Trongate
Cargo Freighter · United Kingdom · Lost 1942 · Nova Scotia & Sable Island
Fearing a repeat of the 1917 Halifax Explosion, the Royal Canadian Navy deliberately sank the burning munitions ship Trongate with gunfire in the harbour in 1942.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
The British freighter Trongate was moored in Halifax Harbour in April 1942 carrying a cargo that included TNT when a fire broke out below decks. With memories of the catastrophic 1917 Halifax Explosion still vivid, authorities evacuated her crew and, after tugs' efforts to flood the ship failed to control the danger, ordered the minesweeper HMCS Chedabucto to sink her by gunfire before dawn on 11 April 1942. No lives were lost in the incident.
Vessel
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Steel
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Steam
- Not established
Loss
- April 11, 1942
- Intentional sinking
- Halifax Harbour, north of George's Island, Nova Scotia
- Halifax Harbour
- Not established
- TNT and munitions
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Halifax Harbour, near George's Island
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)
Detailed technical specifications of Trongate and the full extent of her cargo are not established in the sources reviewed.
For Posterity's Sake, HMCS Chedabucto ship history
Account of the fire, evacuation, and deliberate sinking by naval gunfire.
