Porthole from the Empress of Ireland
Canadian Museum of History, 2012.21.439.1, IMG2012-0281-0004-Dm
On May 29, 1914, the Empress of Ireland sank in the St. Lawrence River, killing 1,012 of the 1,477 passengers and crew. It remains the worst maritime disaster in Canadian history. This porthole is from the Empress. The glass was likely shattered from the inside by the pressure of air forcing its way out as the ship sank.