Sailing from Quebec City on the 28th of May 1914, RMS EMPRESS of IRELAND gets ready for its 192nd crossing of the Atlantic. 1,477 people are onboard. The sailors let go of the mooring lines at 16:27 hours. Around 23:00 hours, most of the passengers withdraw to their cabin for their first night aboard.

At 01:20 hours, the Empress of Ireland transfers the pilot Adélard Bernier to the pilot boat Eureka stationed at Pointe-au-Père. Around 01:40 hours, the lookout of the Empress of Ireland signals the sighting of a white light at an approximate distance of 6 nautical miles. It belongs to the collier Storstad underway to the Pointe-au-Père Pilot Station. One minute later, the collier disappears in thick fog. At 01:42 hours, it is the Empress of Ireland's turn to be enveloped by the fog.

At 01:55 hours, sailors of the Empress of Ireland sight the bow of the Storstad emerging from the fog, heading directly towards them. Collision is unavoidable. The collier spurs the passenger ship dead amidships, creating an immense opening approximately 4 meters wide by 14 meters high. The Empress of Ireland capsizes very quickly. 14 minutes after the collision, the most luxurious passenger ship to ever sail the Saint-Lawrence sinks into the river, taking 1,012 people to their death.


Image courtesy of Ken Marschall, KenMarschall.com