In
April 1902 the volcano Pelée on the island Martinique
started getting active, and 8.May the volcano erupted in a
devastating blast which totally destroyed the town of
Saint Pierre and killed approximately 30000 people. The
Canadian steamer Roraima laid in the harbor loaded
with potassium which caught fire and burned for
three full days before she sank. The remains of Roraima
rest today approximately 300 meter from shore on a depth
of 45 to 60 meter.
Name:
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Former names:
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Dimensions: |
Roraima
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Ghazee
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103,6,0
x 11,6 x 6,0 m |
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Tons: |
Built: |
Home
Port: |
2712 grt
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Quebec ( CA ) 1883
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Quebeq ( CA ) |
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Picture: Roraima, date unknown
Originally from skovheim.org

"Mount Pelée is famous for
its extremely destructive eruption in 1902 and the
destruction that resulted, now dubbed the worst volcanic
disaster of the 20th century.The eruption killed about
30,000 people, most deaths in the destroyed
Saint-Pierre, at that time the largest city in
Martinique. Pyroclastic flows completely destroyed St.
Pierre, Martinique, a town of 30,000 people, following
the eruption of Mont Pelée. The eruption left only two
survivors in the direct path of the volcano, one alive
because he was in a poorly ventilated, dungeon-like jail
cell and the other, living on the edge of the city"
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