Final Voyage by Jonathan Eyers Read Free Book Online Page A

at 7.30am, the
Imo
was also delayed by traffic for over an hour, by which time Haakon From was eager to get moving. The
Imo
entered the Narrows, the most restricted stretch of the channel between Halifax and Dartmouth, just after 8.30am, going 7 knots. The speed limit within the harbour was 5 knots, but it’s possible that the harbour pilot instructing From and his helmsman wasn’t fully aware that the ship had picked up speed so rapidly.
    With an empty hold and a narrow beam of 45ft (13.7m) – a length to width ratio unusual for vessels of her size – the
Imo
cut through the water with ease. Without any cargo weighing her down, she rode high in the water. Her rudder and propeller were not even fully submerged below the waterline, making her more difficult to manoeuvre. However, this was nothing new to the
Imo
’s helmsman, who was used to the ship often doing her own thing. She had three propellers, two of which revolved to the left, leaving only one which revolved to the right. This meant that when going forwards the
Imo
always veered to the left, and when going backwards always veered to the right. Her helmsman had to compensate for these idiosyncrasies at all times.
    The
Imo
cut through the water with ease. Without any cargo weighing her down, she rode high in the water.
    Due to another ship blocking her way, the
Imo
entered the Narrows on the left hand side, despite harbour regulations insisting all vessels keep to starboard. Once in the channel the
Imo
’s helmsman may have struggled to veer back to the right. In 1917, not least because of how busy the harbour was, ships were still allowed to travel through the Narrows in both directions at the same time, which made it especially important that vessels entering or departing stayed to the correct side. The 125ft (38m) tug
Stella Maris
was towing two barges into harbour as
Imo
started coming out on the wrong side, and the two vessels only narrowly avoided collision. Had the
Imo
hit the
Stella Maris
then the Halifax Explosion would probably never have occurred.
    The
Mont Blanc
, now under the command of experienced harbour pilot Francis Mackey, entered the Narrows abouta mile behind the
Stella Maris
, going 4 knots. When Mackey spotted the
Imo
at the other end of the channel, and on the wrong side of it, she was still going 7 knots. At their combined speeds, the two steamers would reach each other in only a matter of minutes. Mackey immediately signalled with a blast of the
Mont Blanc
’s horn that the
Imo
should change course. The
Imo
responded with a double blast of her own horn, which signalled that she would not change course.
    Sailors on other ships in the harbour gathered on their decks to watch what they assumed was now an imminent collision.
    With the two ships getting ever closer, Mackey veered to starboard and then cut the
Mont Blanc
’s engines, hoping the
Imo
’s pilot and helmsman would get the message and follow suit. Again, the
Imo
responded with a double blast of her horn to negate the
Mont Blanc
’s pilot’s instructions. Drawn by this increasingly urgent dialogue between the two vessels’ horns, sailors on other ships in the harbour gathered on their decks to watch what they assumed was now an imminent collision.
    But collision wasn’t inevitable just yet. If he had been piloting any other ship – or rather had this one been carrying any other cargo – Mackey could have run the ship aground in the shallows. However, Mackey had supervised the inspection of the
Mont Blanc
before she was allowed into harbour, and he knew how volatile her cargo was. The ship might survive the impact, but the shock could set off the explosives in her hold. Re-engaging the
Mont Blanc
’s engines, Mackey took the only other option left to him – he ordered the helmsman to steer hard to port. Though the
Imo
was bearing down on the
Mont Blanc
fast, perhaps there was still time for the
Mont Blanc
to get out of her