Empress off Ireland

The Empress off Ireland was a Paquebot of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company launched the January 26th 1906. Its shipwreck in the estuary of the River the St. Lawrence, the May 29th 1914, made 1012 victims among the 1477 embarked people.

History

Beginnings

August 1st

Shipwreck

The May 29th 1914, towards 1:55 of the morning, whereas it leaves the Quebec and moves towards Liverpool in Great Britain, the Empress off Ireland is approached accidentally on its side starboard by the Storstad , a coal Norwegian, with broad of Point-with-Father, close to Rimouski. Because it engaged step back before the boarding and that the Empress off Ireland always advances, the Storstad does not manage to remain in the breach and water is engulfed quickly in the steamer. The ship runs in only 14 minutes.

The speed of this shipwreck, impossibility of using the majority of the life rafts (the boat lies down on its side starboard, therefore no Lifeboat of port side can be used), and the temperature of the Eau of the the St. Lawrence (0 with 4°C throughout the Année), make that only 465 of the 1477 people (of which 248 team members) on board will survive. On the 1012 died, that is to say 68.5% of people on board, there are 840 passengers. Only 4 children survived. Although in proportion this shipwreck made more victims than that of the Titanic (1513 died out of 2223 passengers), he quickly will be forgotten, eclipsed by release, in 1914, of the First World War.

June 16th 1914, an investigation was instituted with Quebec and it is the commander of Storstad which was recognized as responsible for the collision. However, a survey carried out by the Norwegians released Storstad of any responsibility, blaming rather the captain Kendall , of Empress off Ireland, for violation of the rules of navigation by not crossing the other ship Bâbord /b âbord. Canadian Pacific Railway gained a lawsuit of 2,000,000 $ against A.F. Klaveness, the owner of Storstad. Incompetent to pay, this one was forced to sell the ship for 175,000 $.

A recent investigation seems to indicate that the captain of Storstad was armature in error by an operation of Empress off Ireland right before this one does not disappear in the fog. It, then, changed course to avoid the collision but Empress off Ireland, thereafter, took again its original course, being thus placed on the way of Storstad. The wreck to always lie with broad of Holy-Luce-on-Sea (close to Rimouski). Tested plungers can still go there, but since 1998, the stray is on the list of the historic buildings Québécois and more no artefact can be taken there.

The type of building, its shipwreck, the time when it occurred, and the high number of victims, return the comparison of this last, vis-a-vis his/her cousin the Titanic , almost inevitable. However, in order to recall enormous contrast separating way each one disappeared, it has be known as that, if the Titanic ran as “a baby which was going to fall asleep”, Empress off Ireland , poured him like “a pourceau rolling itself in mud”…

External bonds

maritime Historic site of the Point-with-Father, devoted to the shipwreck of the Empress off Ireland .

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