SS Malakand was a cargo liner built in 1919 for the Brocklebank Line. She was the second Brocklebank Line ship named after the Malakand area of the Indian subcontinent.
| Namesake | Malakand Agency |
| Owner | Brocklebank Line |
| Launched | 23 November 1918 |
| Fate | Destroyed by explosion 4 May 1941 |
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Type | Cargo liner |
During World War II, Malakand was loaded with munitions at the Huskisson Dock in Liverpool, England, on the evening of 3 May 1941 during a heavy German air raid – a part of the city's "May Blitz" – when flames from dock sheds that had been bombed spread to her. The fire services could not contain the fire and on 4 May 1941, a few hours after the raid had ended, Malakand exploded, destroying the entire Huskisson No. 2 dock and killing four people. It took seventy-four hours for the fire to burn out.[1]
Although the Malakand explosion is often attributed to a burning barrage balloon, the fire the balloon started was put out before it could affect the ship.[1]
Citations
edit- ^ a b "The Blitz on Merseyside". E. Chambré Hardman Archive. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
References
edit- "Liverpool's docks and the May Blitz 1941". Merseyside Maritime Museum. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
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