Thiokol-Woodbine Explosion
Encyclopedia
The Thiokol-Woodbine Explosion occurred at 10:53 a.m. EDT
on Wednesday, February 3, 1971, at the Thiokol
chemical plant, 12 miles (19.3 km) southeast of Woodbine, Georgia
, and 30 miles (48.3 km) north of Jacksonville, Florida
, when large quantities of flares and their components in building M-132 were ignited by a fire and detonation occurred.
at Woodbine was a complex of 36 buildings located on 7400 acre (29.95 km²; 11.56 sq mi) at the former Floyd Plantation, constructed in 1964 to test and build solid propellant rocket motors for NASA
. However, the space agency changed plans and decided to use liquid fuel; Thiokol modified the installation to manufacture other products. In 1969, the company was awarded an Army contract to manufacture 750,000 tripflare
s for use in the Vietnam War
.
is the primary component in flares; shavings/ribbons can ignite at 950 °F (510 °C), and the element generates bright white light when it burns at a temperature of approximately 2500 °F (1,371.1 °C). It cannot be extinguished by normal methods; water combines with magnesium to release hydrogen gas, which also burns; carbon dioxide (CO2) is not effective, either.
Unconfined magnesium burns through deflagration
(flames), which is controlled combustion
propagated through thermal conductivity
. However, in a confined space, heat and pressure build up causing detonation
(explosion), which is uncontrolled and propagates through shock wave
compression.
Prior to 1967, the components of tripflares were hazardous material identified as Class 7, reserved for the most dangerous substances except biological and nuclear.
During that year, for reasons unknown, flares were downgraded to Class 2 (fire hazard). Three years later, the Army realized their mistake and issued an order on October 29, 1970 to return the flares and components to Class 7. Through a communications snafu
, Thiokol-Woodbine didn't receive the information until three weeks after the disaster.
Additionally, completed flares were kept in the building until they were transferred to a warehouse for shipment to one of three arsenals.
During the 3-4 minutes after the fire began, all the workers were able to exit the building, but didn't leave the area because they were unaware of a potential explosion.
The survivors recalled two minor concussions before the enormous explosion when the contents of the "cure" and storage rooms detonated, followed by a huge fireball.
A supervisor in another building 300 yards away heard the fire alarm and walked outside. He had served in Vietnam, but said the explosion was worse than his war experience: "I watched B-52s drop 500-pound bombs. This is the biggest explosion I ever saw and I saw some pretty good-sized ones. When it blew, the explosion kept rolling out, rolling out. We sat there and watched the ball of fire coming toward us."
The explosion and fire each killed, dismembered or injured dozens of employees. Bodies were hurled 400 feet and debris was found 4200 feet (1,280.2 m) from building M-132, which was leveled.
Three other nearby buildings were severely damaged, and the fire engulfed nearby pine trees, which started a forest fire that eventually scorched 200 acre (0.809372 km²).
Windows were shattered 11 miles (17.7 km) from the site and the explosion was heard for 50 miles (80.5 km) around.
Twenty-four persons were killed in the blast or died soon after. Five others later died from their injuries, primarily burns, for a total of 29 deaths. At least 50 individuals suffered debilitating injuries, including burns and limbs severed by the explosion.
was the 25-man volunteer fire department in Kingsland
, 12 miles (19.3 km) southwest of the plant. Their fire chief felt the ground shake from the explosion. The Sheriff's department dispatcher directed him to Thiokol, and a towering smoke plume could be seen for miles. He immediately requested ambulances and equipment from all the surrounding counties, including Nassau and Jacksonville in Florida, but had no idea how bad the situation really was. Chemicals in barrels were still exploding when he arrived, and he commented, "It was just devastation. People who were killed were lying everywhere. There were woods burning all around us." The area was quickly evacuated because another building with the same contents as the one obliterated from the explosion was on fire.
Co-workers and residents took most of those with non-life threatening injuries to hospitals in their cars and pickups, while the severely injured were brought to the plant entrance where arriving ambulances rushed them for treatment to hospitals in St. Marys
, Folkston
, Brunswick
and Jacksonville.
Assistance was requested from the U.S. Navy
, and four helicopters were flown to the Thiokol plant from Cecil Field
and NAS Jacksonville
after picking up doctors at Duval Medical Center, the largest hospital in Jacksonville. The choppers flew the most critically injured to Duval Medical Center (now Shands Jacksonville
).
Thiokol had a landing strip on their property, used by company executives who lived on St. Simons Island
. All available pilots were requested to fly to the company airstrip to transport the injured to hospitals, the closest being in Brunswick.
It was late afternoon before the last fire was extinguished, the injured were transported to hospitals and the search for bodies was completed.
to contain the forest fire.
Governor Jimmy Carter
, who took office three weeks before the tragedy, flew by helicopter to the scene. Carter was told by the plant's manager that a building fire caused the blast, but
the material being processed was not normally explosive. J. B. Galloway stated, "It's a puzzle to us and news that it would even explode."
dispatched investigative teams to determine what caused the explosion. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
provided expertise to help identify the bodies.
each performed an investigation, and their reports were very similar. They both agreed on three causes:
insurance.
A total of 25 cases seeking damages of $717,526,391 were filed in Federal Court against the United States under the Federal Tort Claims Act
. The suits claimed negligence by Army procurement employees for not notifying Thiokol when the flares and their components were reclassified from a Class 2 "fire hazard" to Class 7 "explosive". The court found this to be a proximate cause of the explosion and granted final judgment for the plaintiffs. The U.S. Army (as defendant) appealed the verdict to the Fifth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals
. The case was expedited and the lower court's judgment was affirmed, 2-1 on October 15, 1979.
However, that wasn't the end of litigation. The victims had to wait another 9 years before they actually received compensation.
Thiokol never resumed production of tripflares, but continued making other munitions until the end of the Vietnam War. In 1976, the complex was sold to Union Carbide
.
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
on Wednesday, February 3, 1971, at the Thiokol
Thiokol
Thiokol is a U.S. corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals, and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems...
chemical plant, 12 miles (19.3 km) southeast of Woodbine, Georgia
Woodbine, Georgia
Woodbine is a city in, and the county seat of, Camden County, Georgia, United States. The city is situated in the center of the county, which located in the southeast corner of the state near the Florida border, and the population was 1,218 at the 2000 census....
, and 30 miles (48.3 km) north of Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, when large quantities of flares and their components in building M-132 were ignited by a fire and detonation occurred.
Plant history
Thiokol ChemicalThiokol
Thiokol is a U.S. corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals, and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems...
at Woodbine was a complex of 36 buildings located on 7400 acre (29.95 km²; 11.56 sq mi) at the former Floyd Plantation, constructed in 1964 to test and build solid propellant rocket motors for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. However, the space agency changed plans and decided to use liquid fuel; Thiokol modified the installation to manufacture other products. In 1969, the company was awarded an Army contract to manufacture 750,000 tripflare
Tripflare
A tripflare is a device used by military forces to secure an area and to guard against infiltration. It consists of tripwire around the area, linked to one or more flares. When the tripwire is triggered, as by someone unsuspectingly disturbing it, the flare is launched and begins burning...
s for use in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Hazard
MagnesiumMagnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
is the primary component in flares; shavings/ribbons can ignite at 950 °F (510 °C), and the element generates bright white light when it burns at a temperature of approximately 2500 °F (1,371.1 °C). It cannot be extinguished by normal methods; water combines with magnesium to release hydrogen gas, which also burns; carbon dioxide (CO2) is not effective, either.
Unconfined magnesium burns through deflagration
Deflagration
Deflagration is a term describing subsonic combustion that usually propagates through thermal conductivity; hot burning material heats the next layer of cold material and ignites it. Most "fire" found in daily life, from flames to explosions, is deflagration...
(flames), which is controlled combustion
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
propagated through thermal conductivity
Thermal conductivity
In physics, thermal conductivity, k, is the property of a material's ability to conduct heat. It appears primarily in Fourier's Law for heat conduction....
. However, in a confined space, heat and pressure build up causing detonation
Detonation
Detonation involves a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations are observed in both conventional solid and liquid explosives, as well as in reactive gases...
(explosion), which is uncontrolled and propagates through shock wave
Shock wave
A shock wave is a type of propagating disturbance. Like an ordinary wave, it carries energy and can propagate through a medium or in some cases in the absence of a material medium, through a field such as the electromagnetic field...
compression.
Prior to 1967, the components of tripflares were hazardous material identified as Class 7, reserved for the most dangerous substances except biological and nuclear.
During that year, for reasons unknown, flares were downgraded to Class 2 (fire hazard). Three years later, the Army realized their mistake and issued an order on October 29, 1970 to return the flares and components to Class 7. Through a communications snafu
Snafu
Snafu may refer to:* SNAFU, an acronym* Snafu , an English rhythm and blues band of the 1970s* Snafu, a 1970 album by East Of Eden* Snafu , a 1981 Intellivision video game title published by Mattel Electronics...
, Thiokol-Woodbine didn't receive the information until three weeks after the disaster.
Production
M-132 was a large, windowless, concrete block building shaped like a "T". Three processes were used in flare manufacturing, all located within the structure. Approximately 80 employees worked there, predominantly black women.- 50 pounds of chemicals were mixed to create a pyrotechnicPyrotechnicsPyrotechnics is the science of using materials capable of undergoing self-contained and self-sustained exothermic chemical reactions for the production of heat, light, gas, smoke and/or sound...
compound; screened, ground, and "cured", then formed into ignition pellets, which readily combust and generate the temperatures required to ignite the illuminant pellets. - 500 pounds of sodium nitrate and magnesium with a chemical binder were mixed, granulated, and "cured" at 1100 °F (593.3 °C), then pressed into illuminant pellets, which produce bright white light when burned.
- 3 illuminant pellets and 1 ignition pellet were inserted into a metal flare case, and the device was covered and closed.
Additionally, completed flares were kept in the building until they were transferred to a warehouse for shipment to one of three arsenals.
Explosion and fire
A fire originated at the work station where an ignition chemical was manually added to other chemicals prior to forming ignition pellets. Small fires occurred occasionally, but they had always been quickly extinguished, so there was no panic. This one was different; it jumped to the material on the conveyor belt and spread up and down the production line, setting fire to ignition and illuminant pellets stored in containers near the line before reaching the "cure" room and a storage room, which contained nearly five tons of processed material, pellets, and 56,322 assembled flares.During the 3-4 minutes after the fire began, all the workers were able to exit the building, but didn't leave the area because they were unaware of a potential explosion.
The survivors recalled two minor concussions before the enormous explosion when the contents of the "cure" and storage rooms detonated, followed by a huge fireball.
A supervisor in another building 300 yards away heard the fire alarm and walked outside. He had served in Vietnam, but said the explosion was worse than his war experience: "I watched B-52s drop 500-pound bombs. This is the biggest explosion I ever saw and I saw some pretty good-sized ones. When it blew, the explosion kept rolling out, rolling out. We sat there and watched the ball of fire coming toward us."
The explosion and fire each killed, dismembered or injured dozens of employees. Bodies were hurled 400 feet and debris was found 4200 feet (1,280.2 m) from building M-132, which was leveled.
Three other nearby buildings were severely damaged, and the fire engulfed nearby pine trees, which started a forest fire that eventually scorched 200 acre (0.809372 km²).
Windows were shattered 11 miles (17.7 km) from the site and the explosion was heard for 50 miles (80.5 km) around.
Twenty-four persons were killed in the blast or died soon after. Five others later died from their injuries, primarily burns, for a total of 29 deaths. At least 50 individuals suffered debilitating injuries, including burns and limbs severed by the explosion.
Local
In 1971, the only emergency capability in Camden CountyCamden County, Georgia
Camden County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is one of the original counties of Georgia, created February 5, 1777. As of 2000, the population was 43,664. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 48,689. The county seat is Woodbine.-History:The first European to land...
was the 25-man volunteer fire department in Kingsland
Kingsland, Georgia
Kingsland is a city in Camden County, Georgia, United States. The population was 10,506 at the 2000 census.The City of Kingsland hosts an annual Catfish Festival on Labor Day weekend each year.-Geography:Kingsland is located at ....
, 12 miles (19.3 km) southwest of the plant. Their fire chief felt the ground shake from the explosion. The Sheriff's department dispatcher directed him to Thiokol, and a towering smoke plume could be seen for miles. He immediately requested ambulances and equipment from all the surrounding counties, including Nassau and Jacksonville in Florida, but had no idea how bad the situation really was. Chemicals in barrels were still exploding when he arrived, and he commented, "It was just devastation. People who were killed were lying everywhere. There were woods burning all around us." The area was quickly evacuated because another building with the same contents as the one obliterated from the explosion was on fire.
Co-workers and residents took most of those with non-life threatening injuries to hospitals in their cars and pickups, while the severely injured were brought to the plant entrance where arriving ambulances rushed them for treatment to hospitals in St. Marys
St. Marys, Georgia
-See also:*Cumberland Island*St. Marys Historic District*St. Marys Railroad-External links:***...
, Folkston
Folkston, Georgia
Folkston is a city in and the county seat of Charlton County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,178 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Brunswick
Brunswick, Georgia
Brunswick is the major urban and economic center in southeastern Georgia in the United States. The municipality is located on a harbor near the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 30 miles north of Florida and 70 miles south of South Carolina. Brunswick is bordered on the east by the Atlantic...
and Jacksonville.
Assistance was requested from the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, and four helicopters were flown to the Thiokol plant from Cecil Field
Cecil Field
Cecil Airport is a public joint civil-military airport located in Jacksonville, a city in Duval County, Florida, United States. The airport is owned by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority and services military aircraft, corporate aircraft, general aviation, and air cargo. The Florida Army National...
and NAS Jacksonville
Naval Air Station Jacksonville
Naval Air Station Jacksonville or NAS Jacksonville is a military airport located four miles south of the central business district of Jacksonville...
after picking up doctors at Duval Medical Center, the largest hospital in Jacksonville. The choppers flew the most critically injured to Duval Medical Center (now Shands Jacksonville
Shands Jacksonville
Shands Jacksonville Medical Center is a teaching hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is one of seven hospitals in the Shands HealthCare system and functions as the Jacksonville campus for the University of Florida's Health Science Center...
).
Thiokol had a landing strip on their property, used by company executives who lived on St. Simons Island
St. Simons, Georgia
St. Simons is a census-designated place located on St. Simons Island in Glynn County, Georgia, United States. Both the community and the island are commonly considered to be one location, known simply as "St. Simons Island", or locally as "The Island". St...
. All available pilots were requested to fly to the company airstrip to transport the injured to hospitals, the closest being in Brunswick.
It was late afternoon before the last fire was extinguished, the injured were transported to hospitals and the search for bodies was completed.
Georgia
The Georgia Division of Forestry was notified, and workers arrived with bulldozers and plowed a firebreakFirebreak
A firebreak is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebreak may occur naturally where there is a lack of vegetation or "fuel", such as a river, lake or canyon...
to contain the forest fire.
Governor Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, who took office three weeks before the tragedy, flew by helicopter to the scene. Carter was told by the plant's manager that a building fire caused the blast, but
the material being processed was not normally explosive. J. B. Galloway stated, "It's a puzzle to us and news that it would even explode."
Federal
The United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
dispatched investigative teams to determine what caused the explosion. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
provided expertise to help identify the bodies.
Investigation
Thiokol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and ExplosivesBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
each performed an investigation, and their reports were very similar. They both agreed on three causes:
- The flare components, identified as a class 2 hazard, had inherent explosive potential and should have been class 7
- Material in the production building was stored all along the production line, creating a fuse leading to the cure room
- The building's internal fire protection system was inadequate
Litigation
Initially, lawsuits were filed against Thiokol Chemical and the United States jointly, but Georgia law prevented employees from suing their employer because they were covered by Workers' compensationWorkers' compensation
Workers' compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence...
insurance.
A total of 25 cases seeking damages of $717,526,391 were filed in Federal Court against the United States under the Federal Tort Claims Act
Federal Tort Claims Act
The Federal Tort Claims Act or "FTCA", , is a statute enacted by the United States Congress in 1948. "Federal Tort Claims Act" was also previously the official short title passed by the Seventy-ninth Congress on August 2, 1946 as Title IV of the Legislative Reorganization Act, 60 Stat...
. The suits claimed negligence by Army procurement employees for not notifying Thiokol when the flares and their components were reclassified from a Class 2 "fire hazard" to Class 7 "explosive". The court found this to be a proximate cause of the explosion and granted final judgment for the plaintiffs. The U.S. Army (as defendant) appealed the verdict to the Fifth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals
United States court of appeals
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...
. The case was expedited and the lower court's judgment was affirmed, 2-1 on October 15, 1979.
However, that wasn't the end of litigation. The victims had to wait another 9 years before they actually received compensation.
Monument
A granite marker, the size of a full-size bed, was placed near the entrance of the property. The names of those killed in the tragedy are carved into the polished surface.Thiokol never resumed production of tripflares, but continued making other munitions until the end of the Vietnam War. In 1976, the complex was sold to Union Carbide
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
.