Rimouski in Rimouski-Neigette, Québec — Central Canada (French-Canadian)
Ancre de service de l'Empress of Ireland
Service anchor from the Empress of Ireland
This anchor, an Admiralty anchor with a movable stock, was recovered from the wreck in 1993. Weighing six tons, it was the smallest on the ship.
Collection : Jacques St-Onge, Michel Tadros
En 1993 Michel Tadros et Jacques St-Onge équipent le navire Gesmer d'une chambre de décompression et engagent une quinzaine de plongeurs expérimentés. Leur but est de retrouver une cargaison de lingots de nickel qui aurait été chargée dans les cales du paquebot. En frayant leur chemin à travers les ponts, les plongeurs prélèvent plus de 250 madriers de teck et de nombreux objets dont l'ancre de service, une cloche et un bain-marie. Aucun lingot de nickel n'est trouvé. À l'été 2002, les propriétaires remettent au Musée de la mer une grande partie de ces artefacts.
Le 15 avril 1999, le ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec classe l'épave en tant que bien historique et archéologique, confirmant ainsi la grande valeur symbolique et commémorative de la plus grande tragédie maritime de l'histoire du Canada. Le classement protège l'épave en interdisant toute intervention ou prélèvement sur le navire.
[Légendes des photos, de gauche à droite, lisez]
• L'Empress of Ireland vers 1908
• Ancre de service
• Robert Pelletier et Frank Sénécal sur le pont du Gesmer lors de l'expédition de 1993
• Ancre de type Hall prélevée de l'épave en 1965.
• Le Gesmer ancré au dessus de l'épave de l'Empress of Ireland en 1993
• [La bouée n'a pas de légende]
In 1993, Michel Tadros and Jacques St-Onge equipped the ship Gesmer with a decompression chamber and hired 15 experienced divers. Their goal was to find the cargo of nickel ingots that were to have been loaded in the holds of the ocean liner. While making their way through the different deck levels, the divers brought back more than 250 teak beams and a number of objects, among which were the service anchor, a bell, and a double boiler. No nickel ingots were found. In the summer of 2002, the owners donated many of these artefacts [sic] to the Musée de la mer.
On April 15, 1999, Québec's ministère de la Culture et des Communications classified the wreck as a historical and archaeological treasure, thus confirming its great commemorative and symbolic value of the most important maritime tragedy in Canadian history. The protected status of the wreck forbids any modification of or collecting from the ship.
[Photo captions, from left to right, read]
• The Empress of Ireland circa 1908
• Service anchor
• Robert Pelletier and Frank Sénécal on the deck of the Gesmer during the 1993 expedition
• Hall anchor recovered from the wreck in 1965.
• The Gesmer at anchor above the wreck of the Empress of Ireland in 1993
• [Buoy photo has no caption]
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1993.
Location. 48° 31.024′ N, 68° 28.113′ W. Marker is in Rimouski, Québec, in Rimouski-Neigette. Marker can be reached from Rue du Phare. Marker is adjacent to the Empress of Ireland Museum, at Pointe-au-Père Maritime Historical Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1000 Rue du Phare, Rimouski QC G5M 1L8, Canada. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Fumée de mer / Smoke from the Sea (within shouting distance of this marker); Père Nouvel (within shouting distance of this marker); Les marins decedes en mer durant la guerre 1939-1945 (within shouting distance of this marker); Naufrage du Brier Mist / Sinking of the Brier Mist (within shouting distance of this marker); Naufrage du navire B.F. / Sinking of the Ship B.F. (within shouting distance of this marker); Le phare de Pointe-au-Père / Point-au-Père Lighthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); La station de pilotage / The pilotage station (within shouting distance of this marker); Les pilotes du Saint-Laurent / St. Lawrence Pilots (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rimouski.
Also see . . .
1. Lost Liners: Empress of Ireland. (Submitted on December 22, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. RMS Empress of Ireland at Wikipedia. (Submitted on December 22, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Empress of Ireland Museum (2017 Blog). (Submitted on December 22, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Additional keywords. Ancre de service de l'Empress of Ireland
Credits. This page was last revised on January 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 22, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 324 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 22, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.