R.M.S. Empress of Ireland

On the afternoon of May 28, 1914, the Empress left its berth in Quebec's harbour for its first summer voyage to Liverpool. In the earlymorning hours of May 29, the liner was steaming down the St. LawrenceRiver near Pointe-au-Père when at 1:40 a.m., the Norwegian collier Storstad was sighted at about eight miles to starboard. Both crews attempted to anticipate one another's course as a thickfog engulfed both ships, forcing Captain Henry George Kendall to bring the Empress to a stop. But minutes later, the Storstad emerged from the fog at a mere 30 metres from the Empress - it was too late for either ship to alter its course and at 1:55 a.m., the Storstad's reinforced hull ploughed into the centre of theEmpress.

The Empress could not withstand such damage to its compartments. Water rushed into the Empress, trapping many passengers inside their cabins. The ship listed sharply on its starboard side, allowing water to pour in through the portholes and rendering it impossible to close most of the watertight doors. The tragedy was further compounded when only a few of the lifeboats were able to be launched before the ship turned over completely onits side. In the span of a mere 14 minutes after the collision, RMS Empress of Ireland had sunk to its final resting place.

Of the 1,477 passengers onboard RMS Empress of Ireland, 1,012 perished including 134 children. For most, the Empress will be forever linked with its tragic end, but it is also remembered for the thousands of immigrants who boarded this great liner to make their journey to a new life in Canada. In 1999, the wreck site was classified as a historical and archaeological property, and it has since earned a protected status as a National Historic Site.

LOST SHIPS IN CANADIAN WATERS - RMS EMPRESS OF IRELAND - 2014 CANADIAN COINS is categorised COINS AND PAPER MONEY / 08- ROYAL CANADIAN MINT / 13- CANADIAN HISTORY and sold by l'Imaginaire, a store and specialised website.