Empress of Ireland: Canada's Titanic
In the early morning hours of 29 May, 1914, the Empress of Ireland collided with the Norwegian ship Storstad, killing over 1000 passengers.
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The Empress of Ireland was a luxurious and beautiful steamship of the early 20th century, carrying passengers across the North Atlantic between Quebec City and Liverpool. She and her sister ship, the Empress of Britain, were an important cog during the peak of Canadian immigration. In the early morning hours of 29 May, 1914, the Empress of Ireland collided with the Norwegian ship Storstad in dense fog on the St. Lawrence River. Over 1000 people on the Empress of Ireland perished, and more passengers died than on the Titanic just two years prior. Because of the massive loss of life, she has been called "Canada's Titanic."
Dan Conlin, Curator of the Canadian Immigration Museum at Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia joins me as my guest.
For show notes, images, and sources please visit https://shipwrecksandseadogs.com/blog/2022/11/29/empress-of-ireland-canadas-titanic/.
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Original theme music is by Sean Sigfried.
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