Empress of Ireland survivor

[GoodToGo]

I read Kevin McMurray's book "Dark Descent" this past summer and have been doing my own research (basic stuff) on the boat and the stories surrounding that time in history with focus on the dives.
In Kevin's book pg. 152 he writes: "Grace Hanagan, who had married and become Grace Martyn, died two weeks before the 1998 memorial service. The last survivor of the Empress was gone, marking the end of an extrordinary era."

Well Kevin forgot about little Lizzie .... Lizzie Delamont is alive and well ... she is now 96. I have been receiving accounts of the tragedy through her great niece. It seems one of my wife's close friends is a Delamont by blood, and of course her married name gave no indication. If anyone remembers the story .... she was plucked from the water by her father while he was actively helping others find survivors using the Storstad's lifeboat. He didn't even realize it was his daughter until she was in the boat. Leonard Delamont (her brother) gave his life vest to his mother because he was a confident swimmer. He lost his life.

I'll be diving the Empress this summer, but it wasn't until I started talking about it that all this amazing information came about. If I'm fortunate enough to meet Lizzie before the dive, I'll truely have one hell of a wreck dive!

 

[nadwidny]

I'll be diving the Empress this summer, but it wasn't until I started talking about it that all this amazing information came about. If I'm fortunate enough to meet Lizzie before the dive, I'll truely have one hell of a wreck dive!

I hope you do meet her. I've found that it's one thing to dive a wreck; it's another to dive a tragedy. Having a personal connection guarantees to change the former into the latter.

 

[divemaster_jim]

Way to Go!
That is one of my 'Must Dive Wrecks"
I hope to hit that one this next summer,
Good luck with it,,

 

[Soggy]

It's an amazing wreck and I'm sure your personal connection will make it even more poignant.

On our first day, we dived from Jean-Pierre's boat and, knowing that he lost most of his mobility below the waist, it made you think just a bit before jumping in the water.

 

[GoodToGo]

I apologize .... I was wrong about Elizabeth Delamont (Lizzie) still being alive. Kevin was correct in his book, and if I had not been so eager to believe the story I was getting from my wife .... I probably could have easlily prevented myself having this egg on my face. So because my wife will never read this ... it's all her fault!
I was told it was the Great Aunt and that she was on the boat, which would have explained the great emotion when she gave details etc.
It is a great aunt ... but only one of the wives of the Delamont brothers.
So that's the bad news.
The good news is, she's still going to allow me to see the newspaper articles, photos etc.

 

[divemaster_jim]

It will still be a memorable trip,
Best of luck to you...