<p>Op 14 februari 1945 vond in de voorhaven van Oostende, achter het station, een ontploffing plaats die tientallen Canadese en Britse soldaten het leven kostte.  Oostende was toen al een half jaar bevrijd, maar Canadese en Britse troepen waren nog altijd actief, o.a. in de haven. Over de precieze omstandigheden is vrij weinig bekend.  Eerder op de dag hadden de Canadese soldaten brandstof overgeladen uit de schepen.  Wellicht was een deel van die brandstof op het water terechtgekomen, heeft dit vuur gevat en zich razendsnel verspreid. De brand ging gepaard met diverse ontploffingen.  5 Canadese van de 29th Canadian Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla en 7 Britse motortorpedoboten werden volledig vernield, terwijl 26 Canadezen en 36 Britten het leven verloren.  De schade aan pieren en staketsels van de carferrykaai en in de voorhaven was aanzienlijk.
Bron: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.oostende.be/product.aspx?id=14662">www.oostende.be/product.aspx?id=14662</a> 
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<hr><p>On the afternoon of February 14, 1945, disaster struck the Canadian 29th Motor Torpedo Boat flotilla during the Second World War. In advance of a patrol that night, many of the sailors were asleep on their boats docked in Ostend, Belgium. Spilled fuel that had ended up floating on the surface of the harbour suddenly ignited and, before an alarm could even be raised, a raging fire quickly spread amongst the closely-moored vessels. Fuel and ammunition supplies exploded as boat after boat caught fire. Many of the men were trapped on board and had no escape as even the water was aflame. By the time it was over, the 29th flotilla had lost 26 Canadian sailors and five of eight of its vessels were destroyed. An estimated 35 British sailors and seven Royal Navy vessels had also been lost.
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Bron: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/memorials/othermem/mtb">www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/memorials/othermem/mtb</a>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/38891071@N00">FaceMePLS</a> from The Hague, The Netherlands
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<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/faceme/7168840463/">'Canada Monument' Oostende</a>