The Royal Canadian Mint has launched a $20 RMS Empress of Ireland 1 oz. Fine silver coin to commemorate the 100 years of the greatest maritime disaster in Canadian history-the sinking of RMS Empress of Ireland. The 99.99% pure silver features a stunning colour portrait, framed within the coastline of the St. Lawrence seaway, and shows the RMS Empress of Ireland moments before her collision with the Storstad.
The $20 RMS Empress of Ireland coin designed by Canadian artist John Horton, who uses selective paint to recreate the imminent collision of RMS Empress of Ireland and the Norwegian collier Storstad during the early morning hours of May 29, 1914. Rolling in from the coast (engraved in the background), the thick fog comes between the two ships in the coloured centre portion of the image field. The shadowy image of the Storstad emerges from the right side of the image, its sharp bow in line to make contact with the Empress's starboard side. The passenger ship's stern and funnels are partially unobstructed by the fog in this image to provide a glimpse of the liner before tragedy would send it to its final resting place on the bottom of the St. Lawrence River.
Built in Scotland by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Empress of Ireland was launched on January 27, 1906. Measuring 172 metres long and 20 metres wide, the Canadian Pacific Railway steamship was widely regarded at the time as one of the fastest and most comfortable passenger ships for the transatlantic journey between England and Canada.
On the afternoon of May 28, 1914, the Empress left its berth in Quebec's harbour for its first summer voyage to Liverpool. In the early morning hours of May 29, the liner was steaming down the St. Lawrence River near Pointe-au-Père when at 1:40 a.m., the Norwegian collier Storstad was sighted at about eight miles to starboard. Both crews attempted to anticipate one another's course as a thick fog engulfed both ships, forcing Captain Henry George Kendall to bring the Empress to a stop. But minutes later, the Storstad emerged from the fog at a mere 30 metres from the Empress – it was too late for either ship to alter its course and at 1:55 a.m., the Storstad's reinforced hull ploughed into the centre of the Empress. Of the 1,477 passengers onboard RMS Empress of Ireland, 1,012 perished including 134 children.
Technical Specifications:
Mintage: 7000
Composition: fine silver (99.99% pure)
Finish: proof
Weight (g): 31.39
Diameter (mm): 38
Edge: plain with edge lettering "RMS Empress of Ireland"
Certificate: serialized
Face value: 20 dollars
Artist: John Horton (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)
Price: $109.95 CAD
The silver coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded maroon clamshell with a custom beauty box. The $20 RMS Empress of Ireland coin is the first in a 3-coin series that commemorates well-known vessels that have been lost in Canadian waters. The coin shipping will only start on 10 june 2014.
For more information about this coin, you can visit Royal Canadian Mint website mint.ca.
