1947 texas city disaster
On April 16th, 1947 the French freighter Grandcamp exploded. A fire on board ignited explosive materials in the ships hold, which caused a massive blast that took out much of the city and killed about 600 people. A mushroom cloud rose about 2,000 feet into the air, and the ships anchor (weighing 1.5 tons) was launched two miles and embedded itself ten feet into the ground. The very next day, another freighter called the High Flyer also exploded. Luckily, most of the cities residents had been evacuated due to fires. These incidents left over 3,000 people wounded, and the Grandcamp explosion is referred to as the most devastating industrial accident in United States History.
A photo of the docks after the explosion.
Picture Source: http://www.texascity-library.org/disaster/first.php
These explosions also triggered chemical plants in the area to explode. This image is of the Monsanto refinery and processing compound.
Picture Source: http://www.texascity-library.org/disaster/first.php