Quote Originally Posted by SideShow Bob View Post
SS Grandcamp, Apr. 1947 in port at Texas City. Approx same amount of ammonium nitrate aboard ignited. Similar devastation to the surroundings as the Beirut explosion. The ship caught fire just before the explosion.
Saw a program about that once. As I recall a nearby ship had a big load of balls of yarn/string/something, and the explosion blew flaming balls of yarn/whatever all over the city - starting scores of fires.