The Empress of Ireland, a forgotten history

In 1904, Canadian Pacific ordered two fast and comfortable passenger ships from Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering in Glasgow, Scotland. At that time, Fairfield was one of the few companies able to build almost all of the components of a ship. On June 29, 1906, the Empress of Ireland made its maiden voyage, becoming the biggest and most luxurious passenger ship navigating the St. Lawrence River, and one of the largest and most luxurious ships in the world. Making ports of call in Québec and in Liverpool, England, the ship had to go through Pointe-au-Père to pick up or drop off its pilot. In 1914, when Pointe-au-Père was on the way to becoming one of the country’s most important navigational aid centres, the Empress of Ireland was rammed by another ship and sank offshore in 14 minutes. This maritime tragedy, which resulted in 1,012 deaths, was imprinted on the memory of an entire generation before fading into oblivion following the advent of the First World War.