I don’t know you nor have ever heard of you. I would like know what part of my comment is not true and factual.
@@davidwestmoreland3909 he needs reported, glorifying mass a murderer is not a good thing.
We actually studied the Texas City explosion in the U.S. Air Force. I was a member of the Disaster Response Force and this particular disaster was one of the main reasons it was formed.
It's good something responsible came of this event.
I was born in Texas City in January, 1957. We moved to Dickinson in 1961, after Hurricane Carly filled our house with eight feet of mud. I retained an awareness of disasters throughout my childhood.
When I graduated from High School in 1975, I enlisted in the Air Force. In 1985, I retrained into the 242X0 career field -- Disaster Preparedness. In the 1990s, I became a 3E971 (Readiness Craftsman) and remained in the Civil Engineer Readiness Flight until my retirement in 1997.
I understand that Readiness Craftspeople (how does one craft readiness?) are now Emergency Management personnel. I don't know what the AFSC is now, but it's good to know that Disaster Preparedness personnel are now recognized as Emergency Managers.
@@johndemeritt3460 oh, very good, sir!
I'm also a veteran. I salute you.
@@lorijudd2151, back attcha with the salute, there! What branch, and how long did you serve?
@@lorijudd2151 Me Too.
As a farmer & previously a fireman I can tell you exactly what happened here. The fertilizer was decomposing; BUT I can tell you that the fire started in the cotton bales. If the cotton was rolled too tight & was exposed to water it WILL spontaneously combust & there isn't enough water in the city to put it out.
The same issue exists with hay when it's baled before it can properly dry. As for the second ship, let's just say that sulfur & ammonium nitrate do not play well together (especially if the ammonium nitrate is on fire). Water is a reeeeeally bad thing to add to this type of chemical reaction.
Dad was in a boat in Cameron Parish, LA, and they felt the concussion, the small boat suddenly rocked in the water.
Unbelievable chain of events of stupidity and laxity cost more than 500 lives and countless other casualties.
It is amazing you were not severely injured or worse. I'm glad you are okay.
That’s an incredible story, thank you for sharing.
My Mother was 9 months pregnant looking out her kitchen window washing dishes in Pasadena, Texas about 25 miles away when the ship exploded. As she watched the smoke column rise the whole house vibrated & the window panes chattered. Five days later I was born.
It continues to astonish me the sheer number of viewers with connections, both direct and indirect, to many of the "forgotten" events featured here. This is an unique online community in so many ways.
That's because people like to lie for attention, people will say anything to feel like they are a part of something.
“Don’t use water or it’ll ruin the cargo.”
And then the cargo exploded
… which exploded the ship
… which exploded the dock
… which exploded the city.
Priorities, folks. Priorities.
And worse, it still ruined the cargo!
Nothing changes. I am a medic and firefighter and people will ask me to take my boots off when I come into a home, or fret over my stretcher being a threat to their walls or China cabinets.🙄🤦🤷
@@HM2SGT Lesson of the day: while having a heart attack, be sure to take off all your clothes, fold them neatly, open the front door, and move all your valuable furnitures out of the way before falling on the floor and struggle to breathe.
Gotta follow company policy or you'll get written up and never make that promotion to another $1 an hour.
This is a mistake that gets made repeatedly.
My grandfather was working at the Monsanto plant at that time but called in sick that morning. He went to the site to help look for survivors a couple days later. None of his immediate co-workers survived and several were never found. He said it was gruesome beyond belief.
😳 good day to play hooky grandpa‼️
He worked in the region in the 1970s he was not in the disaster
that ranks with so many people who survived 911 by not calling off, showing up to work. "too nice out; called off". "had little cut on my hand so i stopped at walgreens to get a bandaid". "missed my normal train, so i was on the one 30 minutes after".
In 1978 I worked with a man who lived through the Texas City disaster. In 1947 Dick was residing in Texas City after having survived two years of combat in the Pacific as an infantryman. He told me he as was watching the blaze from over a mile away when the ship exploded. His military instinct took over and he jumped flat onto the dirt. A man standing near him did not and was decapitated by flying debris. A similar disaster, but on a smaller scale, took place in my mother's hometown of Richmond, IN, in 1968, killing 41 people and destroying or damaging 20 buildings. We had visited this tranquil community of 44,000 residents only a year prior. Ever since the tragedy the population of Richmond has steadily declined and now numbers fewer than 36,000. It can happen anywhere, anytime . . . on a sunny day, on a sunny street.
That reminds me of the videos from Lebanon 2 years ago where people were recording the blast with their phones and just stood there watching it through glass windows, not understanding the price they'd pay when the shock wave arrived.
@@RCAvhstape Probably mesmerized & not believing what they're seeing is real. And little time to process it & react accordingly.
L
@@RCAvhstape p
@dylannroof5291 What makes you think this?
You would think we would have gotten better about storing ammonium nitrate between this and the Halifax. But then we get Lebanon as the most recent example. Great episode!
Governments seldom fail to disappoint its citizenry
I was just going to make a point about the Monte Blanc, and Halifax, hmmm... Both ships French flagged... things that make you go hmmm....
Not to mention Oppau.... continues to be a surprise to me that people don't appreciate that it's explosive.
West Texas little boom was nothing to sneeze at.
True.
But you can’t compare Lebanon with this!
This disaster helped fix the problem of the storage of dangerous materials in the US!
Lebanon is not part of the U.S. there not bound by the same rules as we are.
So that’s not an accurate comparison, this is an American story not Lebanese!
I grew up partly in Texas city and then over in Galveston and heard a lot of the stories as well from our neighbors. They were stacking bodies crisscross on top of sheets of plywood in the auto garage is on top of the hydraulic lifts and they would push the bodies up in the air and then lower them again to add more to it and just pouring buckets of blood down into the sewer. One of our neighbors in Texas City told a story that he could walk but he was temporally blinded another man was the opposite his legs were badly damaged but he could see so he picked him up on his back and they were able to find their way through the wreckage with one seeing and one walking. At the time when the explosion first happened the people and some in the government thought it was a Russian atomic attack. That anchor you showed sits partly in the grounds of the Holiday Inn on the Texas City Dyke and that is where it landed across the bay from the refinery. We used to go look at it as a kid
That Holiday Inn has been gone for decades.
I was born in Galveston and we moved to Texas City in 1955/56 where I lived for the next 23 years. In 1976 I worked with a man at Union Carbide who was constructing Union Carbide in 1946 during the disaster. He stated that when the Grand Camp blew they all ran for the gate and a laborer passed them pushing a wheel barrow. Union Carbide is about three miles to the west of Monsanto where the Grand Camp was moored... Needless to say I knew and meet a lot of people that survived that terrible event with lots of stories...I also saw some of the projectiles including that anchor that were blown far distances from the explosion, it was hard to believe something that size and weight could be hurled that distance...
Dad and uncle was also at Union Carbide in 76-77. Some of the old timers were there and said they'd never forget it.
This disaster reminds me a lot of the ship explosions in Halifax Nova Scotia in 1917.
th-cam.com/video/_Uu6GULBKVM/w-d-xo.html
Indeed. Shades of the SS Richard Montgomery in Kent
Also the Mount Hood that's been covered.
It really speaks to why we should all learn more history when we see how often these avoidable awful accidents happen worldwide. More people slept thru history classes than I ever imagined. Too bad--we keep paying the price.
I was literally thinking the exact same thing of how similar these situations were
My paternal grandmother was a head nurse in Galveston when this happened. She immediately rounded up her nurses and drove to Texas City, they became local heroes. Us grandkids didnt know until she was 86. PS Beruit says hold my beer. Boom
My father said there was a nonstop flow of cars streaming into Galveston carrying all the wounded to John Sealy hospital, as they used any vehicles as ambulances.
It's a shame you don't have the same class as your grandmother.
Halifax enters the chat.
Yep, she was a head nurse at John Sealey, I was born there in 1954. Grandma ran to the disaster, not away from, and she was treated as a hero, unbeknownst to us grandkids.
Hey THG, you should do a piece on “The Galveston Project”.
My dad was sent by his employer to assess the damage to company property shortly after the disaster, he always said no words could describe the destruction he saw.
Here in South West Louisiana we well remember it. People who were alive at the time said you could hear the explosion when it happened.
Came to the comments to mention this. My relatives talked about hearing it and it rattling the houses.
"We"? So you remember this event?
@Reese and Zoey no but its still talked about and remembered.
My childhood home was just over 11 miles from where the ships exploded. When Grandcamp blew up it shattered every window in the house facing Texas City and crack others in the back.
My grandparents told me stories of the explosion. They lived in Crosby at the time.
For a high school history class we were assigned to write a ten page term paper about an industrial or natural disaster that happened in America. This was in the late 1970s in North Idaho. I wanted something unique and found mention of the Texas City Texas disaster. It fascinated me. I knew about the explosive properties of ammonium nitrate from blasters who used it on road projects. My term paper came out to be 14 pages long. All my research ended up giving me nightmares for over a year. My term paper and presentation got me an A even though my writing skills were not the best at the time.
To this day, the disaster continues to interest me. Such a terrible and terrifying tragedy that ended up improving disaster preparedness and organization.
Thank you for remembering and bringing again to light this forgotten, tragic piece of American history.
In Hattiesburg, MS, where I went to college, there was a nursing home. My wife worked there and I used to visit some the patients who had no family.
In that nursing home was an almost blind old man. His name was Mr. Strange. He personally experienced this disaster. He described it as almost like Hiroshima.
Please his name is *Doctor* Hugo Strange. The man didn't go to medical school for 7 years just for you to disrespect him.
@@G-Mastah-Fash 🤔 The Arkham psychiatrist and psychologist?
@@G-Mastah-Fash So he's still living. That's wonderful. He was 91 years old in 1975 (long before you were born) so he's 138 now. The good doctor's taking real good care of himself.
Stagger Lee must be one of Stranges groupies who boos and hisses whenever Batman and the boy wonder make the scene... 😆
Grant smythe. Hugo strange is one of the bad characters in some of the Batman series...
Another excellent story of events and people that deserve to be remembered. Thank you History Guy....
God bless you History Guy. Your retelling of the stories of the dead truly does them an honor. You are a great story teller
Thanks for talking about this. My grandmother and her family lived through this. They were lucky to make it with only minor injuries and damages to their house.
My father was a surgeon in the public health service in Galveston and was sent to the disaster to triage the wounded. He remembered it vividly. The explosions and wounded taken out on the back of tractor trailers stacked on bunked cots. He was called back after the second to assist in the surgical treatment at Galveston.
This disaster is routinely studied in fire science courses in the US and Europe. I worked with a municipal health officer who started his career in 1947 in Texas City. His first hand knowledge was as terrifying as it was informative, he noted that numerous refrigerated trucks were brought in to act as temporary storage for the bodies of the victims. This certainly affected his work with our emergency services (I was Fire Service) in our disaster planning and preparedness.
I grew up in Texas City and have heard many tellings of this story. I learn something from everyone, and yours is no exception. Thank you for another excellent piece of history that deserves to be remembered.
On the drive to Texas city we can still see the massive ship propeller that was sent flying from the explosion. No one moves it because it's become a monument to the event
To me that one piece of debris says it all about the power of that explosion.
And how far did the propeller travel from the blast?
@@MustangsTrainsMowers It was found over a half mile away it looks like it's 15-20 feet in length and weighs several tons
My cousin, Estelle Scarborough was considered by many rescuers and medical personnel to be the most severely injured survivor of the disaster. She had been a typist working on the second floor of a chemical company building on the docks. She did not remember the explosion, only waking up horribly shredded by shards of glass in the basement of the now missing building she had been working in. An injured black man was walking along railroad tracks next to the basement. The basement was rapidly flooding and the man climbed down to carry her out. He laid her on the railroad tracks, then laid down next to her and died. His throat was heavily cut and he most likely bled out. Estelle was evacuated to Galveston in hopes of providing medical care but she was too badly injured and the triage needs of other victims came first. Estelle’s brother and sister came to Texas City and searched the hospitals and morgues for her. They found Estelle in a Galveston convent with a white privacy screen around her bed, a measure taken for hopeless cases. Estelle’s siblings sent for a doctor and an ambulance from Tyler Texas. She not only survived, she was one of the most optimistic people I had ever known. She never married and always wore sleeves and pantsuits. She told me she often had shards of glass fall from her skin when taking showers and had to be careful to not step on glass shards on the shower floor. I never understood why she shared her story with me. She was very private about her survival and refused to attend the Texas City Disaster Memorials all her life.
What an excellent summary of this disaster, as usual now I know more than when I started the video.
Wow, I've never heard of this disaster. As one responsible for emergency preparedness where I work this is a sober reminder of needing to anticipate what can go wrong and how to respond.
My Dad was studying in the Veterinary college at Texas A&M meanwhile my Uncle was in Pre-med in Dallas. Both were drafted for the Texas City relief. Dad had worked as a pharmacist mate in San Diego in the receiving for wounded in the Pacific Theater. He later told me it was like the same horror all over again. Texas City is well remembered in the Lone Star State...
Along with the Great Storm in 1900, which was the most deadly hurricane in US history, we remember our terrible superlatives here in Galveston County. A photo is taken each year of the survivors of Texas City, but it's been a long time and there are fewer each year still alive.
th-cam.com/video/BElQES_Dh0Q/w-d-xo.html
We say everything is bigger in Texas, but it does get to be annoying that we have to have all the worst disasters right here in one county!!!
I grew up 45 miles North, and my mother and anyone old enough at the time to remember the noise, remembered it.
I've read a lot about this disaster and am still "blown away" by the power of one ship exploding. The planes blown out of the air tells quite a bit about the power of the explosion.
I remember reading about this when I was a kid. Thanks!
I am so glad to see you do this grew up near Texas city always heard the warning siren test, also knew plenty of survivors and lots of horrific stories. Thank you for doing this one.
My grandfather made all 4 jumps with the 82nd in WW2. After the war he briefly worked as a merchant marine and came into the bay a few days after the explosion. Between the wrecked city and the smell of rotting bodies he immediately thought of the wrecked cities in Europe.
All the way...
Thanks. This video was a reminder for me. As a chemistry major I read of this disaster, then later got a reminder from my father who was involved in Civil Defense/Emergency Preparedness.
Around December, 1917, there was the Halifax disaster, involving picric acid, TNT, benzene and chlorinated benzenes. A book, Curse of the Narrows, details the fiasco and tragedy.
Thank you again.
My husband has a chemistry degree (OU-1978) and we live about 15 miles north of TC. We went down because I'm a historian and wanted to see things. He explained how the chemicals had reacted and what happened. A lot of safety stuff came out of that explosion and the Halifax one. And NH4-NO3 plus fuel oil was part of the OKC bombing (I had to learn that for a book I wrote). Scary stuff.
My 4th grade teacher was raised in Texas City, and moved to Philly for a teaching job.
When Dad found out where she was from he, asked, "Isn't that where...
Yes. She replied. I lost 3 sisters, Mom, and my baby brother Alvin that day.
Dad asked how she made it out unscathed?
She smiled, then started to push on her face.
In a few seconds she started to bleed, just as a piece of glass slid out of her skin, and onto her finger. She dabbed the blood with a Kleenex tissue, looked at Dad and said, Unscathed?
She was one tough old broad!
My fathers ship (merchant marines) was in the cannel leading to the harbor but the ship had broken down and waiting to be towed in. My mother was in a town about 50 miles away and they thought a local refinery had blown up.
My parents lived in Pasadena, TX, about 25 miles northeast of Texas City. My Mother was pregnant with me at the time and was standing in the kitchen when the explosion occurred. My Father was a longshoreman at the time at the Port of Houston, and had been very close to the Grand Camp when it was docked there prior to the explosion. It was six months before I was born, but I remember my whole life the discussions about the disaster and recovery efforts. Many crews from Houston and Pasadena went to the scene to assist. Both Texas City and Houston ports and chemical plants have been the scene of many accidents and explosions throughout the years since, but none coming even close to this disaster. Thank you for your excellent description of this remarkable point in history.
There is a bitter irony in that the fertilizer which brings so much life can also be one of the greatest vanquisher.
I was surprised that they didn't see flour as a fire hazard. Grain terminals have experienced tremendous explosions. As one fire expert said, "anything that has been alive can burn...:" Sulfur is also used in making gunpowder.
Grain terminals, flour, sawdust are primarily explosive hazards when the products dust is airborne.
Those explosions can be rather violent.
As a kid, I did a demonstration of how a grain explosion occurs, using a teaspoon if flour, a lit candle, a one gallon metal can with a lid, and a rubber hose. It was most impressive to see that can lid fly 5 feet in the air!
They did but compared to a lot of the stuff they were loading on it was considered far less of a hazard.
@@goodun2974 My HS chem teacher did that experiment! Very memorable!
My father related to me that he heard the two explosions all the way east to the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area. The event was significant to him because he had served as a Merchant Mariner during WWII.
I only learned of this disaster about 20 years ago (I'm 84) and I never miss an opportunity to read or hear more about it. It seems every source adds a little more information and The History Guy didn't waste my time. Thank you sincerely.
Thanks! I saw a video about this from a different channel a while ago, but this one was far more detailed. Yours has better footage and bbn photos too.
👍 THG tends to do that 🙂
I remember being taught about this in school during the earliy 1960s. Later I knew adults who had contracted cancer attributed to this disaster.
Just found your site and what a grand but sad story. My grandfather survived the Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin in 1871. Thank you for presenting these unforgettable stories.
I worked at a motor control building manufacturer in Houston for about 10 years back in the 90's. The man who started it was named Powell. At the time of the Texas City disaster he was working out of his garage building motor control cabinets. It was hard to get a foothold in the industry because there were many other companies who had been in the business for many years and they were who industries went to when they were in need of motor control cabinets. But when the explosion happened in Texas City, the industries that were damaged needed to get their plants back on line quickly so they gave this new upstart, Mr Powell, a chance. His work was good enough to make Powell a major player in the field of motor control cabinets in the years to follow. By the time I started there in 1994 they had a huge facility east of Hobby Airport and in the years since have had to move a few miles away so as to have room to expand more. They were very busy the years I was there. 10 months out of the year we worked 65 hours a week. Most money I ever made and they had great benefits too. Worst decision I ever made was to leave there to go back to college.
Well that's interesting timing, I was just looking at footage of the 2020 Beirut explosion. I saw some videos about the Texas City explosion in my search. Great video as usual!
THG you amaze me. Why is this not in the history books and I'm a history bluff and I'm 51 years old. Great job on producing this episode of History deserves to be remembered.
About 10 years agao I was operating a Track Hoe at the explosion site.
This dock had not been touched since the explosion, a huge notch was taken out of the dock area when it happend.
As I was excavating the actual explosion place I dug up chunks of steel from the ship which were picked up and tranported by the Port.
I also found the concrete dock footings that were tilted at a 45 degree angle. The were demo'd later.
There is now a new dock at the site and no more traces of the event remain there.
I heard stories growing up and I think it almost took out my mom as a child. Wild stuff.
On the final note about industrial accidents being actively forgotten. There's even another industrial accident with nearly the same name, the Texas City Explosion (2005)
Yep, the ISOM Unit at BP-Texas City now Marathon GBR.
Indeed. My ambulance was one of the responding units. It was sort of like that scene from Hook where Smee is ringing the bell frantically and hollering "Anybody what's not already fighting, come quick!"
@@HM2SGT Yep, my Dad was a supervisor in the HEO Dept. out there. A co-worker told me he ran a picker on 4 flat tires with my Dad and 2 other supervisors slinging wire slings around whatever they could hitch to thru that mess to get to survivors.
Dad won’t speak of it except to say he helped where he could but others said it was gruesome. An Uncle was a survivor in the trailer where 12 of the workers died.
@@Bayou_Russ YT did not like my reply. I was saying I haven't seen anything like that outside of Somalia & Kuwait. I'm relieved to hear they weren't patients of mine, and that there's a peculiar grotesquery and Glory in disasters like that, which are miserably horrible and bring out the very best in people.
@@Bayou_Russ The ISOM, or Isomerization Unit at the plant
I grew up in Texas City and graduated from TCHS in 2016. Super excited to learn more about the explosion.
That last sentence.
I used to work where industrial accidents / diseases were referred to medical tribunals - some were horrific, some (Asbestosis and Byssinosis) took decades to show up.
I distinctly remember studying the Texas City Disaster while getting my Fire Science and Engineering degree in '86. It was studied for Incident Command structuring and Hazardous Material handling. After 27+ years in the Fire Service and Insurance Industry, I'm now retired.
My father was hired by Stone Chemical. He went home to get his things and returned to a ruin. His job was now cleaning up what was left of the plant.
Love your work my brother
I have heard this story before a few times, but you have revealed details that I had never heard. You are a masterful researcher and story teller. So There!
Thanks for presenting the story on Texas City. Fascinating piece of history!
Great story and fantastic photos which really brought home the disaster.
I have not watched the complete video yet, but it sounds a lot like the Halifax, NS, Canada, disaster. A ship explosion that brought experts from many countries to study. Killed about two thousand.
Indeed. THG has done another of his stellar pieces about that some while ago
@@HM2SGT Hi WtW. Thanks. I didn't know that. But I will search. If you have a link, please pass it on. Best regards.
@@HM2SGT Hi WtW. Found it. Watched it. It was really well done. Since my Mother and Father met and wed in Halifax it strikes home. Also, my home port has "the narrows" too. It also mentions a few times the close relationship between USA and Canada. I love Boston although I have a conflicted relationship with the Bruins.
In 1982, I drove a delivery truck for Amerigas, Inc. out of Deer Park, Texas. Often I had to pick up a load of explosive gasses from the refineries in Texas City. Older locals would tell that story as I loaded my truck.
I feel like THG can do a Disaster history series on ammonium nitrate. I recollect reading about numerous horrific explosions throughout world history of the fertilizing substance (not forgetting Beirut.)
It always impressed me that the Texas City disaster is said to be one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in world history.
@@CallieMasters5000 I feel like all the ammonium nitrate related explosions triggered earthquake like effects because they were so large
People who work with freight become passive when they have not had personal experience with disasters. Since neither they or friends have gone thru such a tragedy they forget to be justifiably fearful of something so common. That is why training every few years keeps people on their toes.
Oklahoma City, one more example of ammonia nitrates power.
I saw all the impressive refineries and silos in Texas City coming from Galveston a few months ago but didn't learn about the Texas City explosion until after that. It was very eerie to know that the worst industrial disaster in American history occurred there.
I only learned about this disaster because i was looking for information about the other industrial explosion in Texas City 😦
This topic fascinated me ever since I spent three years of my Navy career at Naval Weapons Station Concord in California, site of the Port Chicago explosion on July 17, 1944. Seeing the remains of the pier (nothing more than pilings) and what few landmarks are left of the town of Port Chicago after the Navy bought it out and leveled it made me close my eyes and think about what it was like to live through it. I can only imagine what it was like for witnesses in Texas City, back before TH-cam, social media, 24 hour news on television, computers, the Internet, etc in trying to grasp what had happened.
The book "The Alchemy of Air" describes the invention of the process to create nitrogen fertilizers and early explosions. Two Nobel Prizes. A worthwhile read.
I have just found you and your beautifully described treasure trove of useful and some almost forgotten history. Keep being awesome and historically accurate History Guy!!!! I’ll gladly support this work!!!!
I was born in Texas City after the explosion. It was discussed often. When the fire department was dispatched, one firefighter was told to stay at the fire station to answer the phone (no cell phones back then). He was the only Texas City firefighter that survived. There was also the story of two Monsanto workers that survived. One guy was stumbling around with blood in his eyes. The other guy had fractured
legs and couldn't walk but, could see fine. He convinced the other guy to put him on his shoulders to guide them out. When they reached help, they both fully recovered.
In 1966 there was a 20 year special on TV. A lot of survivor stories. I am not sure if that is available.
Incredible report ! Thank you for this detail research.
Please check out a ship explosion that I remember as a 10 year old.
It happened in the Los Angeles harbor. It was the SS Sansinena.
Part of which ended up on the dock and it burned for 4 days.
Thanks Lance, love the show !
Thank you, this story resonates well with me. I went to Texas A&M Galveston, so we went over this part of history during classes. I really enjoyed it. You covered it well and the effect it had on Texas to this day. Just look at the recent Beruit accident in 2020, over 200 killed and 6,000 injured. This stuff is dangerous.
Thank you Lance. Priceless content
I lived not far from this and have seen the screw from the ship. It’s crazy that it had the power to move that. One of the offices I went to in clearlake a few miles north of Texas City had photos of the disaster all along its lobby as I think OSHA had an office there. It was very interesting.
Excellent attention to historic accuracy, with one exception... The grain elevator did not collapse, it stood for years. Part of the headhouse and some of the ancillary structures did collapse, however, The entire Volunteer fire department were lost, except the Chief who was out of town.
I had heard about this somewhere else and they said over the war the city had tripled in size, but the volunteer fire department had never gotten any larger. It to mentioned how in the blast the entire fire department was killed
@@thomasswafford250 The Chief was out of town on business. The newest piece of fire equipment was, I believe on its first run, dockside, actually blown to pieces.
The several chemical plants/refineries had internal firefighters and equipment on their properties. The nearest refinery was Sid Richardson, I believe. here were several.
I was near failing History in the last half of my Senior year in High School, and the History teacher threw me a blanket, telling me to write a report about the Texas City Blast (as it was called locally). I presented him with 25 pages single spaced, with footnotes, after spending quite some time in the Texas City Sun Morgue. Of all things, I got an 'A' in History, and I heard the report was in the library at the high school.
Thank you History Guy for the excellent program of this disaster. After all we learn from our past . Great job .
I had never heard of this disaster. The aftermath of the explosion sound eerily similar to the Halifax explosion which occurred in during the 1st world War when 2 ships collided in the Harbour. Thanks for sharing this video
Thank you History Guy for such in-depth videos on History that deserves to be remembered. Every video I watch of yours is captivating and entertaining, and I will continue to watch to learn more about our worlds past!
The Beirut explosion videos give an idea of the power of such. Scary
Also caused by ammonium nitrate.
I’m always amazed at how many people don’t know about this disaster.
Helluvva thing. My mother-in-law's father was there, fortunately he survived.
Those explosions are inconceivably violent. I remember a nursing home in Baytown that had a plate of Steel about the size of a laptop that had been ejected from one of the refineries a mile or two away and come through their roof. I saw it back around 2004, and it wasn't new then but I don't remember when the explosion took place.
Baytown, Barbers Hill and Texas City are always blowing up...or leaking.
Yeah for all intents and purposes a small tactical nuclear weapon went off that day only it didn't have the added fun time of radiation to deal with
Another excellent presentation THG. Love this channel!
This history 👏 does deserve to be remembered.
Something similar to this happened a few years ago at the west Texas fertilizer plant. I was on break in a semi at a pilot some miles away n we felt the shock wave.as a veteran it scared hell out of me. Definitely put my ptsd into overdrive.
That was in the town of West.
About 20 miles north of Waco on I 35.
I lived about 50 miles from there at the time.
Many people heard the blast where I lived.
If you ever go through West.
STOP AND GET KOLACHES.
Best in Texas.
Stores are open 24 hours and there is always a line.
The Kolaches at West are not to be confused with the winnies in a roll or lunch meat ham and cheese that are passed off as real kolaches at 5 Star Donut Shops.
@@Oilfieldscout I never pass through West without stopping.
It is a sin.
Another great video thank you History Guy for your work in bringing us these stories.
Excellent coverage.. I lived just up the street to Texas City (League City) 2 decades back now.. I had a friend who was a firefighter there and he took me around the town.. It is hard to imagine today what it must have been like back then, though I've seen the pictures and a few monuments to those who died... You did a heck of a job on this one! Thanks!
Always interesting! Thanks, HG!
I learned about this tragedy after I moved to Texas City 48 years ago . And have met a few people that were still living here since the time of the explosion.
My grandparents lived in Galveston at the time. My grandma was pregnant with my mom as well and was almost in danger because of the disaster.
I'm just the next town north of Texas City, League City. Been here only since 1997. My 2nd time watching THG's episode. I believe I probably watched it when it was 1st uploaded. I remember 1st hearing about this when I read it in the Houston Chronicle in 97 at its 50th anniversary. They devoted a whole section to it. Thanks THG. This engineer loves history.
My mom told about this incident. She said there were dark clouds in Houston’s skys.
Thank you for covering this story. My great uncle was killed in this disaster.
Thanks, History Guy! This horrendous tragedy does indeed seem to be largely forgotten today. It happened years before I was born, but I learned about it as a kid when my Dad was using ammonium nitrate fertilizer on our lawn; he briefly told me about the disaster (curiously, nearby Camp Wallace, where he went through boot camp during the war, was also reactivated to help with food and shelter needs). For THG fans who want to go a little deeper, Bill Minutaglio's City on Fire is a fascinating account of the disaster itself as well as landmark legal battles that followed. The Texas City Disaster, 1947 by Hugh W. Stephens is rather dry but also interesting. Apparently, for one thing, practically no one involved seemed to know how dangerous ammonium nitrate could, be...including people who should have known, and should have raised the issue, for example the Coast Guard.
My mother who graduated as a Registered Nurse in May 1947 from University of Houston and St. Joseph Hospital was one of the first responder there at the hospital for victims of this accident. She said the hospital (one of the closest in downtown Houston) was so filled that patients were staying in the hall ways for days. That is where she just started practicing nursing a month before graduation. All of the student nurses were called in to help. She was one of the last First-responders from this accident. She died on March 28th of this year at the age of 95. This was a remarkable story and a tragic loss of life.
Thank you for this spotlight on Texas history. Have you considered doing an episode on the New London School explosion?
Another point, the treatment of the wounded from the Texas City Disaster also indirectly led to the establishment of the American Association of Blood Banks later that year to standardize the labeling, storage and collection of donor blood which had a profound effect on our blood drives today.
Thank you for this report. I work at ground zero where this explosion took place. There is an anchor next to my office from the vessel. Years before I worked there I purchased an old book from a garage sale "CITY ON FIRE". since I worked in the petro chemical industry I found the book a little upsetting. I often say a little prayer for the port and for all the victims, first responders and their families and for the current port. I worked for over a year at my current position before I found out the historical details of the anchor and the explosion. An older consultant informed me about the explosion and the anchor. Strangely I had kept the book by my bedside and Bible. I photocopied some pictures and excerpts from the book for visitors who are aware and inquire. I have also spoken with port Chaplains and port clergy. This explosion was such a tragedy.
I grew up in east texas hearing referances to this very generally. But this is the first time ive heard it all together. Thank you.