Sinking of the RMS Empress of Ireland
Contemporary illustration of the Empress of Ireland disaster | |
| Date | 29 May 1914 |
|---|---|
| Time | 01:56–02:10 EST (06:56–07:10 GMT) |
| Duration | 14 minutes |
| Location | St. Lawrence River, Dominion of Canada |
| Coordinates | 48°37.5′N 68°24.5′W / 48.6250°N 68.4083°W |
| Type | Maritime disaster |
| Cause | Collision with the SS Storstad |
| Participants | Empress of Ireland crew and passengers |
| Deaths | 1,000–1,100 |
RMS Empress of Ireland sank near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River in Canada following a collision in thick fog with the Norwegian collier Storstad in the early hours of 29 May 1914. It had just begun its 96th voyage, departing Quebec City and heading to Liverpool.
Although the ship was equipped with watertight compartments and, in the aftermath of the sinking of the RMS Titanic two years earlier, carried more than enough lifeboats for all aboard, she foundered only 14 minutes after collision. Of the 1,477 people on board, 1,012 died, making it the worst peacetime maritime disaster in Canadian history and one of the worst of the 20th century.
Despite being one the worst disasters of its time, the sinking of the Empress of Ireland was ultimately overshadowed by the prior sinking of the RMS Titanic and the later sinking of the RMS Lusitania as well as the events leading to and the outbreak of World War I a few weeks after the tragedy occurred. In recent years, however, commemorations have been held and memorials have been erected in Canada to mark the tragic sinking and the wreck of the Empress was declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 2009.