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N0KFQ > TODAY 29.05.16 15:53l 45 Lines 1865 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 95029_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - May 29
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<N0KFQ
Sent: 160529/1435Z 95029@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.65
1914
Ships crash in heavy fog
Heavy fog causes a collision of boats on the St. Lawrence River
in Canada that kills 1,073 people on this day in 1914. Caused by
a horrible series of blunders, this was one of the worst maritime
disasters in history.
The Empress of Ireland left Quebec on May 28 with 1,057
passengers and 420 crew members on board. At 2:00 a.m. the
following morning, the Empress was near Father Point on the St.
Lawrence River when thick fog rolled in. A Norwegian coal
freighter, the Storstad, was approaching as visibility was
reduced to nearly nothing.
Although each ship was aware of the other, the Storstad failed to
follow standard procedures for fog conditions, which call for
stopping when visibility is drastically reduced. The Storstad
only slowed, while the Empress came to a complete stop. The
Storstad hit the Empress mid-ship and sliced through its hull.
Captain Thomas Anderson of the Storstad made matters even worse
by failing to reverse engines after the crash. He proceeded
directly ahead, crushing many people on board and turning the
Empress over onto its side. Anderson later told investigators he
had feared reversing would have allowed water to rush into the
hole.
This was a colossal error. The Empress sank in just 14 minutes,
taking the great majority of its passengers with it. Only 217
passengers and 248 crew members survived the collision. The
subsequent investigation placed most of the blame on Captain
Anderson, but found the Empress had also ignored some critical
precautions that would have saved many lives. Because of the risk
of collision, the Empress should have sealed its watertight
doors, which would have minimized damage from a crash; it did
not.
73 - K.O., n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-Mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
Message timed: 09:34 on May 29, 2016
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