The German armoured cruisers and entered Arriving the port of Papeete on the island of Tahiti and sank Removing the French gunboat and freighter `` Walküre '' before bombarding Attack the town 's fortifications .

The Norwegian vessel collided Motion with , a French cargo ship laden with high explosives , in the Narrows , a strait connecting the upper Halifax Harbour to Bedford Basin , causing Causation a large explosion Catastrophe on the French freighter , devastating Destroying the Richmond district of Halifax .

while off the united states east coast , the hurricane Catastrophe caused Causation numerous shipping incidents Catastrophe , most notably the stranding of the swedish freighter `` unk '' off cape hatteras , north carolina on september 16 .