On this day in History (14th April): The Bombay Docks Explosions (1944)

Introduction

SS Fort Stikine (Wikipedia)

The day 14^th April is generally treated as a black day for cruising by many sailors and historians. It is not the fault of any historian or sailor to think so; the day indeed is not good for cruising. This day has seen two of the most devastating and tragic ship wrecks and accidents in the history: The wrecking of Titanic and the explosion of SS Fort Stikine. The former was a passenger ship while the later a cargo ship but both incidents were equally fatal and unfortunate. While many articles have been written and many discussions have taken place regarding the wrecking of Titanic, we know very little about the incident that shook the whole Bombay (now Mumbai) and eventually India on the same day in 1944.

The Ship: History and the "Mixture"

It was on 14^th April 1944 when a cargo ship containing items deemed to ‘burn or blow up’, while berthing on Bombay docks (Victoria dock and Princess dock), exploded and caused a huge damage to both person and property. The ship which wrecked whole of the slum area of Bombay and explosion of which sent tremors up to Shimla (1700 KM away from the ground zero) was SS Fort Stikine.

Gold of SS Fort Stikine as found in 2009 (TOI e-paper)

The ship which started sailing from Birkenhead on 24^th February 1944, arrived Bombay on 12^th April 1944 via Gibraltar and Karachi, carrying 1395 tons of explosives (out of which 238 tons of level-A sensitive explosives, munitions, active shells, mines and Torpedoes) along with bales of cotton, timber, barrels of oil, scrap iron and approximately 1 million pound worth of gold bullions in 31 crates. While the ship was in Karachi it was loaded with 87000 bales of cotton and lubricating oil which was loaded one step below the whole ammunition that the ship was carrying. The captain of the Ship, Alexander James Naismith, actually foresaw and unfortunately prophesied the fate of the Ship.

The material was being transported at the time when the World was at war. It was the time of World War II and India was at war (due to it being a Commonwealth Nation) from Britain’s side against Germany and Japan. Transportation of cotton through railways was illegal at the time and hence the only way of transporting the cotton was through the sea route.

The Incident: Countdown to explosion

The countdown of the explosion begins with the arrival of the ship at the Bombay dock (Victoria dock) on 12^th April 1944:

Behind Victoria Station (CBI Theater)

• 12^th April 1944 (48 hours before explosion): The ship arrives at the dock. Since there are no red flags on the ship to indicate the sensitivity of the material it is carrying, it is treated like any other ship berthed at the dock.
• 13^th April 1944 (24 hours before explosion): The crew or the officials at the dock are still not too keen to expedite the unloading process of the contents from the ship. Considering the cargo the Ship was carrying and the fact that it war time, a little discretion was expected.
• 14^th April 1944 (14:00; 2 hours 6 minutes before the incident): The coolies of the ship notice smoke drifting out of the ship while unloading few items and loading others. They alert the authorities regarding this.
• 14^th April 1944 (15:00; 1 hour 6 minutes before the incident): The authorities start the fire engine to contain the fire. The source of the fire is still unknown as the smoke prevented clear visibility. Around 900 tons of water is being pumped to contain the fire but all in vain.
• 14^th April 1944 (15:45; 21 minutes before the incident): Some of the explosives kept on board catches the fire which is burning the cotton bales kept just below the munitions. It is the final nail in the coffin.
• 14^th April 1944 (15:50; 16 minutes before the incident): The captain of the ship Alexander James Naismith orders the crew to abandon the ship as the fate of the ship was now inevitable. While ordering the same, the captain was still on board helping others to get out of the Ship.
• 14^th April 1944 (16:06; at the time of incident): The first explosion occurs. The captain along with other rescuers are nowhere to be seen after that. The explosion is so huge that it breaks the ship in two and shatters the windows of houses situated approximately 12 KM away from the ground zero. The fight to control the fire is expedited. Around two square miles are set ablaze in an 800 m (870 yd) arc around the ship. Other ships even the ones on Princess Dock are affected.
• 14^th April 1944 (16:34; the second explosion): Eighteen minutes after the first explosion, the second explosion takes place which is so strong that its tremors are felt till Shimla which is 1700 KM away from the place of explosion. It is recorded by seismographs at the Colaba Observatory in the city. It also gives a huge blow to all the efforts which were put in to contain the fire after the first explosion.

Consequences: The Casualties

The explosion had huge consequences. About 1300 people were killed in the incident. However, this is an estimated number as the original number of casualty was censored partially due to the war time. The reported casualties were as follows:
Around 231 dock workers were killed and 66 out of these were firemen. Besides this, around 500 civilians lost their lives most of which belong to slum area of Bombay.

Around 2500 people, including civilians, were injured. At the time of the incident the Nation was waging war against Japan and Germany from Britain’s side and hence when the incident occurred and the salvage fell from the heavens on to the houses of the slums, many people believed it to be an attack from the Japan. This misunderstanding that occurred in their otherwise normal life also added to the cause of casualty that occurred that day.

There was a huge loss to property as well. Around 13 ships were lost including three Royal Navy ships. Many other ships were partially or severely damaged. The 31 crates of gold each carrying 4 gold bullions were also lost. About 100,000 tons of shipment were either destroyed or damaged severely. Around 50,000 tons of grains were damaged as well but the latter was not mentioned at first in the reports.

Besides the direct impact of the incident, there were severe indirect impacts as well. About 6000 firms were affected due to this incident and about 50,000 people lost their jobs and many lost their abodes.

The Reasons: The Reasons that led to The Explosion

The incident started at Victoria dock and engulfed Princess dock (Google)

Now it is also important to know what may have led to the whole incident. We might never know what actually caused the fire (was it because of Japan’s sabotage or was it a mere accident?). We should, however, understand what all went wrong that led to this deadly incident to occur.

First, there was no red flag on the ship to display the sensitivity of the material it was carrying which was mandatory for other ships and the dock workers to know that the ship require more attention than others. This was obviously to avoid any suspicion regarding the cargo it was carrying during this sensitive time. 

Second, the placement of cotton bales was wrong. The bales were kept below the ammunition that the ship was carrying. A spark could easily have produced such deadly results.

Third, the people at the docks were not made aware of the load that the ship was carrying. The load was a lethal combination of barrels of oil, cotton bales and level-A sensitive ammunition.

Fourth, the delay in taking the action against fire also made the situation worse. It was only after 1 hour that the proper action was taken in order to contain the fire. This further worsen the situation.

Fifth, there had been multiple fire incidents that took place at the Bombay docks. There were as many as 60 fire incidents that occurred between 1939 and 1944. This meant that there should have been proper safety measures arranged at the docks to prevent the fire. 

Aftermath: How the Lives got Affected

Locals from Bombay Docks (BBC.com)

The events that occurred during the whole explosions affected the lives of many. Many people from the slums lost their homes and were displaced. The ships which once adorned the docks around the world were sold at the scrap value. Almost all the gold bars were recovered after the incident. It took around 3 months to obtain the salvage by pumping and de-watering. The British officials involved in this task were rewarded once they were back to their base in Britain. A gold bar crashed through the roof into one Burjor Cooverji Motiwalal's flat in Girguam which he surrendered to the police and in return was rewarded with a cheque of Rs 999, which he donated for relief work. A memorial was built at Mumbai Fire Brigade headquarters in Byculla to commemorate the firefighters who lost their lives. 14^th to 21^st April is celebrated as National Fire Safety week to pay tribute to the firefighters who died in the incident.

Conclusion

The incident shook India badly. It is an example of mismanagement and over-cautiousness go wrong. The whole incident could have been avoided at so many levels but it was mismanagement that consumed the life of many. Let us spare few minutes and pray for the souls who lost their lives, directly or indirectly, on the same day as today in 1944.

References:

The video uploaded by Jeff Quitney is Universal Newsreel on the topic as shown on Televisions.

Other references:

Wikipedia

Times of India

Image references in captions between brackets