The fog bell of the Empress of Ireland
![The fog bell of the Empress of Ireland](https://www.historymuseum.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/cloche-Empress_of_Ireland-bell-IMG2012-0281-0002-Dm.jpg)
Canadian Museum of History, 2012.21.421, IMG2012-0281-0002-Dm
On May 29, 1914, the Empress of Ireland was struck in the St. Lawrence Estuary by a collier. The ship sank within 15 minutes, killing 1,012 of the 1,477 passengers and crew. It remains the worst maritime disaster in Canadian history.