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The coal ship Storstad after the collision
1914
St. Lawrence River


Credits:
Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père

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The Storstad was a Norwegian coal ship belonging to the Klavenes company, hence the "K" on its smoke stack. It was chartered by Dominion Coal of Canada to transport coal from Sydney, Nova Scotia to the principal ports of the St. Lawrence River.

Built in 1910 in a dockyard in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, this cargo ship measured 134 metres long by 17.7 wide. It featured a construction method known as the Isherwood system. Rather than having vertical framework running from bottom to top, the Storstad was built with horizontal framework running from stern to bow. This type of construction gave the ship much greater resistance, particularly in the event of collision or when navigating through ice. Its completely vertical stem and massive framework made this ship a veritable cold chisel.

On the night of May 29, 1914, the Storstad was transporting 11,000 tons of coal. It was heading for the Pointe-au-Père station in order to pick up its pilot. Its draught was 7.6 metres, allowing its stem to appear at a height of about 6 metres. It was travelling at a reduced speed when it collided with the Empress of Ireland, ramming the liner's hull with disconcerting ease. Because of the angle of the collision, estimated at 45 degrees, the coal ship's anchor was the first structure to make contact with the transatlantic steamer. Driven deep into the liner's hull, the coal ship's stem remained there only a few seconds. It was inevitably brought out again under the combined effect of the sea current and the Empress of Ireland, which was continuing to advance. This, at least, was the conclusion reached by the inspectors following their examination of the Storstad, which docked in Montréal a few days later.

On July 9, 1914, it went into dry dock at Chantiers Davie in Lauzon for repairs. The following year, the coal carrier was again navigating under the command of Captain Andersen and its crew. On March 8, 1917, the Storstad was torpedoed by a German submarine and sank offshore of Ireland.