In addition to man-made defenses, a slim passage between the harbor's Eastern Passage and its expansive Bedford Basin would serve as a choke point for any hostile vessels. Patrol ships and anti-submarine nets were quickly put in place to protect the humanitarian supplies and munitions that steadily departed Halifax Harbor for Europe. With the United States' 1917 entry into the war, the essential Canadian port became a potential target for Germany's U boats. McDonald in Curse of the Narrows: The Halifax Explosion of 1917, harbor traffic swelled from 2 million to 17 million tons per year with the advent of the conflict in Europe. From the earliest days of European settlement through the American Revolution and The War of 1812, conflict had often proved a financial boon for Halifax. However, with the outbreak of World War I, the strategic port made a stunning economic comeback. Despite its strategic and economic import, the area had fallen on hard times in the early years of the 20th century.
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