In the Wake of the Empress of Ireland: Rescue, Salvage and Investigations in the Summer of 1914

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David Saint-Pierre

In the Wake of the Empress of Ireland

Rescue, Salvage and Investigations in the Summer of 1914

David Saint-Pierre

$59.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

The History Press Ltd
08 May 2025

20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Maritime history; Ships & shipping: general interest

A fascinating insight through rare photographs into the aftermath of the horrific 1914 sinking, across rescue, salvage and investigations.

It started with two old photos for sale at auction: Royal Navy sailors carrying a buoy on a wharf on the St. Lawrence. Historian David Saint-Pierre knew that the only time this happened was when the crew of HMS Essex helped with the salvage operations following the sinking of the Empress of Ireland, on 29 May 1914, the worst peacetime maritime disaster in Canadian history, that saw the deaths of over 1,000 people. This led to the discovery of a whole album containing more than 500 photographs, including many showing how the aftermath of the disaster unfolded, and a complex and stressful process ensued to deliver the album safely to him after he arranged to purchase it in its entirety, having realised it's great importance. Thanks to these newly discovered photos, showing diving and salvage on the wreck in the summer of 1914, this book is an original contribution on a largely forgotten page of maritime history.

AUTHOR: David Saint-Pierre is a historian based in Montreal, Canada, who has been researching the history of the ill-fated steamship RMS Empress of Ireland since the mid-1990s. He has collaborated on documentaries and TV shows and with other authors, and has published two books on this subject.

195 b/w illustrations

By: David Saint-Pierre
Imprint: The History Press Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 224mm, Width: 245mm,
ISBN: 9781803998213
ISBN 10: 1803998210
Publication Date: 08 May 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

David Saint-Pierre is a historian based in Montreal, Canada, who has been researching the history of the ill-fated steamship RMS Empress of Ireland since the mid-1990s. He has collaborated on documentaries and TV shows and with other authors, and has published two books on this subject.

Reviews for In the Wake of the Empress of Ireland: Rescue, Salvage and Investigations in the Summer of 1914

‘The masterful, compelling story of salvaging RMS Empress of Ireland, as told by one of the liner’s foremost historians.’ -- co-author of On a Sea of Glass and Recreating Titanic and Her Sisters ‘David Saint-Pierre’s In the Wake of the Empress of Ireland demonstrates his mastery of maritime narrative with a bonus – the illustrations. His collection of original photos, never seen by the public, have no equal in recounting the early years of shipwreck salvage. They are spectacular!’ -- David Zeni, author of Forgotten Empress: The Empress of Ireland Story