RMS Empress of Ireland

RMS Empress of Ireland

RMS "Empress of Ireland" was an ocean liner built in 1905-1906 [The disambiguation date used in this article's title is not the year in which the hull is launched, but rather the year of the vessel's sea trial or maiden voyage.] by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering at Govan on the Clyde in Scotland for Canadian Pacific Steamships (CP). [Simplon Postcards: [http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/ "Empress of Ireland", 4 images] ] This "Empress" was distinguished by the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) prefix in front of her name because the British government and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) had decades earlier reached agreement on a contract for subsidized mail service between Britain and Hong Kong via Canada. When not carrying mail, the ship would have been identified as SS "Empress of Ireland."Ship List: [http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsE.html Description of "Empress of Ireland"] ]

The "Empress" was struck amidships by the Norwegian coaler SS "Storstad"; and the strategically damaged vessel sank very quickly in the early morning of May 28, 1914. This accident claimed 1,012 lives, making it the deadliest maritime disaster in Canadian history.Ship List: [http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsE.html Description of "Empress of Ireland"] ]

History

The "Empress of Ireland" was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. at Govan near Glasgow in Scotland. [Johnston, Ian. "Govan Shipyard" in [http://www.shipsmonthly.com/ships/home.htm "Ships Monthly."] June 1985.] The 14,191-ton vessel had a length of 570 feet (174 m), and her beam was 66 feet (20.1 m). The plumb-bowed ship had two funnels, three masts, twin screws and an average speed of 18 knots (33 km/h). Then, The ocean liner provided accommodation for 310 first-class passengers and for 470 second-class passengers. There was also room for up to 750 third-class passengers, which meant an overall capacity of 1,580 passengers and crew. [see above] ]

The "Empress" was launched on January 26, 1906, and she set out on her maiden voyage from Liverpool , she proved herself as both reliable and fast. [see above] ] There was one incident in 1909 where the Empress struck a sunken vessel or an unknown submerged rock at the northern end of the St Lawrence. [RG25, External Affairs, Series B-1-b, Volume 238 File : ME-2-61, Access code: 90]

The vessel, along with her sister ship "Empress of Britain", had been commissioned by Canadian Pacific for the northern trans-Atlantic route between Quebec and England. The transcontinental CPR and its fleet of ocean liners were part of the company's self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Transportation System".

Collision

The "Empress of Ireland" departed Quebec City for Liverpool at 16:30 local time on May 28, 1914 with 1,477 passengers and crew. Henry George Kendall had just been promoted to captain of the "Empress" at the beginning of the month; and it was his first trip down the Saint Lawrence River in command of the vessel.

Early the next morning on May 29, 1914, the ship was proceeding down the channel near Pointe-au-Père, Quebec (eastern district of the town of Rimouski) in heavy fog. At 02:00 local time, the Norwegian collier "Storstad" crashed into the side of the "Empress of Ireland". The "Storstad" did not sink, but "Empress of Ireland", with severe damage to her starboard side, rapidly shipping water, capsized and sank within 14 minutes, claiming 1,012 passengers and crewmen.

There were only 465 survivors, out of which only four were children (the other 134 children were lost) and 42 were women (the other 279 women were lost). Amongst the dead were the English dramatist and novelist Laurence Irving. Amongst the survivors, "Lucky" Tower is improbably said to have been one of the few crewmen who survived this shipwreck and the sinking of the "Titanic" and the sinking of the "Lusitania." [Mooney, Julie (2004). "Ripley's Believe It or Not! Encyclopedia of the Bizarre: Amazing, Strange, Inexplicable, Weird and All True!" p. 23;
* Pellegrino, Charles R. (1990). [http://books.google.com/books?id=YNjAV8Iyx3gC&pg=PA249&vq=Frank+Tower&dq=Her+Name,+Titanic&client=firefox-a&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1_1&sig=Rg8NMY9YbhBsM8_zu6Fjod8Fez8 "Her Name, Titanic," p. 249.]
]

The passengers included a large contingent of Canadian members of the Salvation Army. These travelers were all members of the Canadian Salvation Army Band who were travelling to London for an international conference. At Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario, there is a monument reading "167 officers and soldiers of the Salvation Army promoted to glory" in the sinking.

Ultimately, the immense loss of life can be attributed to three factors: the location in which "Storstad" made contact, failure to close her watertight doors, and failure to close all portholes aboard.

The fact that most passengers at the time of the sinking were asleep—most not even awakening—also contributed to the loss of life.

Investigation

On June 16, 1914, an inquiry was launched in Canada and the crew of "Storstad" was found responsible for the sinking of "Empress of Ireland". Presiding over the contentious proceedings was Sir John Bingham (later Lord Mersey). Bingham was notable for having presided over the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea in 1913, and for having headed the official inquiries into a number of significant steamship tragedies -- including the RMS "Titanic" in London (1912) and the RMS "Lusitania" in London (1915).

The cause of the tragedy was disputed by the surviving crew of the "Empress of Ireland" and the crew of "Storstad". There has since been much speculation as to the circumstances of the sinking. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E03E5D7173AE633A25757C0A9609C946596D6CF "Storstad Claims $50,000 Damages; Owners Start a Counter Suit Against the Empress of Ireland as Cause of Disaster,"] "New York Times." June 4, 1914.] One theory involves the positioning of the ships when both encountered the fogbank.

Captain Henry George Kendall of the "Empress"' claimed that he stayed close to shore, encountered the fog, reversed his engines to stop for about 8 minutes; and then, he said, the ship was rammed by the "Storstad", who was executing a hard, 90-degree turn to the starboard. Another explanation suggested that despite Kendall's testimony, the "Empress" sailing north-northeast into the center of the channel, right into the path of the "Storstad".

In 1914, the position of ships in darkness could be determined by the lights they were showing. White lights mounted on the two main masts were read in conjunction with the red and green lights indicating port and starboard. A ship showing green to starboard, red to port and one white mast light would be coming directly at the observing vessel. This was the case on that night and both captains expected to pass each other "green to green". As the fog rolled across the river between the two vessels, what happened next has never been totally clarified.

A ship showing two white mast lights and one green light would be lying across the path of the approaching vessel, exposing the starboard side. A captain in 1914, familiar with the St. Lawrence river, would reasonably be expected to have avoided a collision, if he had been able to see the lights on time. As the "Storstad" crashed into the "Empress" it is likely that the fog obscured the other ship until it was too late to take evasive action.

Either the "Empress" strayed across the "Storstad's" bows, or the "Storstad" crossed the "Empress's" path from port to starboard and executed a 90 degree turn to pierce her starboard side.

If the testimony of both captains is to be believed, the collision happened as both vessels were stationary with their engines stopped.

An inquiry launched by Norwegians disagreed and cleared "Storstad's" crew for all responsibilities. Instead, they blamed Kendall, captain of "Empress of Ireland", for violating the protocol by not passing port to port.

Canadian Pacific Railway won a court case against A. F. Klaveness, owner of "Storstad", for $2,000,000. Unable to afford the liabilities, A. F. Klaveness was forced to sell "Storstad" for $175,000 to the trust funds.

The wreck

Shortly after the disaster, a salvage operation began on "Empress of Ireland". The salvagers recovered bodies and valuables inside the ship. They were also faced with limited visibility and strong currents from the St. Lawrence River. One of the divers was killed when he fell from near the highest point of the wreck to the riverbed below and his diving equipment was unable to adjust to the sudden pressure increase. The salvage crew resumed their operations and recovered 318 bags of mail and 212 bars of silver worth $1,099,000. A hole had to be made in the hull of "Empress of Ireland" so the salvagers could easily retrieve a large safe. In 1964, the wreck was revisited by a group of Canadian divers who recovered a brass bell. In the 1970s, another group of divers recovered a stern telemeter, pieces of Marconi radio equipment, a brass porthole and a compass. Recently, Robert Ballard visited the wreck of "Empress of Ireland" and found that it was being covered by silt. He also discovered that certain artifacts from fixtures to human remains continued to be taken out by "treasure hunters". In 1998, Canadian Authorities passed restrictions and laws protecting the wreck and other shipwrecks in Canadian waters from destructive penetration. Unlike RMS|Titanic|3=2, which is only accessible with a submersible, "Empress of Ireland", resting in a mere 140 feet of water, can be accessed by scuba divers, albeit only highly skilled ones. Numerous recreational divers have since died on the wreck, mostly through accidents related to entering (penetrating) the wreck.

Design changes

The disaster led to a change in thinking among naval architects with regard to the design of ships bows. The backward slanting bow design of the day (see picture above) caused, in the event of a collision, immediate massive fatal damage below the waterline. The effect of the "Storstad's" bows on the "Empress of Ireland's" has been likened to that of a "chisel being forced into an aluminium can" Designers began to employ the raked bows that we are familiar with today, ensuring that much of the energy of a collision is absorbed by the point of the bow above the waterline of the other ship ensuring less damage under the surface.

Last survivor

The last survivor of the shipwreck, Grace Hanagan Martyn, died in St. Catharines, Ontario on May 15, 1995 at the age of 88.

Trivia

The ship's cat Emmy, A loyal orange tabby who had never once missed a voyage, repeatedly tried to escape the ship near departure on May 28, 1914. The crew could not coax her aboard and the Empress departed without her. It was reported that Emmy watched the ship sail away from Quebec City sitting on the roof of the shed at Pier 27, which would later become a place for the dead pulled from the river.

Popular culture

* Stephen Pavey's novel, "Pursuit of Grace: Aboard the Empress of Ireland", was based on research in Salvation Army archives. The largest group of passengers was a delegation from the Canadian Salvation Army, including a select Salvation Army Band. These passengers, numbering nearly a hundred, were traveling to London for an International Conference. [Flayhart, William H. (2005). [http://books.google.com/books?id=AGLeVdGbA5wC&pg=PA258&vq=Salvation+army&dq=Empress+of+Ireland&source=gbs_search_r&cad=1_1&sig=IxgGuad-8PBB30KND_zkHhpt9I0#PPA258,M1 "Disaster at Sea: Shipwrecks, Storms, and Collisions on the Atlantic," pp.258-259.] ]
*"Empress of Ireland" was commemorated in a song by Three Pints Gone, a Celtic band specializing in traditional folk songs and sea chanties. "Empress of Ireland" is featured on their CD titled "There Is a Ship", all nautical songs. The refrain says, "Nobody there or for miles anywhere/knew she was sailing to the bottom of the sea/Don't remember the "Empress of Ireland"/but always remember me."

* The "Empress of Ireland" shipwreck is referenced in the Clive Cussler book "Night Probe!"

* In the children's television series "TUGS", the SS "Princess Alice" is based on the "Empress of Ireland".Fact|date=August 2007

* There is a legend that the "Empress of Ireland" was doomed by a curse uttered in 1910 by Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen on board the SS Montrose when he was arrested by Inspector Walter Dew. Crippen supposedly realized he was betrayed with his lover Ethel Le Neve by Captain Kendall and wished his next ship was sunk.

* Another legend that has been repeated is that of a cursed mummy's case that was on board the "Empress of Ireland" and supposedly on the RMS Titanic.

The ancient mummy case of Egyptian Princess Ammon-Ra

Sources

* Flayhart, William H. (2005). [http://books.google.com/books?id=AGLeVdGbA5wC&dq=Empress+of+Ireland&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 "Disaster at Sea: Shipwrecks, Storms, and Collisions on the Atlantic."] New York: W. W. Norton & Company. 10-ISBN 0-393-32651-9
* Logan, Marshall. (1914) [http://books.google.com/books?id=XrPuHIo7vlYC&q=Empress+of+Ireland&dq=Empress+of+Ireland&pgis=1 "The Tragic Story of the Empress of Ireland: an Authentic Account of the Most Horrible Disaster in Canadian History, Constructed From the Real Facts Obtained From Those on Board Who Survived and Other Great Sea Disasters."] Philadelphia: John C. Winston. [OCLC 2576287]
* Mooney, Julie (2002). [http://books.google.com/books?id=xLV4AQAACAAJ&dq=julie+mooney+Ripley%27s+Believe+It+or+Not!&client=firefox-a "Ripley's Believe It or Not! Encyclopedia of the Bizarre: Amazing, Strange, Inexplicable, Weird and All True!"] New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. 10-ISBN 1-579-12216-7; 13-ISBN 978-1-579-12216-4 (cloth) -- 10-ISBN 1-579-12482-8; 13-ISBN 978-1-579-12482-3 (paper) [OCLC 77546605]
* Pellegrino, Charles R. (1990). [http://books.google.com/books?id=YNjAV8Iyx3gC&dq=Her+Name,+Titanic&client=firefox-a&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 "Her Name, Titanic."] New York: HarperCollins. 10-ISBN 0-709-04242-6; 13-ISBN 978-0-709-04242-6 (cloth) -- 10-ISBN 0-380-70892-2; 13-ISBN 978-0-380-70892-5 (paper)

See also

* CP Ships
* List of ocean liners
* List of ships in British Columbia
* 1914 in Canada
* List of disasters in Canada
* List of Canadian disasters by death toll
* List of shipwrecks
* List of shipwrecks in 1914
* List of accidents and disasters by death toll
* List of last occurrences

External links

* [http://www.stephenpavey.com/new_empress_novel.html, Pursuit of Grace: Aboard the Empress of Ireland] , a historical fiction novel written by Salvation Army Staff Band member
* [http://www.collectionscanada.ca/sos/shipwrecks/ Tales of Tragedy and Triumph: Canadian Shipwrecks] , a virtual museum exhibition at Library and Archives Canada
* [http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/item/1505/ Swallowed in 14 minutes] The story of the "Empress of Ireland"
* [http://www.norwayheritage.com/articles/templates/great-disasters.asp?articleid=99&zoneid=1 Norway Heritage - The Collision between the "SS Empress of Ireland" and the "SS Storstad"]
* [http://www.shmp.qc.ca Pointe-au-Père Maritime Historic Site]
* [http://www.pbs.org/lostliners/empress.html PBS Online - Lost Liners - "Empress of Ireland"]
* [http://www.greatoceanliners.net/empressofireland.html The Great Ocean Liners; "Empress of Ireland" page]
* [http://www.empressartifacts.org The "Empress of Ireland" Artifacts Committee]
* [http://www.lostliners.com/Liners/Canadian_Pacific/Empress_Ireland/index.html Lost Liners - "Empress of Ireland"]
* [http://www.greatships.net/empressireland.html Greatships.net: "Empress of Ireland"]
* [http://www.exn.ca/Templates/Story.cfm?ID= The "Empress of Ireland" - A Titanic Tale of Forgotten Tragedy]
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/liners/empress_of_ireland.htm Maritimequest "Empress of Ireland" profile]
* [http://www.3pintsgone.com Three Pints Gone]
* [http://www.sacollectables.com/empress.html The "Empress Of Ireland"]


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