Frederick Noronha (FN) wrote < When 'Fort Stikine' blew up in Bombay >
This week marked the 61st anniversary of the 1944 dockyard blasts, which was caused by a massive fire and explosion on board the British freighter Fort Stikine. The vessel was moored at the Bombay docks, was carrying 1300 tonnes of TNT at the time of the blast, and caused a destruction of a total of 27 ships and killed an estimated one thousand people, according to the Indian Express! RESPONSE = Yes, my father Carmo Vaz, (at the time of the blast working for Embarkation HQ near GPO at VT/CST) often told us about how the building shook, window panes shattered, everyone ran for cover thinking it was an air attack & as the blasts stopped, peeped out to see the consequences. When I was sailing, we once docked at Victoria or Prince's dock (not sure exactly which). There was/is(?) a tall monument to those dead in the explosion just inside the gate & a safety reminder "Let's not forget 1944". In a building nearby was a room with information, photos & wreckage of the damage. There was more than one ship carrying/transferring explosives - they were enroute to Japan as part of an allied assault. It was a series of explosions & fires taking the lives of many sailors, dock workers, fire fighters & those who ran in curiosity to see what the first explosion was all about. There were photos of bodies & body parts thrown up onto the cranes. Many buildings as far as Crawford Market were reduced to rubble. An anchor flew as far as Ballard Pier & cast in concrete at the site where it fell near the P&O Lines office. According to my father there were also gold bars thrown about from one the explosions! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Visit Loumel's Cottage Crafts, http://loumels.swiki.net
