26 April 1924   Explosion on the SS Singapore

About 11 pm on 26 April 1924 a huge explosion occurred on the ship SS Singapore berthed at Port Adelaide. Three men were killed and 13 injured, some seriously, including ten firemen.

The men killed were from the Fire Brigade. They attended a small fire on the ship earlier in the evening and stayed to keep a check on it. The SS Singapore had arrived in Port Adelaide from New York a few days before with general cargo including 22,437 cases of petrol, benzene, and other inflammable oils, much of which had already been unloaded for South Australia and the remainder had been carefully re-stowed.

However, it was found that these goods were not to blame for the fire which appeared to have started as spontaneous combustion in the coal used for the boilers, which eventually ignited the coal gas thus generated.

Advertiser, 27 February 1932, Newspaper Cuttings Book, Volume 2, p. 3. SLSA.