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.
Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be found at https://www.shipwrecksandseadogs.com. Original theme music by Sean Sigfried.
Go AD-FREE by becoming a Patreon Officer's Club Member!
Join at https://www.patreon.com/shipwreckspod
Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Merchandise is available!
https://shop.shipwrecksandseadogs.com
You can support the podcast with a donation of any amount at:
https://buymeacoffee.com/shipwreckspod
Join the Into History Network for ad-free access to this and many other fantastic history podcasts!
https://www.intohistory.com/shipwreckspod
Follow Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs
- Subscribe on YouTube
- Follow on BlueSky
- Follow on Threads
- Follow on Instagram
- Follow on Facebook
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices