Shortly after 8 pm on 13 May 1916 a fire began in her Number 1 cargo hold as she was docked at Pier 64 on the North River in Manhattan . Of great concern to the first responders and her crew was that she was in the process of being loaded up with , amongst other things , highly volatile war munitions destined for Liverpool , England . The quick action of the Superintendent of the Pier , and his subsequent sounding of the alarm , led to a quick response by a nearby fireboat that assisted the crew in fighting the blaze . The fire was successfully extinguished shortly after 1030 pm that same night . The fire was ultimately deemed accidental , and as the damage was minimal , she set sail the following Monday as scheduled . Had the fire not been noticed by the superintendent in time , or had the ship been fully loaded with munitions when the fire erupted , the ship and surrounding section of Manhattan might have sustained a catastrophe comparable to the Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
SS California (1907)