SS Malakand (1919)

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.

Not to be confused with SS Malakand (1905).
SS Malakand
 
Namesake: Malakand Agency
Owner: Brocklebank Line
Launched: 1919
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]

References
  1. "The Blitz on Merseyside". E. Chambré Hardman Archive. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
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