The Day Bombay Blew Up!

Friday, 14th April 1944, dawned as a typical warm spring day in Bombay, the kind of day that promised to give way to the sweltering heat of summer. As the city’s countless inhabitants made their way to work, their thoughts were likely on the usual distractions of the day: a peaceful evening stroll along Marine Drive or a trip to the cinema. Little did they know that by nightfall, Bombay would be rocked by one of the most catastrophic disasters of the war, adding hundreds of new casualties to an already high toll of war-related deaths and injuries.

The Bombay docks were busy as usual that day. The wharves were stacked with bales of precious cargo, vital to the Allied war effort. At Victoria Dock, the giant freighter Fort Stikine—a 7,142-ton vessel, just four years old—sat docked, recently arrived from the United Kingdom. She had made a stop at Karachi before reaching Bombay, where she took on a mixed cargo of cotton bales, lubricating oil, timber, fish manure, and resin.

At 1:30 p.m., the dock workers returned from their lunch break and resumed unloading the Fort Stikine’s cargo. As they entered No. 2 hold, smoke was spotted emerging from the port side. In a panic, they scrambled out of the hold and shouted, “Fire!”

The fire brigade, stationed on the quay, immediately sprang into action, and several fire engines were summoned from the city. By 2:30 p.m., the firemen were on-site and efforts began to control the blaze. However, it was already clear that the Fort Stikine was far more dangerous than anyone could have imagined. She was, in effect, a floating bomb.

In an attempt to bring the fire under control, ballast water was released from the ship to allow the flames to rise to the surface. Firefighters used foam to try and suppress the blaze, but the fire rapidly spread. At 3:50 p.m., a massive sheet of yellow-red flame shot skyward, and moments later, a huge section of the forward holds exploded. Pieces of iron, metal fragments, and debris flew into the air and plunged into the harbor.

For nearly an hour, firemen and dock workers fought to save the ship, unaware that the situation was much worse than they realized. Beneath their feet, enough explosives were stored to obliterate the entire dock area. A seaman aboard a neighboring ship saw the flames change color to yellow-brown. “Explosives!” he shouted to his comrades. “Down!”

Seconds later, the Fort Stikine erupted in a violent explosion that shook the entire city. Buildings across Bombay trembled, windows shattered, and debris rained down. Sixty-six firemen on board the ship were killed instantly, and thirty-three more were injured. The ship’s captain and chief officer, who had remained aboard in a desperate attempt to save the ship, were never seen again.

The blast sent a tidal wave into the city, flooding areas up to a mile inland. Basements were submerged with 60 to 80 feet of water, and parts of the dock were washed away. But the worst was yet to come.

Inside the Fort Stikine, more explosives were still burning, far more powerful than the first explosion. At 4:06 p.m., it was as though hell itself had been unleashed. A second explosion sent debris flying up to 300 feet into the air, and soon the entire harbor was surrounded by burning buildings.

The human toll from this second blast was horrendous. St. George’s Hospital, located nearby, was flooded with the dead and wounded. Hundreds of bodies were never recovered, their remains lost to the inferno and debris. The ferocity of the explosions left a lasting mark on the city, with entire blocks destroyed and countless families torn apart.

Despite the horror of the situation, the bravery of the Bombay fire brigade and the rescue workers was extraordinary. Many lives were saved, and the efforts of firefighting, rescue, and salvage continued for days after the disaster.

When the damage was finally tallied, over 230 harbor units were either destroyed or badly damaged. Three merchant ships and two naval vessels were wrecked, and the dock buildings were beyond any hope of repair.

As for the cause of the disaster, it remains a mystery to this day. Sabotage was suspected by some, and the possibility has been debated for years. However, no definitive cause has ever been established. What is certain is the indelible memory of that tragic day when Bombay was shaken to its very core by the explosion of the Fort Stikine.