Some Halifax Explosion artifacts pulled from the harbour will have a new home

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Nearly a year and a half after the wreckage of the Mont Blanc was discovered during dredging work in Halifax Harbor, plans are being formed for what to do with some of the wreckage of the famous ship involved in the Halifax explosion.

The dredging was part of the expansion of the Irving Shipyard. More than 100 objects from Mont Blanc were among the 100,000 tons of material removed from the harbor. In some cases, the artifacts were pieces the size of a car.

These fragments were found at the present site of what would have been Pier 6 on December 6, 1917. This is where the French ammunition ship Mont Blanc drifted and exploded after colliding with the Imo, a Norwegian steamer carrying Belgian aid.

“These pieces are very important because they are part of our culture and heritage, not the happiest part of our culture and heritage, but they are part of ours,” said Marilyn Davidson Elliott, a north Halifax resident whose father was blinded by the explosion when he was just two and a half years old.

“And it’s important that we preserve what we can. We can't save everything, but I think we can save most of it.”

The Halifax explosion is the worst disaster in Canadian history and perhaps the most important event in the city's history. Two thousand people were killed and 9 thousand were injured, two square kilometers of the city were razed to the ground.

The aftermath of the Halifax explosion - the destruction of buildings in a snowy area - is shown in a photograph from 1917. — The aftermath of the Halifax explosion is shown in this 1917 photograph. (Canadian Press)

The fragments are considered historically significant because they are much larger than the existing ones.

Davidson Elliott wrote a book Blind mechanicabout her father. She gives talks about the explosion and is part of two community groups that work to preserve the memory of the disaster.

She asked for a piece of Mont Blanc to use in her conversations and received a piece of steel plate 82.5 centimeters long and two rivets. The casing weighs about 15 kilograms, and its wave-like shape is due to the force of the explosion.

A woman holds a rusty rivet from a ship damaged in the Halifax explosion. — Marilyn Davidson Elliott is shown wearing a Mont Blanc stud. Her father was blinded in the Halifax bombing when he was two and a half years old. (Galen McRae/CBC)

“It's incredible to imagine what force caused this, but we know what force because it was the most powerful explosion before the atomic age,” Davidson Elliott said.

The Halifax Naval Museum on Gottingen Street will be home to a car-sized piece of Mont Blanc, which will be displayed outside the museum. The item's weight is estimated to be around 725 kilograms.

The location is appropriate given that at the time of the explosion the building housed a hospital where some of the victims were being treated.

“It's a really cool, tangible way for people to touch and see and be around to really feel how amazing the force of the explosion was,” said museum director Jennifer Denty.

This photo shows a rusty piece of Mont Blanc's steel skin. — This is the fragment that Davidson Elliott was asked to use in his speeches about the Halifax bombing. Its length is 82.5 centimeters and its weight is about 15 kilograms. (Galen McRae/CBC)

At the time of the explosion, Canada was fighting in the First World War, and Halifax served as a strategic port. Denty said that detail is sometimes lost in discussions of the explosion.

“The ability to keep the war front moving, continue to supply allies, and also deal with a major disaster on the home front is an extremely important story worth telling, and we really hope this monument can reflect that broader experience,” she said.

WATCH | What's next for the Mont Blanc artifacts:

The fate of the Mont Blanc artifacts has become much clearer

Huge pieces of Mont Blanc were discovered during dredging work at the port a year and a half ago. Officials are now trying to find a home for artifacts from the Halifax explosion in places like museums. CBC's Richard Woodbury reports.

In a statement, the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage said Nova Scotia Community College will also work with the Nova Scotia Museum to perform 3D scans of the recovered fragments.

The department said it has spoken with museums, community groups and other organizations to see if they might be interested in using the artifacts for education, exhibits or other ways to tell the story of the Halifax bombing. He said he is still open to proposals from institutions and groups.

Ship in the harbor — The Norwegian steamer Imo is washed ashore at Dartmouth after an explosion in Halifax in 1917. Its collision with the ammunition ship Mont Blanc started a fire, causing an explosion. (Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management/The Canadian Press)

The province said it is exploring options for long-term storage of the items, which would require significant space and resources.

However, with such a large number of fragments found, it is “very likely” that many fragments will be returned to the harbor floor.cheers, the statement said.

If it does happen, Davidson Elliott hopes it will be a celebratory occasion.

She hopes other items will be placed in museums and cemeteries.

But the one place she would particularly like to see Mont Blanc's work is the bell tower of the Halifax Bombing Memorial in Fort Needham Park.