Empress of Ireland Sinks in REAL TIME | 14 Minutes of Horror

Fourteen minutes is all it took for Canadian Pacific Railway's RMS Empress of Ireland to sink below the icy Saint Lawrence River in Canada. 1,012 people lost their lives in a horrific disaster which happened in such a terribly short amount of time that many simple never found out what had hit them. Like the Titanic and Lusitania, the Empress of Ireland was one of the major disasters of the early 20th century that changed shipping regulation and history itself. This is the first real time sinking animation of its kind to depict the Empress' final moments in vivid detail as based on survivor accounts and books on the subject.
Animation and sound design by Jack Gibson
Research by Mike Brady and Liam Sharpe
3D models by Lucas Gustaffson and Liam Sharpe
Oceanliner Designs explores the design, construction, engineering and operation of history’s greatest vessels- from Titanic to Queen Mary and from the Empress of Ireland to the Lusitania. Join maritime researcher and illustrator Michael Brady as he tells the stories behind some of history's most famous ocean liners and machines!
#sinking #engineering #disaster #documentary #tragedy #history #empressofireland #titanic #oceanliner #titanic

[Brayson]

I have to commend the crew for such quick action. Only 6 of the lifeboats were able to get away, but that’s still impressive considering the very small timetable the crew were given.

[Erick Araujo 5]

I thought lifeboat 7 was crushed by the first funnel but it turns out that it was one of the 6 to get away safely from the ship

[Shad Wilde]

Enough lifeboats but not enough time.

[littleferrhis]

A third of the people onboard survived, which is a miracle in and of itself.

[Mario Lee]

Lifeboats 1, 3, 9, and 13 were launched in quick succession. Lifeboat 5 was released and cleared the ship as it was rolling over. Lifeboat 15 at the stern was lowered but capsized and ended up floating away upside down. Lifeboat 11 was launched but it was unable to clear the ship and ended up getting crushed as the ship was rolling over. Lifeboat 7 was not swung out until late in the sinking and was dragged under as the crew were trying to launch it. None of the port boats made it due to the Empress quickly developing a severe list to starboard after the collision, rendering the davits on that side useless.

[Erick Araujo 5]

@Mario Lee So lifeboat 15 is the other lifeboat that got away from the ship

[Liliana O'Hara]

I cannot imagine how terrifying it must have been, it sank in 14 minutes with no time to prepare. I hope all the souls rest in peace.

[Giovanni Rastrelli]

Admiral Nakhimov sank in only eight minutes after suffering a similar collision.

[ACookieGuy]

​​in wartime the HMS hood sank in 3 minutes. No time. Crazy

[Tee Tee]

He only makes it even worse when your loved ones are on board.

[Tee Tee]

It only makes it even worse knowing that your loved ones are still on board.

[Liliana O'Hara]

It's all sounds terrifying, to all souls lost at sea, I hope they all rest in peace

[Robert Staples]

I looked this up and read that Captain Kendall was picked up by a nearby lifeboat after he was thrown overboard as the Empress tumbled into the sea, then rowed survivors back to the Storstad, which was floating in the near distance. After unloading the passengers, and before he headed back out to pick up more survivors, he stormed up to the bridge and yelled to Captain Anderson, "You have sunk my ship!" I can't imagine the fury on his face.

[Fred]

Yes, it was complete negligence not to stop

[Dalex Horizon]

Anderson was lucky Kendall didn’t try to kill him, and however loyal Anderson’s crew was, under the circumstances, they probably would’ve only made a half-hearted effort to restrain Kendall…

[Zero Bartholomew]

😊j

[Dealler]

@Fred No, it was complete negligence of Kendall to stop. You´re not supposed to stop in the fog because you lose all maneuverability of the ship and cannot react to circumstances like in this case. If he followed the book, nothing would happen.

[Darwin fan]

WW1 overshadowing the disaster is usually cited as the reason it was almost forgotten, but considering how many Titanic survivors stayed silent about such a protracted, gentler sinking, I wonder if the speed and violence of the Empress played more into the silence than typically assumed. Titanic had social etiquette preserved almost to the end, prioritizing the most vulnerable, while the Empress had it shattered almost instantly. -Titanic's children had a 50% chance of survival, the Empress' had a 3% chance. -75% of women survived Titanic, but that dropped to 13% on the Empress

[Reticulating Splines]

I'm sure many of the survivors had to watch family members and strangers die right in front of them as well.

[Darwin fan]

​@Reticulating Splines absolutely! A lot of women and children in Titanic's lifeboats didn't know they were widowed or fatherless until rescue, whereas there was no hiding that with the Empress. I don't know if I'd be able to recall the latter experience without breaking down, it was probably easier for survivors to avoid the topic entirely.

[Donald]

It's unsurprising if not many people wanted to talk about this after having been through it. I certainly wouldn't. By 1918 everyone in Canada and Britain was emotionally wounded anyway, and the WASP custom is to be quiet about your trauma. It would be interesting to read a social history of how people dealt with grief in the era between the wars.

[misarthim 6]

I don't think there was even enough time for the social order to break down. The ship was plunged into darkness only after 6 minutes, listing heavily, sunk in a cold water, in a fog. Either you were lucky enough to be in a place where you could survive or you weren't. Most women and children were deep in ship's steerage, unless they reacted extremely quickly, they were doomed.

[Martlet Kay]

@misarthim 6 I imagine women were far less likely to survive this fast sinking because A. They were probably less likely to be the one who would have gotten up to 'go see what was going on', especially if they had children, and especially given they were likely in nightclothes B. They had children and either would have been slowed by them, or refused to leave them (I'm sure some men were affected in the same way, but there were probably a lot fewer men traveling with children than women, especially given the contingent of Salvation Army men) C: If they had to climb steep angles on stairs or the side of ships they were probably less prepared to do so, not strong enough, or hampered by old fashioned clothing D: Given the dire situation and panic, self preservation likely won out in some cases and women were probably less likely to win a struggle to push through crowded spaces E: Perhaps hampered by heavier clothing in the water, or less stamina in the water All just theories, would be interested to know if there is any historical evidence or research

[Musty]

They saved that many people in 14 minutes in the dark. That's impressive

[Britt N]

Stands in stark contrast to another shipwreck that had over 10X the amount of time from collision to submerged and saved a SMALLER percentage of their passengers (looking at you Titanic)

[Mr. Battle]

@Britt N Yeah, there was a major outrage over the lack of adequate lifeboats on the Titanic at the time, which prompted them to change regulations with the establishment of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in 1914, which still governs maritime safety to this day.

[Britt N]

@Mr. Battle it wasn’t just the lack of lifeboats with titanic. It was also that the whole evacuation was disorganized and chaotic. The lifeboats were leaving without being at capacity and not all the life boats were even deployed. Had titanic possessed a life boat seat for every passenger aboard, it wouldn’t have saved even one life because of how inefficiently the evacuation was conducted so that even the resources that they did have were not exhausted.

[king joong]

@Britt Nexactly. Also, since the Titanic was constantly marketed as being “unsinkable”, many people on board were not taking evacuation seriously. others thought the ship still had time until it went down completely, so waiting on the deck was preferable to waiting on the lifeboats for help to arrive

[east bow]

@Britt N the rich people demanded that their lifeboats not be filled i bet they had nightmares for the rest of their lives ...whoever of them had souls that is

[Sherlock Holmes]

I think one of the reasons the Titanic gained so much noteriety compared to much more brutal sinkings such as the Empress' is entirely down to how easy it is to romanticize her demise. With the Empress, you can't tell any stories of triumph or bravery or old loves deciding to die together. The band didn't play until the end. The women and children died, same as the men. There was no dramatic rescue ship steaming through a field of 'bergs to help the survivors. These people drowned like trapped rats in a metal coffin, in so little time that most barely had time to exit their cabins, nevermind make it onto the deck. You can't make movies or plays about a horror story like this without feeling the finality of Death creeping up your spine, and it feels like a desecration of a mass-grave to even try to make up fiction in the face of such a terrifying reality. This sinking makes me feel so very small and scared, and I'm simply watching a video about it on KZbin. Had this been my loved ones' final moments, I might, too, want to prefer to speak of happier things, to preserve the memory of their lives rather than wonder how lost and scared they must've been at the end. I hope these poor souls found peace, or was given a happier life in their next go-around. With a death like this, they deserve as much.

[Paul Anthony]

And it didn't sink on its maiden voyage which was the most incredible thing that happened to TITANIC..

[Josh Strange]

Beautifully said..

[Briana Pereira]

And it wasn't boasted to be "indestructible" like the Titanic was. Titanic was made out to be this impossibly huge, luxurious ship that couldn't be destroyed, so when it hit the iceberg, it showed the hubris of man. With Lusitania, they didn't tout it as indestructible, and I'm assuming they didn't with the Empress. Still, they need to share the Empress' story more, because the way the crew handled things and got all those boats out, yeah it's depressing, but it's a remarkable feat of humanity.

[puiterken]

The Titanic 's situation was very unique. There were not enough lifeboats but it was one of the rare insrances where lifeboats were actually useful for evecucuation. At that time, boarding a lifeboat was considered death

[biel08sant]

Titanic the musicians didn't play to end

[Debbie Jarus]

It's one thing to hear she sank in 14 minutes, but totally another to actually see and feel how fast the sinking actually took place. I can't imagine how terrifying it was for so many to be sleeping peacefully one moment and having to fight for their lives the very next! May they rest in peace. Another job exceptionally well done!

[K O]

And for the crew to launch 5 lifeboats in 14 minutes, this should be more discussed with shipwrecks. It took Titanic an hour to launch the first lifeboat despite knowing the ship was going to sink in an hour, 2 at most. The Empress Crew launched 5 in just 14 minutes while lurching to the side. That's incredible.

[Louise Rose]

Yes, this video is superbly done - and really frightening to watch.

[Torment]

Dude they already rested like for a while now, i think they are ready for another go.

[TV]

​@K OThe crew of the Empress of Ireland knew she was going to sink the moment the SS Storsad (i think thats the name) created a giant gash in the mid section. The Titanic's crew saw the iceberg go past and maybe a very small amount might have seen the iceberg hit but again very few. It took a while to walk around the *BIGGEST SHIP IN THE WORLD AT THE TIME* and when they knew that Titanic was doomed they wasted no time in preparing and launching the lifeboats. I am one of those people who belive more lifeboats would've resulted in a bigger loss of life becuase they had 1hour & 50 minutes to launch 20 lifeboats. They launched 15 without incident. (Collapsible C/D was scrpaing along the hull the entire time it was being launched. Lifeboat 15 nearly crushed 13 and Collapsibles A & B had to be floated off) and couldn't launch the last two. Also considering the fact that nearly nobody wanted to leave the Titanic they were told, "It was just a lifeboat drill." Think for a moment that you were told to leave your house as a safety precaution whilst a blizzard was going on outside; you would be reluctant to leave the warmth of your house. I kind of waffled a bit but overall you can't Co pare the Titnaic to the Empress of Ireland.

[Paul Anthony]

@K O Yes five lifeboats is very fast. I wonder if the lusitania that sank in 20 minutes got as many away. A ship twice the size but not sure how many it got away.

[Austin Reed]

It took only 14 minutes for a ship that size to sink. That’s absolutely terrifying.

[Chase Boyles]

Tbf it was a huge hole that was punched into the side of it by another ship

[Paul Anthony]

It's because the captain didn't close the watertight doors.

[SsobGamer]

The RMS Lusitania's sinking (which was the Olympic and Titanic's rival) is even more impressive, it sank in 18 minutes after getting torpedoed, for a ship that is nearly the size of the Titanic, it sank in under 20 minutes which is unbelievably quick

[B Mack]

Yup, big hole and steel is v heavy.

[J-roc69]

Bada bing bada boom as James Cameron would say 😂

[Nina Browning]

My great-grandfather's first family went down in this sinking. I read about it in his diary but being able to see it through this animation is surreal. Thank you for this.

[Mad Mozelle]

Couldn’t imagine how much pain your great-grandfather endured😢

[LITTLE]

Sorry to hear that

[TheAlmightyKenadianBeaver]

May him and his family rest in peace. Fly high 🙏

[Dollar Dude]

6:01 Considering that this took place just 2 years after the Titanic, I'm surprised any of the passengers thought leaving the deck and going back to their cabins was a good idea. It's crazy how fast this all happened.

[Pozorrogo]

The Titanic took 2.5 hours to sink, so maybe they thought they had time to go back and prepare, not knowing that both boilers were taken out and the lights were about to go out. I think in times of chaos and panic, people go through 'stages of grief' almost. A lot of these people were probably still confused, in shock, and in denial that this could even happen let alone the entire ship sink in 14 minutes. I don't know what I would do in that situation, if I was even lucky enough to be on the deck to where I even had a chance of survival.

[Schnitzelschnitzel]

Well if you travel with others it would make sense for one person to go up and check and then go back to the cabin, only there was no more time then.

[Alfhilde89]

They did go through the stages of grief. Originally those were defined for people experiencing their own mortality ( terminal illness, etc...) before be co-opted to a wider scope of grief. So yes those people were experiencing real denial, anger, bargaining stages.

[waheda samsuri]

all in 14 minutes, it take me a ten minutes to realized I was in accident and this happen in broad daylight. I imagine in darkness and among panic crowds, it's very confusing to figure out what happened. Also there's wasn't fb or social media back then, pretty sure nobody actually knew the details about how Titanic sank or somebody aware to make PSA on how to survive a sinking ship....

[Leverag]

I imagine it takes a special type of person to have traveled by boat *at all* right after the Titanic; then again, it's not like they knew how dangerous it was back then compared to now.

[FIA Random Penalty Generator Machine]

I've never heard of this tragedy before. This is a magnificent animation of this tragic event. You deserve every one of the millions of views this will get.

[K O]

The fact that they launched anything and save over 200 people is still pretty amazing when you account for a 14-minute sinking. It takes humans that much time just to analyze a situation and plan. To have launched boats and gotten anyone out of there is a miracle and speaks to the competency of at least some of the crew.

[Skipper]

400

[Erwin A]

Most of the people who survived were crew members

[Skipper]

@Erwin A lol

[Douhear them2]

​@Erwin Amakes since considering how fast it sunk and that passengers had been asleep

[J-roc69]

Bada bing bada boom as James Cameron would say 😂

[Codac Starn]

Thank you for your commitment to keeping history relevant. Even if there are sad parts to the history

[Britt N]

What I’m learning from shipwreck videos is: always pay to be higher up. Always. Paying for first class on an airplane doesn’t make you safer in a crash, but paying for an upper deck on a ship GREATLY increases your chances in a sinking.

[PaigeH.]

actually cruise ships now typically keep their lifeboats on lower levels - every cruise I’ve been on we have to walk DOWN several flights of stairs to get to the boats

[Britt N]

@PaigeH. that’s concerning. Wouldn’t they be concerned about the lifeboats sinking with the ship before you can load them if they’re so much closer to the waterline?

[K.O.H]

@Britt N moder cruise ships now use their lifeboats as tenders/ferries for excursions and island visits. It's also important to remember how much taller modern cruise ships are when compared to ocean liners. From the top to the water line you're looking at about 15 stories, so it's safer and faster to have the boats at the bottom of the superstructure.

[Tiesto Calvin Harris]

​@K.O.Hand plus they got spot icebergs and ships from a distance right ?

[BlueMikuHow]

​@Britt N It helps with an issue 3rd class passangers on the Titanic faced: being too far from the lifeboats. It's better to have them closer to the center of the ship than the top simply because passangers can all reach them faster that way

[Katherine Hartley]

There was a Spanish ocean liner called Príncipe de Astúrias, the most luxurious Spanish ship at the time, that sank near Brazil. It was a foggy day around 4:00 in the morning, and the captain only realized way too late they were too close to the coast, and the sea was also rough on that day. She crashed against the reefs and opened a hole from stem to stern. The water reached directly the boilers, that exploded, and caused a failure in the electrical system, making it impossible for them to call for help. She sank in only 5 minutes. There was no time for even thinking on launching the lifeboats. From the nearly 600 people aboard, they rescued 143, I guess, but rumour has it that more than 1000 people died, as some speculate the ship was taking immigrants in secret, fleeding from the was (she sank in 1916). Sometimes I think I'd like to see an animation of her sinking, sometimes I don't, it was hard enough watching this one of the Empress, and I can only imagine the despair and fear the people who actually faced these situations could have felt in those moments. May the souls of all those who died on the sea rest in peace.

[221 b]

That does sound horrible. Crashing into a rocky shore is one of the worse fates. Like the SS Atlantic. To die so close from safety is somehow extra sad, to me anyway. And even if you get a boat off, it's likely to be smashed on the rocks and kill everyone, like the boats of the SS Atlantic.

[Nina B.]

Screw resting in peace. These souls deserve a reroll

[John]

Y u lying

[B Mack]

You'd think there'd be more survivors it being on the shore, but no one can fight the sea when she's ferocious hey. 5 minutes of fear before dying is probably better than 14 minutes though.

[SunnyFon]

@JohnLying? You know this is a real story right?

[Jay S]

The groans of the hull and the screams of the helpless sent some serious chills down my spine. It must have been so horrifying.

[Deu]

Ikr! I cannot imagine the pain n horror of so many people in one place, shit sends chills down your spine

[Everett01]

@Deu One of the Titanic survivors said years later that they couldn't stand being near a stadium because the screaming of that many people reminded him of that night.

[Deu]

@Everett01 OMFGGGGG 😟

[Sarge Pent]

I think the more horrifying story I read about this sinking is where a trapped family handed their two children out the porthole to people standing on the hull. The parents couldn't fit through the porthole and inevitably died as the ship sank

[Palmetto]

My great great grandfather was a survivor of this tragedy. If he hadn’t survived, much of my family wouldn’t be here today.

[Théo Geffrelot]

Good for you he was fortunate. What was his name ?

[laszlo zsurka]

The fact that 465 people (around 31%) managed to survive is impressive given the very short timeframe. Shoutout to the crew for being very effective.

[yuma1]

shoutout? Yo bros, shoutout for being real homies as yo ship sank!

[Sarah Robertson]

It was actually around 31% who survived (465/(465+1012)). Still pretty good, considering.

[Jayden Kim]

Shout to a bunch of dead people yo ! 🤘💯💯💯

[Jorell Dye]

@Sarah Robertson the empress had 1057 passengers. Where did the 1012+465 come from???

[Sarah Robertson]

@Jorell Dye Number who died (1012) plus number who lived (465). Passengers + crew, I assume.

[FloppyDolphins]

8:02 is terrifying. Many of the passengers below decks must have seen that as their last view, the lights flickering out and making escape all but impossible...

[Intentional Disaster]

Imagine being asleep and waking up to a loud bang but in your barely awake state, you decide it was nothing and return to sleep. The last thing you would have experienced is being submerged in bitterly cold water in your pitch black cabin. Confused, terrified, helpless and doomed.

[Anne and the Cult of Craft]

@yuma1 it’s called awe. You can be completely enraptured and fascinated by something while still being upset about it.

[Hi]

@yuma1 Considering your other comments on this video, you're just talking for yourself.

[Tiesto Calvin Harris]

​@yuma1it's a video not real life but based on real life

[Girly Tomboy X]

It's insane how much of the ships have sank by starboard side. Titanic hit the iceberg on starboard side, Lusitania was torpedoed on starboard side, Britannic hit the explosion mine on starboard side, and this Empress of Ireland was rammed on starboard side as well. Very sad to all of the ship tragedies and all the lives lost. May they rest in peace. Such a great animation video, good job team.

[Everything History]

Olympic was rammed on her starboard side too, luckily she didn't sink

[Girly Tomboy X]

@Everything History I thought that was her port side?

[Everything History]

@Girly Tomboy X photos show the damage on her starboard. its easy to get mistaken though, don't worry haha

[Joseph Ayers]

​@GirlyTomboyX No it was starboard side in the stern section

[mowowie]

It is because almost 90% of the world is right handed...

[Katherine Gilks]

For some context, the St. Lawrence is essentially an oceanic river (there are two different words in French for seaways like it and rivers) more akin to the English Channel than most inland rivers. You can’t just swim to shore easily, and with the fog and darkness, plus the fact that the passengers would have been unfamiliar with the area, you couldn’t know where the shore was. It is also very rocky and not conducive to swimming or getting out of the water. Women especially were weighted down by heavy clothes (not to mention would have been more likely to be asleep, less likely to know how to swim, and more likely to be caring for children). Children would not be able to swim it at all. People on the shore were asleep and couldn’t see either to help once they woke up. Absolutely terrifying and heartbreaking. All things considered, that 465 people survived is miraculous. It was a very unfortunate accident. Yes, one can try to assign blame, but that isn’t about to bring anyone back from the dead, nor is it likely to prevent a similar accident in the future. Obviously, coming up with better protocols is important, but one doesn’t need blame for that.

[Alex K]

in fact Calais to Dover is narrower than the Rimouski section where the Empress of Ireland sank

[c0mpu73rguy]

"Fleuve" isn't it?

[Connor Branscombe]

@Jonathan Parle Tbh even then, in that water temp, with how far they would have had to swim, I literally dont think even a professional swimmer could manage it.

[Neal Schier]

​​@Connor Branscombe Excellent point. The water was very cold and no one was prepared for it. The cold temp would have taken one's breath away at first contact. It would be difficult for even strong swimmers to have made it very far--a few hundred meters maybe?

[Connor Branscombe]

@Neal Schier A professional and experienced cold water swimmer might be able to do more, but yeah I doubt they make it even 1 kilometre from tbe wreckage, feel like your best hope would be clinging to some piece of debris and praying for a boat.

[Pizza molecule enjoyer]

This was more horrifying to watch than any horror movie I've seen. It was actually, literally, gut wrenching.

[Wesley Productions]

Mike, you did an outstanding job on this animation. The sounds, the graphics, the lighting, everything about this is just so perfect. You really outdid yourself here, Mike! Hope to see more real time animations, like a Britannic one, I don’t think there are that many of those around. Anyway, just wanted to congratulate you and the team for all the hard work you put into this, and believe me, it certainly paid off! - Wesley

[The Emerald Men Official]

Honor and Glory’s is amazing though

[Barbara Hannon]

without any sound it made the atmoapher a little spookey which added to the tension.

[GallantGreatWestern]

It certainly did

[Briana Pereira]

@Barbara Hannon The muffled screaming added to it.

[Legit Beans]

Agreed. This is one of the best tragedies ever 👍

[N16]

Very emotionally-moving animation. Well done. I had never heard of this tragic event. Can’t imagine what that would have been like to live through

[Unchain your Brain]

Agreed. This was captivating.

[Mikey]

I can't begin to imagine the horror of being stuck inside one of the hallways trying to make it to deck before it suddenly goes pitch black. It's filling me with dread.

[Tyrunner0097]

The fog's timing couldn't have been worse. When it came, the Empress was in the middle of a maneuver where she had to take a long turn to starboard, before turning back to port to straighten out. The Storstad saw the Empress turning across its bow just as the fog came in, making the crew think the Empress was going to make a conventional port-to-port passing, and so it turned to its own starboard to make this happen, not knowing the Empress was turning back to port at the same moment, putting them on a collision course. If the fog had come just a few minutes earlier, the Storstad wouldn't have seen the long starboard turn of the Empress, and had it come a few minutes later, the full maneuver would've been completed, and the Storstad would've kept its regular course.

[MasterCoolguy]

Just imagine being the crew on the storstad, you thought that you would be able to pass right by but then your ship rams the empress and you can’t do anything but watch as it fades in the fog and listen to the screams of the victims

[B Mack]

I was wondering the why of this bit, cheers, was thinking it's obs not an international law of the sea for everyone to stop in fog, so they thought she was turning to pass then. Long time before radar too huh.

[wsp]

this reminds me of the two airplanes crashing at the airport because one of the pilots had a huge ego and thought he could still fly even though it was extremely foggy

[yurisuika]

It is honestly amazing that a third of the people survived this sinking given the small amount of time from impact to the point where getting out of the ship was impossible. If at 10 minutes it started to turn over, and at just 4-5 minutes it lost illumination... Well, I think that speaks for itself!

[Micah Woodard]

I can't think of many other or more horrifying experiences than trying to escape a rapidly capsizing & sinking ship, and then the lights go out. The confusion, disorientation, terror, and panic are dreadful to imagine; helpless to escape death😰

[Strider Adamus]

Its actually a testament to the discipline and skill of her crew that they manged to get anyone off the boat at all. The conditions were clearly, shall we say. . . Less than ideal. That said, very well done on the recreation. I feel like I'm really there, its horrifying.

[Colin Sean]

This was absolutely haunting. It really gave a sense of the chaos and horror the passengers and crew must have felt.

[Marek Koptoń]

This was breathtaking. Although there have been RT sinkings made for RMS Empress of Ireland in the past years, only this one made it really close as it could have looked like. I watched it in a true terror. It was so quick, I can't imagine how horrifying disaster it must have been. Great that such a video was made, it was really needed and this tragedy really deserves more attention. Not only Titanic have sunk. I'll tell it once again - this is what I love YT for.

[Gabby F]

Absolutely horrifying, I could not imagine the sheer terror everyone was feeling. May those poor souls Rest In Peace. Shoutout to the crew for doing all they could in such a short time

[Nurse Faith RN]

It's incredible! My Great Auntie went down on the Empress. It was so important for me to experience this and know what she went through. I am so grateful that I watched this and the video on the anniversary! It means a great deal to me! Thank you so much Mr.Brady! I love all of your videos!❤❤❤

[Kelli Hernandez]

Im sorry for your family's loss. Bless your heart!

[LITTLE]

Sorry for your loss

[Prog589]

@Kelli Hernandez I think a good number of years have passed since it happened. I doubt they are all miserable about it now 😂

[Nurse Faith RN]

@LITTLE Awww!😇You're so sweet! How lovely of you to take time out of your day to leave such a nice comment. Your kindness touched my heart! Our family thinks of my Great Aunt every day. Her remains are still inside of the Empress. My family fervently hope and pray that she passed as peacefully and as quickly as possible. But sadly, it seems as though no one who were trapped deep inside of the ship, sleeping or awake, were able to leave this world in peace. 😔In which case, we can only hope that it was very fast, and that the passangers who were not awoken by the Storstad piercing and gutting the precious Empress, weren't terribly alert when the ship was in her death throes. Obviously that is wishful thinking because the alternative is so unimaginable, so terrifying, and so hopelessely claustrophobic, and so desperate, that I would have taken a big deep breath to drown faster because of the complete unconscionable abject terror. If it were me, the fear and anguish would be insufferable. Personally, I wouldn't be able to stand it. But that's me!

[Jack Carr]

Dang I am a survivor myself and I remembered her being trapped behind this gate and was wondering if I should have saved her, I felt like in that situation that I shouldn't have and left her. RIP cuz

[Oliver Sherman 2]

This reminds me a little of that Titanic real time sinking animation. It's terrifying to think that this ship sank so quickly and so suddenly. Rest in peace to all the victims of this disaster

[Daniel Grigg]

For some reason the moments of the ships floating alone and quiet in the dark at the start are among the most creepy/moving.

[Oliver Sherman 2]

@Daniel Grigg agreed

[Barbara E-B]

My mom was the Salvation Army of Canada’s official historian and an amateur historian of Canadian Salvation Army history before that. She knew everything about this and regularly gave lectures on it. She was very concerned about divers who wanted to explore the bring up artifacts from the wreck and regularly had to advocate for leaving the site alone since it is the gravesite for a lot of people. The Canadian Salvation Army lost a lot of people in this wreck , including a lot of the Canadian SA leaders. It was travelling to England and was the only way for Canadian SA people to reach the International Congress at the time. I think she even insisted that the divers return the ship’s wheel to the ship. Not sure what they did. I really disagree with taking artifacts from shipwrecks. Unless the family of the person who is involved specifically requests it. Otherwise, it is desecrating a graveyard.

[Aurora Borealis]

This is a big concern with many disastrous wrecks of this kind, I absolutely agree that it is disrespectful to raise "artifacts" from them.

[Random Jackass]

Reading this after the titanic submarine thing

[Barbara E-B]

All Stockton Rush did was add more people to the graveyard that already exists down there at the location of the Titanic graveyard.

[Tamity]

I watched the Documentary that you made on this, and it shook me. Many of these deaths are terribly painful and difficult to think about. That was an awful night for those passengers and crew on that ship.

[☢ ƬƝƬƁOƳ-Ɗα-Ɓαωz ☢]

Seeing this in real time really puts into perspective how insanely fast this sinking was

[KinzKinz]

The ones that immediately died upon the first impact were indeed the lucky ones.

[Divine Langene]

True

[Reese]

Being sleep one second then dying so randomly and suddenly has to suck just as much as I imagine it does. I guess overall they didn’t suffer, but I feel like I would want to wake up and then die.

[Daniel The Scotsman]

Apart from the ones who survived

[Quinton Baker]

Someone was getting sloppy toppy. Then blam dead

[Joyce Fox]

Such a beautiful ship. So many lives lost. May they rest in peace. Thank you, Mike, for the tribute.

[RI Outboards]

i dont think people quite understand just how horrific this event was, and thats very understandable given the 100+ year timespan. But i still think its important to remember all those people that died on this ship. they deserve to be remembered for the real people they where. RIP and thank goodness for radar , AIS and radios.

[꧁ tater.thot.88 ꧂]

Probably one of the most horrific sinkings in history

[tuxedotservo]

Another disaster within the US you might find interesting is the capsizing of the Eastland in Chicago on July 24, 1915 - killing ~900 people right there at the dock. The cause of the capsizing? A large number of passengers apparently rushed to the river side of the Eastland to watch ships go by. (edit) The ship was ruled unstable in a hearing. So you had an unstable ship, and a sudden shift of a majority of passengers over to the river side. The two things together caused her to roll. The Eastland was bought by the Navy and converted into a military training ship and renamed USS Wilmette. She served without further incident until her scrapping after World War II.

[Yu88]

cause of the capsizing seems a bit a goofy, maybe a lot of things about the actual cause might have been hidden

[kerbert]

aswell, the lifeboats and safety measures ironically played a huge part in the capsizing

[tuxedotservo]

@Yu88 for whatever reason I was a bit too brief on the original post - have since edited. The ship was ruled unstable in the follow-up investigation. So it was a combination of unstable ship and a rush of passengers to the river side.

[Barbara E-B]

Yeah I‘be seen videos on the Eastland.

[Doreengreen]

Highly recommend ask a morticians view on the subject.

[Dante Sánchez]

What a tragedy, those poor souls, what a horrible way to go. Stunning animation, thank you for the tribute!

[yuma1]

yes, stunning and entertaining to watch, am I right? :D

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Once again I'm deeply impressed by the levels of detail and immersing atmosphere, of such a tragic event.

[Hans Blitz]

I was more impressed with that grilled cheese cooked on the radiator.

[sarah wright]

Sometimes I think about how fun it would be to go on a cruise to an island or Alaska or something but then I watch videos like this and think to myself “you sure you want to do that?”. That’s beyond terrifying.

[Chrissy]

Just bring your own inflatable lifeboat.

[Sylvie Hurd]

Very frightening. This was the ship that brought my G-Grandmother and Grandfather to Canada, from the U.K., in the October of 1906, four months after her maiden voyage. Thank you for posting.

[VelvetYeti]

Ok, the sound of the passengers was not something I was expecting, and added another layer to the video. Very well done

[The Extremely Fluffy Yeti]

@VelvetYeti: I agree! It is very good. And the screaming from the passengers, also makes it all more horrifying than it already is.

[VelvetYeti]

@The Extremely Fluffy Yeti It's rare to meet another like minded Yeti. Good day to you good sir/mam.

[The Extremely Fluffy Yeti]

@VelvetYeti I agree. 😊 Nice to meet you, VelvetYeti! I love your name. And thank you, I hope you will have a good day too, good sir/mam. 🤗

[Cobbler91]

That scene at 13:35 is absolutely haunting and no doubt occurred throughout the ship. I sincerely hope the end was quick for those people.

[My Wife's Boyfriend]

It wasn't. Drowning is slow and very painful.

[Cobbler91]

@My Wife's Boyfriend Alas, I fear you’re right. Maybe some were fortunate enough to suffer a blow to the head that rendered them unconscious but they would have been few.

[Troy Fletcher]

I stumbled on your channel by shear luck, not long ago. I’ve been a fan ever since. As a closet ship/sailing fan, I find your vids absolutely fantastic. I’ve not seen a single one that wasn’t top notch. You sir, do a fantastic job…in a very simple, easy manner. Thank you for what you do. Thank you for how you do it. Subscribed? Lol. Absolutely! Keep it up! Please.

[Padfoot]

If I were one of those survivors, I would have been greatly terrified just hearing how it rapidly transitioned from deafening screams of help to absolute silence as the passengers just helplessly sink in the cold and deep.

[Sheena Cookie]

Why did the Storstad not stop? Why did they keep moving despite the fog? Why did they not hear the whistles? Wouldn’t they have seen the Empress as they got closer, or could fog have really been so thick that they could avoid hitting the center of the ship? Were they held accountable? I have so many questions.

[Dealler]

Because the protocol was to keep moving so you can react better to a possible collision.

[Joshua Newton]

Great video, Mike! Best Empress of Ireland sinking animation I have ever seen. Unfortunately, I just don’t believe the Empress was stationary during the collision. The river currents doesn’t seem strong enough to dislodge the Storstad from the Empress so soon after it plunged 25 feet into the Empress’ hull and then drift so far away. Some documentaries I have seen suggest that the Empress was slowing down at the time of the collision - had momentum - which is consistent with the testimony of the Stordstad’s crew that the Empress was moving when the collision occurred. This would explain why the Storstad quickly dislodged herself from the Empress and why she drifted so far away after the collision as if the river currents were responsible for the dislodge and the drift, she probably would have only drifted to just aft of her stern or at a distance where her lights could still be seen in the fog.

[Aurora Borealis]

It's an interesting thing to think about, it would explain a lot.

[221 b]

It's not controversial that her engines had been restarted and she was making some amount of headway. The issue is if she was stopped when the Storstad appeared out of the fog. If she was moving already there may have been a chance to maneuver but stopped there wasn't. Besides her telegraph has been recovered and shows Full Ahead as do the telegraphs in the engine room. She was making some speed and the engines where near full power, which doesn't take long, provided you have a full head of steam. They handle a bit different than diesels, simce the power comes from the boilers. You open the valve and full power hits the engine and it rapidly climbs to full rpm. While a diesel starts out with more torque from a standstill a steam engine rapidly gains torque as rpm increases, so once it gets going (easy on a ship, less so on a locomotive) it has full power in some amount of seconds. Call it 10 seconds or so. A diesel has to both make the energy and convert it. A steam engine converts readily available heat energy into kinetic energy.

[LordVook]

Very reminiscent of what happened to SS Admiral Nakhimov…only that sinking took even less time. Such an unimaginable horrible situation. Thank you for your great work, Mr. Brady.

[Timothy Hickey]

Well done Mike to you and the team that put this together! I've been on 14 cruises and couldn't begin to imagine if this happened to me! Even though we have more stringent safety measures today, I think back to the most recent sinking of a cruise ship, the "Costa Concordia". Thanks for doing this Mike....Cheers from across the pond!

[The Greek Pianist]

3:25 At first I thought that was a rescue ship (I’m not too familiar with this incident) and was horrified when it plowed RIGHT THROUGH the Empress! That was shocking

[OrangeCuse41]

Hey Micheal have you done a video on the MS Estonia? The capsize and swiftness of the sinking of the Empress of Ireland reminded me of that disaster. There’s some particularly gut wrenching first hand accounts of escaping from the ship in an article on the topic by William Langewiesche. It was quite an emotional read, but I would definitely recommend it!

[L Haviland]

I don't thin we even have a good enough idea of what the hell happened to the Estonia to make a truly accurate animation.

[Teija Flink]

Absolutely terrifying how fast she sank.

[Opurr]

Well she didnt sink that fast but okay buddy

[B]

@Opurr Yeah it did, lol.

[Gemini]

@Opurrat least from what I’ve heard, it took only 14 minutes for the boat to sink

[Sylver Fox]

It's horrifying how quickly it went from quiet to total chaos.

[ASTATZ4]

The fact that not a lot of people know about this is sad. Had this happened maybe a year or so prior, it would've been more well known instead of being overshadowed by WW1

[Brian Conlan]

Wow! That was very well presented. I'd never heard of this incident. Thanks for doing this.

[Johann Johann]

I've been on cruise, and 14 minutes seems alot of time, but it's amazing how many levels there are on a ship below decks, and how many people a ship can hold that need to get to the deck before getting off. Crazy the other ship didn't wait out the fog on a busy waterway like the St. Lawrence.

[Doca]

i just can't comprehend the magnitud of how powerful and fast that freezing water must have been for it only took 14 minutes to sink that big of a ship and more than half of the passengers, how terrifying life itself must have felt..and the sounds, it's so haunting to even think it was part of people's memories and even last moments....

[FoxFire914]

This is genuinely horrifying and a lot more people should see it

[406 ABarbs]

When I was a child I read about the Empress of Ireland and was blown away that it sank in 14 minutes.

[Gijs Willemsen]

Mike, you continue to impress! The way the lights of Storstad slowly pierce the fog is just haunting. Beautifully annimated. Must have been a nightmare.

[Daniel Grigg]

Yeah, when it held the camera on that spot, I was looking ominously trying to see when a shadow or light was going to emerge.

[Ranzil Soursugar]

Thank you so much for making such touching video. I can't imagine just how awful that must've been that night. Perhaps you could do a video over another ocean liner named "admiral nakhimov" (originally called "Berlin") that sank just outside the port of Novorossisk after colliding with a carrier. It took her just 7-8 minutes to sink. And all of that happened at year 1986. I would live to see your video on that tragedy aswell.

[BA3H0-acc never coming back!]

The fact that many people were already in terror trying to get out of the ship tilted a lot But then the lights out?! Horrifying and a survivor said it was basically “pitch black” in the middle of the River.. Especially at 7:58-8:06

[Sarah Falquez]

Wow, this video and the last one about the Empress of Ireland are really excellent. I had read about the disaster before but wasn't able to visualize the terror of it until now. The videos really encapsulate the horrifying events of that night. This one in particular as there's no voice-over narration, so the eerie silence and then the sound of the screaming just gives you goosebumps. Nonetheless, we can only begin to imagine how truly terrifying it must have been. Thank you for this brilliant and moving content ❤

[Hessol]

Amazingly high quality as always! Really loving the way the channel is going

[Phil 13]

I've just stumbled on your channel on the last day or so and i gotta tell ya... I'm REALLY enjoying the heck out of these. Very cool content and very informative. Keep em coming!

[Lee Riches]

This is absolutely horrific and my heart breaks for the victims and survivors. I'm legitimately ashamed to say I did not know much about this disaster. The name did ring a bell but the Titanic disaster and WWI overshadowed many events of that time period. I tend to avoid water disaster videos as I'm a drowning survivor but I was intrigued to see this on my YT recommend page.

[TheAlmightyKenadianBeaver]

Bloody hell! 14 minutes?! Even faster than Lusitania, I really feel for those people that died that night, in fact all of them 😢

[TheRealLink]

One of the fastest real time sinkings made, I'm sure. Never knew of this ship but I can only imagine the sheer terror that those souls felt. To even get up and be coherent for the average person that late at night back then must've been a challenge, let alone one that immediately threw said person into a fight for survival, especially if on lower decks or interior rooms.

[Jörg Scharff]

I am deeply saddened. And may the victims and relatives have found peace! But many thanks and respect for the dignified simulation of an almost forgotten catastrophe!

[⚜Fleur-de-lis⚜]

Was there for the premier; still astonished at the quality of this animation this in on parr with Titanic: Honor and Glory. Outstanding work, Mike!

[DieUnstillbareGier]

I can't believe that I missed this animation until now. A proper full-time sinking animation of Empress of Ireland is what I've been waiting for so many years. Empress of Ireland is my 2nd favorite ocean liner so, once again an amazing job, Bradley!!!

[Kyle Fisher]

I cannot imagine this event. How can you go from boarding the liner and being happy to travel and than not being seen or heard or anything. I feel awful for all of the famlies and friends who lost people in this event.

[My Wife's Boyfriend]

All it takes is ONE bad day.

[Nicholas Buck]

In 1973, my next door neighbour in Aylmer, Quebec told my family and me that he swam for his life and survived. He said he remembered the coal dust between his toes when he got on the deck of the coal ship the EoI had struck.

[DACOOKIE]

Hello Mike. A small suggestion, what about making videos with ship's that sunk in categories that are only associated with Titanic. For example 5 ships that sunk due an iceberg Or 5 ships that sunk in their maiden voyage. Bc I was around some ocean liners community and I was amazed about how many people think that only Titanic sunk in maiden voyage. That would be a perfect chance to tell the least known stories. Greetings from Uruguay, u improve yourself with every video

[221 b]

Especially considering another extremely famous ship everyone knows for sure sank on it's maiden voyage. I mean of course the battleship Bismarck.

[221 b]

And another one everyone knows about: Vasa.

[MrPlane420]

Both horrifying and amazing to watch! Wonderful job, Mike!

[OU[REDACTED]]

This is honor and glory level animations. It really captured the story well. Amazing work.

[Laimeryn]

I went to the museum, few years ago. It's right by the Onondaga submarine. It's a shokingly dark part of Quebec's history. Thanks for sharing it 🥰

[Severn]

Very beautiful ship. I'd heard about her in passing but never paid much attention. She is very similar to the Olympic liners in her lines and proportions I think not just the fact it was a contemporary of the sisters. Her bridge area is very reminiscent of the Olympic 3. I was surprised to read she wasn't a White Star vessel due to her style.

[Rickydo]

Absolutely nightmarish stuff. Imagine the fear and confusion of hearing all around you screaming as you're all being swallowed by the abyss, in the dark, in the cold, knowing you'll be dead soon and so will your loved ones. Knowing you're just one among many, and none will be saved, in a way, you're completely alone. And if you're one of the last to go, you'll live enough to realize all the screams fading, the night becoming quieter, until only the sounds of the wind and the water can be heard... That night must have been absolute and utter hell. Also, amazing job by the people who put this video together, I should be sleeping rn, hope this doesn't give me a nightmare.

[Beth Koch]

Great video and animation. I first learned about this sinking many years ago from the excellent book "Fourteen Minutes" by James Croall. It's out of print but still can be found in used bookstores.

[Chicken Man]

Very solemn and unnerving. Well done, this is an excellent teacher of the dangers of sea travel

[Rose04]

The echoed howling of the ship sounds so haunting, like the ship herself is crying in pain before drowning. I can't even imagine the stress of being a passenger startled out of my sleep, realizing the ship is sinking, and rushing for my life to get onto a lifeboat only to be thrown into the water anyway. 💔

[ErynRenee]

I don't know what would be more terrifying: watching a massive ocean liner snap in half or turn over on its side while sinking in front of you.

[Timothy Hickey]

All while floating in freezing water!

[Alexander]

Really fascinating! At the end there, you mention the ship hesitated before the last plunge and several people hoped it was resting on the bottom. That made me curious how far down the bottom was, and seeing that in terms of the scale of the ship. I'm not familiar with the Saint Lawrence myself, but some googling puts the wreck at a depth of 45 metres (a little under a third of its length). It would be an interesting visualisation to show just how far off (or indeed how reasonable) such a belief was.

[anonymous_person]

Wow this is incredible, the detail and skill shows in all your works.

[Red-White Star Line]

I intend to watch this every year on the day she sank, at the time she sank in memory of those who perished. Great job!

[Kip]

This is absolutely the biggest fear i have.. being so helpless in water. Absolute terror you must go through😔 rest in peace those lost.

[Onyx Madison]

I’ve actually never heard of this sinking before! It’s ironic and a bit eerie that it sunk in the very same river I swam in growing up as a kid. Not in the same area as the sinking but my fathers side of my family lives in upstate NY right along the Canadian border. Remember swimming and seeing large ships and other boats go by all the time and had fun riding the waves coming in. Still sad the property the vacation home we rented was sold 😢

[Bangles]

Incredible animation! :) Been watching lots of these. The sound is really haunting too.

[Daniel Smith]

A marvelous animation honestly it felt like i was reading a old 90's era comic only i didnt have to turn the page every couple of pictures to advance the story just read the text and observe the event... I'd love to see more animations of this kind

[John King]

I know this sounds harsh, but the people on the Titanic didn't know how lucky they were that their ship managed to stay afloat for over 2.5 hours after collision.

[E P]

This is one of the most compelling things I've ever seen on KZbin. It's an absolutely stunning piece of work. Thank you Mike.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

I cannot believe how well done this was.

[SIlverFang]

To think this happened not even two years after the Titanic disaster. Even with all the extra life boats to ensure all passagers could leave the ship, it still wasn't enough. I could never imagine being in such a scenario, or maybe I just don't want to.