The launching mallet for a ship dubbed “Canada’s Titanic” has sold at an auction in Glasgow for £13,000.
The ill-fated RMS Empress of Ireland sank in the St Lawrence River after it hit the Norwegian collier SS Storstad on May 29 1914 claiming 1,012 lives.
The tragedy was the worst maritime disaster to hit Canada during peacetime and came just a little over two years after the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic on April 15 1912 with the loss of 1,517 lives.
The ivory launching mallet from the doomed Glasgow-built vessel and a silver basket it was contained in was sold to a Canadian buyer at McTear’s on Thursday afternoon.
The launching mallet attracted interest from potential buyers across the globe, with a bidder from Canada eventually securing the lot for £13,000— James Bruce, McTear’s specialist
The auction house was granted a rare dispensation by the UK Government to sell the ivory mallet due to is huge historical significance following the imposition of a ban on the sale of ivory in 2022.
McTear’s specialist, James Bruce, commented: “Due its immense historical significance, the launching mallet and casket attracted interest from potential buyers across the globe, with a bidder from Canada eventually securing the lot for £13,000.
“The mallet and casket should be seen as tangible links to the Empress of Ireland’s monumental birth, pivotal voyages and doomed final journey.
“She was proudly celebrated when launched, a vital connection between the UK and Canada that came to play a critical role in transporting nearly 200,000 people between the two nations.
“Her demise will live on as one of Canada’s greatest tragedies, with the death toll and manner of sinking leading many to class her as the nation’s very own Titanic.”
Commissioned by Canadian Pacific Steamships, the RMS Empress of Ireland was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company at Glasgow’s Govan Shipyards.
When the ship was launched in 1906, the mallet was gifted to the wife of Sir Alexander Gracie, who was a member of the Fairfield board of directors at the time, and was presented for sale by Alison Cousin, one of their descendants.
