Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Texas City Disaster was a major 20th-century industrial accident in Texas City, Texas (United States). The tragedy took place on April 16, 1947 and started with a mid-morning fire on board the French-registered vessel SS Grandcamp in the Port of Texas City. The fire detonated approximately 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate and the resulting chain reaction of fires and explosions killed at least 581 people. These events also triggered the first ever class action lawsuit against the United States government, under the then-recently enacted Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), on behalf of 8,485 victims.