In issue 47, W7DGJ discusses one of the world's worst maritime disasters, with a focus on the young radio operator who manned the Marconi room. See that article at this link. Please use this forum discussion for any comments on the article or topics that we might explore about the Empress of Ireland. 73, Dave Jensen W&DGJ
When I saw the reference to Ron Ferguson G4VF, "it rang a bell". I recollect that one of my acquaintances in the ITU maritime radio working groups back in the mid-80s, had been an ex-Marconi R/O who later became working for the British Department of Trade&Industry. He was interviewed by Ron Ferguson back in the late 1940s when applying for his first R/O job.
Thank you for this story. It is another example of how radio operators are heroes. However, please correct the two locations where 2014 should be 1914
Thanks Byron. I had typed 1914, but the computer "corrected" the date to 2014. Geez. I need a new Copy Editor, Dave
Definitely the worst peacetime maritime disasters in Canadian history. The Halifax explosion of 1917 killed more, but it was during WW1.
Jim, I just spent some time reading about that Halifax explosion. Wow -- the total killed was over 1700, but this one was caused by massive explosions due to the cargo on board a French ship. Interesting to note, though, that the other ship (the one on the wrong side of the channel) was (once again) a Norwegian vessel. Dave
In 2023 we visited the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. The big takeaway from that visit is that it is much better to ram than be rammed. This accident brought that home. Great article, well written.
Thanks Tom. Somewhere I saw a photo of the Norwegian vessel that was involved here. It had a smashed up bow but was still operational, and in fact not one bit of coal got displaced as I recall. That sure says your statement is correct. One of the big points that was made in the investigation is that everyone thought that the Norwegian ship should have kept their power full ahead, in order to stay "inside" the Empress. That could have saved a lot of lives. Instead, the captain backed off on power and it floated away. Dave, W7DGJ
I read somewhere, "SOS to the Rescue" maybe? That the Empress' watertight doors had to be closed manually whereas those on RMS Titanic could be closed electrically from the bridge. Passenger ships continue to sink every now and then with tremendous loss of life. I'm expecting one of the big cruise ships to suffer such a fate. The idea fills me with horror. Even if I were still young enough to do so, I couldn't sign on as ship's crew without completing at least four full days of basic safety refresher training and passing a medical exam of some sort yet we think nothing of embarking a couple thousand passengers with no more than a single lifeboat drill if that.
Hey Norm, thanks for the comment. First off, yes the watertight doors on the Empress had to be closed manually. And when the ship was tilted just moments into the catastrophe, the weight of the doors was too much for the men who had to work the door closed. All of this happened within 14 minutes, from the initial collision to the ship completely vanishing under water. And I'm with you on the big cruise ships. There is SO LITTLE attention paid to the emergency drills nowadays. All that Celebrity does, for example, is ensure that each passenger know where their lifboat station is. You just show up there before departure and they check your name off the list. Then you're supposed to watch a video, but no one does. I think it is disgusting. They've also removed the life vests from the guest rooms, and "we'll provide them if they are needed, at your life boat station." Dave, W7DGJ
