RMS Empress of Ireland was a British-built ocean liner that sank near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River following a collision in thick fog with the Norwegian collier Storstad in the early hours of 29 May 1914. Although the ship was equipped with watertight compartments and, in the aftermath of the Titanic disaster two years earlier, carried more than enough lifeboats for all aboard, she foundered in only 14 minutes. Of the 1,477 people on board, 1,012 died, making it the worst peacetime maritime disaster in Canadian history.
Gilles Morel explores the recovery efforts by divers and the treatment of recovered mail locally in Rimouski and by the Dead Letter Office in Ottawa.
Follow Me!
