Aarhus had become an increasingly important transport hub for German supplies and troops to occupied Norway, by virtue of a large port in the Kattegat and a railway connection to Germany.

[3] The barge was anchored at basin III close to the Korn- og Foderstof Kompagniet silos.

At 13:47 on 4 July 1944 it detonated with 150 tonnes of ammunition, sending a kilometer-high column of water into the air, which lingered for several minutes.

The explosion could be heard 20 kilometers away in Femmøller on Djursland, in Trige the earth could be felt shaking, in Risskov plaster fell off houses, and in Riis Skov people ran for cover from the beaches.

The Aarhus Cathedral hosted a memorial service to the victims and in December 1945, after the war, a monument was erected in Vestre Cemetery.