Course Objective – Assess the importance of Port Management Security.

Port Disasters and the Lessons Learned

For the last lesson topic discussion of the course we will assess four catastrophic maritime events that occurred in times past.  Matter of fact, these disasters happened over 60 years ago, and are excellent events to assess and review for lessons learned.  Moreover, we can take from these incidents and conclude what measures have been implemented over the years to correct and prevent these types of catastrophes from ever happening again.

The Halifax Explosion

The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova, Scotia was devastated by the detonation of the French vessel SS Mont-Blanc cargo ship that was fully loaded with wartime explosives. The Mont-Blanc detonated after colliding with the Norwegian SS Imo. Casualty reports indicated that almost 2,000 people were killed by the explosion and approximately 9,000 + were injured. The Halifax Explosion of 1917 was quite possible one of the deadliest accidents to have ever occurred.

One of the first glaring mistakes appears to be lack of explosive material safety. A failure in safety precautions is due to just pure ignorance. In 1917, a lot of the technology was not available to utilize when testing and fielding explosives—regardless of commercial or military applications. Picric acid is a highly sensitive material that can be detonated with small applications of heat, friction or shock. Obviously, carrying 2,300 tons of picric acid is not the best idea in the world. There are also some serious issues with compatibility and storage based on the type and quantity of explosive material on the ship.

There were also numerous communication issues between ships. First off, the SS Mont-Blanc not being appropriately identified as carrying explosives was a tragic error. Even if all other communication broke down between the vessels than the SS Imo would have known to give the right of way to the Mont-Blanc based wholly on the load that was being carried. Currently, 49 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) outlines what hazardous (and explosive) material can be carried together as well as in what quantities.

Overall, 1,900+ people were killed with over 325 acres of property destroyed (History). Ultimately, the place where the accident occurred was a big reason why so many individuals were killed. Today, approval to transport and even to obtain the authorization to enter a port would never pass the 49 CFR.  As a result of this accident, critical procedures were developed that addressed cargo ships that transport explosives or hazardous materials.

Lastly, this incident definitely suggest that cities, counties, and townships need a mass public notification system. Had a public address system been in-place to provide mass notification, the public could have been given specific instructions to avoid additional loss of life. This measure alone could have prevented many deaths.

Obviously, this tragedy is now used as a “lesson learned” event and many rules and regulations on what and how much hazardous or explosive material can be transported in cargo ships.  Current operating procedures have resulted in greater safety and security in today’s current maritime transport environment.

Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941, as President Roosevelt so aptly put it, is a “date which will live in infamy”.  The empire of Japan launched a sneak attack of the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii shortly before 8 am on a Sunday morning.  The Japanese Zeros successfully damaged or destroyed 8 battleships which made up the totality of the battleship contingent in the Pacific fleet.  More than 2,000 servicemen and civilians lost their lives that day in addition to more than 1,000 who were wounded in the attack (Lord, 1957).

In his book, “Reflections of Pearl Harbor”, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz explained that while the attack on Pearl Harbor was devastating, the Japanese made three critical mistakes.  The first, was to attack on a Sunday morning when the majority of the sailors were ashore on leave.  Had the ships been out at sea, the death toll would have been significantly higher.  The second, was the fact that the Japanese did not damage the dry docks located in the same area.  Had the Japanese destroyed the dry dock/repair facilities, the damaged ships would have had to of been towed all the way back to the continental US for repairs.  The third, and arguably one of the biggest, was the entire fuel supply for the Pacific fleet was stored only a short distance from battleship row, was not touched. Nimitz argued that a single fighter plane could have decimated the fuel supply for the entire Pacific theater (Ewing, 1971).

From a port security management perspective, it is hard to imagine having to tell the military how it should be run.  However, I believe it is safe to say that having your entire arsenal co-located in such a way as to invite its destruction is probably one of the biggest lessons learned from the attack at Pearl Harbor.  Just because you are not at war with someone, does not necessarily mean they do not wish you harm. Maintaining a heightened situational awareness and situational readiness may have provided advanced warning of a pending attack.

Port of Chicago Disaster

The Port Chicago disaster was a deadly munitions explosion that occurred on July 17, 1944, at the Port of Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago, California. The munitions detonated when they were being loaded onto a cargo ship bound for the Pacific Theater. Over 320 sailors and civilians were killed and about 390 others were injured.

The explosion occurred when the Liberty Ships E.A. Bryan and nearby Quinalt Victory loaded with 4,600+ tons of ammunition and explosives blew up.  The explosion killed just over 300 men instantly.  A little less than 400 men were wounded in the explosion.  An estimated 12 million dollars in property damage resulted from the explosion.  After an investigation that suggested a cover up by the Navy, it is suggested that a “competition” was being waged by commanders to see who could load ships faster against the junior officer and enlisted men’s protest (POC, p.4-5).  Coupled with this is the reportedly “rough handling” of the explosives as the enlisted men were assured that the munitions were “safe as they did not have detonators” (POC, p.2).  It was also suggested during the investigation that the Port of Chicago, having mostly black sailors, was a “testing ground” for a nuclear bomb prior to its deployment on the battlefield. The resulting explosion is thought to be the first atomic detonation outside of the Manhattan Project.  The Port of Chicago explosion was also filmed, lending further credence to the notion that this explosion was a planned event (POC, p.9).

In reviewing the facts as we know them, had a safety officer been in place to ensure proper equipment and cargo transfer protocols were being followed, it is reasonable to assume, if the detonation was in fact accidental, that the explosion that took place could have been avoided.  Also, the concerns of the junior officers and enlisted men were patently ignored by the commanders.  The ignorance and indifference to the survivors and the dismissal of these gripes demonstrated a lack of leadership from upper management that directly impacted the outcome of the events at the Port of Chicago.  A key lesson learned from this event is that in order to have a well -run port, upper management must place a premium on the safety of all port workers.  Moreover, this would require the port authority to have a comprehensive FSP in place to mitigate risks to the port and all those who work in and around sensitive areas.

Texas City

The Texas City Disaster was the deadliest industrial accident in the history of the United States. This incident took place on April 16, 1947, and began that morning with a fire on board the French vessel SS Grand Camp docked at the Port of Texas City. The fire set off some 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate and this caused a chain reaction of fires and explosions that killed some 581 people, including all but one member of the Texas City fire department. Over 5000 people were injured as well.

The explosion shattered glass windows 10 miles distant the center of the blast.  The damage cost was estimated between 35 and 40 million dollars (Staff, 1947 p.3-4).  The explosion involved the former Liberty ship SS Grandcamp and the SS High Flyer.  The SS Grandcamp was loaded with 2300 tons of ammonium nitrate which was discovered on the morning of April 16th to be on fire as a result of a cigarette (Staff, 1947 p.8).  The dockworkers who attempted to extinguish the fire were told not to use water as it would damage the cargo.  At around 830 am, the dockworkers were ordered to abandon ship.  Firefighters were called to the scene and began work to control the fire.  All 26 firemen and four pieces of equipment were lost in the explosion to come (Staff, 1947 p.8).  On April 17th, the SS High Flyer, was loaded with 2000 tons of Sulphur and nearly 1000 tons of ammonium nitrate.  The cause of the SS High Flyer explosion is unknown, but likely resulted to have been caused by the explosion of the SS Grandcamp.

The SS Grandcamp explosion did however tear the SS High Flyer, who’s engines were down for repair, from its moorings causing it to be entangled with a third ship, the SS Wilson B. Keene.  Tugboats had to be used to separate the two ships.  The explosion aboard the SS High Flyer occurred as it was being moved away from the SS Wilson B. Keene, which was also destroyed by the explosion (Staff, 1947 p. 10).

Some major lessons learned from this disaster is to ensure proper cargo handling and storage procedures are known and followed.  The fact that an errant cigarette thrown into a hold containing explosives is something that would not have happened if the dock workers were educated regarding the proper handling procedures.  Also, having mutual aid agreements with surrounding emergency services in the event of an accident, can prevent incidents like this from becoming larger, more dangerous events.

References

EyeWitness to History.com. (1997). Attack at Pearl Harbor, 1941. 

(2010, September 27). Texas City Disaster, 1947. Moore Memorial Public Library

History.com. The Great Halifax Explosion. A&E Television Networks, LLC.

Naval Historic Center. (2005, June 1). Port Chicago Naval Magazine Explosion, 1944. Department of the Navy.