Friday 16 March 2012

Canada's Titanic - The Empress of Ireland



On its 100th anniversary, the sinking of the Titanic continues to fascinate people around the world. But another shipwreck, almost equal in human tragedy, has slipped from popular memory, even though the vessel helped build modern Canada.

The Empress of Ireland sank in 1914 in the St. Lawrence River after colliding with the Storstad, a Norwegian coal ship. A total of 1012 passengers and crew died, compared with the Titanic’s 1514.

The loss of the Empress of Ireland remains the largest maritime accident in Canadian history.

The Storstad After the Collision
Unlike the Titanic, which went down on its maiden voyage, the Empress of Ireland regularly plied the Atlantic Ocean. Between 1906 and her sinking, the Empress completed 95 round trips, mostly between Liverpool, England, and Halifax or Quebec City. She was one of two Canadian Pacific ships plying the Atlantic between the UK and Canada, bringing thousands of immigrants, most drawn by the prospect of free land on the Prairies.

For years, the remains of the Empress lay on the river bottom off Rimouski, Quebec, where it was picked over by souvenir hunting divers. It was designated a national historic site in 1988, but it wasn’t until 11 years later that the Quebec government tightened regulations to stop souvenir collecting. A small museum dedicated to the Empress now operates in Rimouski for half the year.

The Empress of Ireland played a huge role in forming modern Canada. It’s estimated approximately 500,000 Canadians are descendants of passengers who arrived on the ship. It is Canada’s Titanic.

The day before the tragic sinking, the Empress of Ireland had left Quebec City, bound for Liverpool. Sailing in fog, she was struck near Rimouski by the Storstad, which sliced an enormous gash in the starboard side of her hull. Water rushed in and the ship listed severely, allowing more water to rush in through open portholes. With the ship on its side, some survivors squeezed out of portholes on the opposite side of the ship. But most passengers were trapped inside and drowned. The ship sank in 14 minutes.

According to author Derek Grout in Empress of Ireland, The Story of an Edwardian Liner, those 14 minutes would make few people proud.

“There were no gentlemanly cries of ‘Women and children first!’ In the dark of night it was a free for all and surviving the sinking was a matter of luck at best.”

A board of inquiry would later blame the crew of the Storstad, but Norwegian authorities conducted their own investigation and disputed these findings. A Canadian documentary, The Last Voyage of the Empress, re-enacted the collision and concluded the fog was mostly to blame, but Empress Captain Henry Kendall was not without fault.

A salvage operation shortly after the collision recovered the ship’s mail and 212 bars of silver, worth about $1.1 million today.

Within months of the sinking, World War One was underway, and the thousands of men dying in the trenches every day soon overshadowed the casualties of the Empress of Ireland.

Some believe Canadian Pacific wanted to keep things quiet. With ships on the Atlantic, a railway and hotels spanning Canada, and more ships on the Pacific, it was possible to circumnavigate the globe without leaving the care of CP. The company was reluctant to air details of the sinking.

In 1971, David Brinnin, an American poet, literary critic and travel writer, dismissed the significance of the Empress of Ireland wreck. Brennin wrote that the dead were nothing better than “a lot of middle class Anglo-Saxons and a long roster of Salvation Army officers and executives from one end of Canada to the other.”

So in 1998, when maritime historian David Zeni published his book on the ship, he titled it The Forgotten Empress.

A few small tales have lived on. According to James Croall, writing in the 1978 book Fourteen Minutes, the ship’s cat, a yellow tabby “of doubtful antecedents”, fled down the gangway just as the ship was leaving. A steward ran after him and brought the cat back, but again the animal bolted and was left behind.

Efforts are underway to ensure that when the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Empress of Ireland rolls around in 2014, Canadians will be more aware of this nationally important maritime disaster.

This story struck a small personal chord for me. Many years after this tragedy, I sailed to Canada as an immigrant aboard the CP’s Empress of England. We too left from Liverpool to Quebec City to begin a new life.

It also occurs to me this would be a great background story for a romance novel!

Today I am part of the St. Patricks' Day Blog Hop. Lots of prizes available
One commenter on my blog can win a signed copy of one of my books.

76 comments:

  1. Such an interesting story. BTW I love the cover of Passion in the Blood. Hot guy's are always a draw. P.R. Mason pmas0518 at bellsouth dot net

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    1. Thanks Pat. I'm rather partial to the cover myself, though I think Conquering Passion is my favourite.

      Delete
  2. I love your post--one of the best I have read so far.
    I have always been intrigued by The Titanic and now I am going to do research on The Empress Of Ireland. And since I'm a Canadian you would think I knew more about our own history.
    I have heard of the tragedy of The Empress of Ireland, but not as much as the Titanic.

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    1. Hi Brenda
      Yes, it was an eye opener for me too reading about this tragedy. Glad you enjoyed the post.

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    2. I have perhaps the largest private collection of Empress related items. Please visit my website to see a small part of the collection at www.Empress-of-Ireland-Klausen.com. Thanks!

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    3. Interesting. thanks for the link.

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  3. Thanks for the post. I hadn't heard of it before and now want to know more. I can't believe anyone would dismiss such a tragedy. I hope the cat found a good home.

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    1. Hi Linda
      I've worried about that darned cat too! I suppose the war overshadowed the event. Sad!

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  4. Loved the post I had never heard of this ship before!

    Happy St. Pattys Day!

    ~*Drea*~
    dreabecraft(@)aol.com

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    1. Hi Drea,
      yes, it's a story that needs to be told isn't it.

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  5. I had never heard of this ship/story either. Interesting!

    acm05atjuno.com

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    1. Hi Anne
      I agree. The Salvation Army has kept the memory alive. They lost most of their Canadian officers.

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  6. Thanks for the story, i had never heard it before as well

    Happy St. Patty's Day!
    ~Sara
    sarabook7237@gmail.com

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    1. Hi Sara
      Thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed the post.

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  7. A very interesting post, have never heard of this ship, always find out something new and interesting on these blog hops.
    Jean
    skpetal at hotmail dot com

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    1. Hi Jean
      Glad you enjoyed the post. Now more people know!

      Delete
  8. I would love to read your book.
    Happy St. Patricks Day.
    twoofakind12@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy St Patrick's Day
    i would be happy to win your book if the giveaway is open to international too

    all the best
    isabelle(dot)frisch(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hi Isabelle
      The book giveaway for my blog is open to anyone, but the Goodreads draw is US and Canada only.

      Delete
  10. Awesomeness!

    Thanks for the chance to win :-)

    Hillary
    hillacurr@gmail.com

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  11. Thanks for the compliment. I had hoped people would be interested.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Woah! Thanks for the chance to win a book :D
    I like how they sound :)

    cigam9 at gmail dot com

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  13. What a fascinating and tragic piece of history - I'd never heard of it. Hope you're putting it in your fiction!

    Adriana

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    1. I have it tucked away for when I try a more modern era! Thanks for your comment.

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  14. I love reading about the Titanic, and that era. I would LOVE to win one of your books !

    Happy St Pattys Day !!

    ~Kym
    flwrs4ever(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for your comment Kym. I wish you the luck o' the Irish!

      Delete
  15. Thanks for the great giveaway!!!
    Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
    red_tigergirl2(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks for the giveaway!
    Happy St. Patrick's Day!
    sqwalker2@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!
    Thanks for hopping with me today!

    carrieannryanwrites(at)gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Enjoyed it. Lots of positive comments.Always makes a writer feel good!

      Delete
  18. Happy St. Patrick's Day & thanks for the amazing giveaway!
    elizabeth @ bookattict . com

    ReplyDelete
  19. loved your post- i learned alot from your research- thanks for sharing and for the awesome giveaway!

    I hope i have the luck of the Irish in your giveaway!

    Happy St patrick's dat!

    catherine0807 at hotmail dot com

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  20. I've always been fascinated with the Titanic and appreciate this post on the Empress of Ireland. It's another thing I will look into.

    Cambonified{at}yahoo{dot}com

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    1. There is probably a lot to be learned from delving into it more. Thanks for the comment.

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  21. Wow, I had no idea! Thank you for sharing this! Now I want to know more.

    Thanks for being part of the giveaway!
    bas1chsemail at gmail dot com

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  22. Wow, thanks so much for sharing that. Fascinating...and tragic.

    Erica

    eripike at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Awesome contest!! I hope you have a great Saint Patty's Day!!
    viajeradelmar@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thanks for the interesting post.

    dlatany at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  25. What a great story! Thanks for sharing and participating in the hop!

    mmafsmith at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comment.

      Delete
  26. wow thanks f or the hop and then hope to win and read it for you

    desi the lbonde at msn dto com

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comment.

      Delete
  27. Always looking for new to me authors!

    sionedkla@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment. Hope you get a chance to enjoy my books.

      Delete
  28. Thanks for the great giveaway!

    proudarmymom32(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Thank you for the information and for joining the hop.
    HSPD!
    June
    manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  30. Enjoyed your post.Thank you for this chance to win

    flanagan@mebtel.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comment.

      Delete
  31. Nice post! Thank you for the giveaway.
    Happy St. Patrick's Day.

    Pam
    vanillaorchids69(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  32. Thank you so much for participating in this hop!

    Gena Robertson
    robertsongena@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  33. WOW! I didn't know that about the Empress of Ireland. I love learning about history.
    Mel
    bournmelissa AT hotmail DOT com

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    1. History can be fascinating. Like visiting a foreign country!

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  34. Thanks for the chance to win!

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  35. Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway! Happy St. Patrick's Day!
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

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  36. What a great history lesson about my Northern neighbors.

    Erin Go Bragh!

    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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    1. Indeed! Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comment.

      Delete
  37. Wheee! Maritime History and St. Patrick's on the Blog hop! Awesome! Love it!

    Amy

    thefishingwidow(at)akmarshall(dot)com

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comment.

      Delete
  38. Thanks so much for sharing such a fascinating story!
    bekeown(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comment.

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  39. Great post. I have never heard of this one before but what a history.

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

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  40. Truth be told, I don't think most Canadians know about it either. Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comment.

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  41. The Empress of Ireland is still very much the Forgotten Empress, but more well known now than several years ago when I began researching the ship for my first novel. Second Watch (Sono Nis Press) is based on the shipwreck and was inspired by the tale of a silver spoon I received from my Finnish grandmother. I hope you do write a book inspired by the Empress of Ireland!

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    1. You're right that it is still a little-known story. I'm still entrenched in the Middle Ages, so a book about the ship will be a long way off. I'll check out your book.

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