Empress of Ireland sunk in 1914 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 1,012 passengers and crew died (compared to the Titanic's 1,514). The loss of the Empress of Ireland remains the largest maritime accident in Canadian history.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. It was one of two Canadian Pacific ships - its sister ship was the Empress of Britain - plying the Atlantic between the United Kingdom and Canada, bringing thousands of immigrants, mostly drawn by the prospect of free land on the Prairies.For years, the remains of the Empress lay on the river bottom off Rimouski, Que., where it was picked over by souvenir-hunting divers. It was designated a national historic site ...
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