Today in History

May 29, 1914

The Sinking of the Empress of Ireland

The Empress of Ireland had a new captain, and it was his first voyage on the Saint Lawrence River in command of the ship carrying 1,477 passengers and crew. The Empress departed Quebec City the afternoon of May 28 on its way for the transatlantic trip to Liverpool. At 2:00 am on May 29th, a heavy fog had settled over the water. Suddenly, the Empress was struck broadside by another ship, the Storstad. Most of the passengers were asleep. The Empress quickly took on water and began to sink, near Pointe-au-Pere, Quebec. The ship rolled onto its side and 14 minutes later was gone with 1,012 of its passengers and crew.

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