RMS Empress of Canada (1922)

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For other ships of the same name, see Empress of Canada.

RMS Empress of Canada was an ocean liner built in 1920 for the Canadian Pacific Steamships (CP) by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company at Govan on the Clyde in Scotland. This ship -- the first of two CP vessels to be named Empress of Canada[1] -- regularly traversed the trans-Pacific route between the west coast of Canada and the Far East until 1939. This Empress was distinguished by the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) prefix in front of her name while in commercial service with Canadian Pacific. When not carrying mail, the ship would have been identified as SS Empress of Canada.[2]

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[edit] History

In 1920, Canadian Pacific Steamships ordered a new ship to be built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company at Govan near Glasgow in Scotland.[3] This Empress was a 21,517 ton, 653 foot ocean liner. She undertook her maiden voyage on May 5, 1922. Based at the port of Vancouver, British Columbia, the first Empress of Canada was intended to provided service to Japan, Hong Kong, and China. Her sister ships included Empress of France and Empress of Britain.

[edit] Great Kantō earthquake

On September 34, 1923, the Empress of Canada arrived at Tokyo harbor -- just three days after the devastating Great Kantō Earthquake struck the city. She found that the Empress of Australia had been converted to a command post from which the British consul was directing relief work; and the Empress of Canada transported refugees to Kobe -- 587 Europeans, 31 Japanese, and 362 Chinese.[4]

[edit] World War II

Following the outbreak of World War II in 1939, she was converted for use as a troopship. On March 13, 1943, while en route from Durban, South Africa to Takoradi carrying Italian prisoners of war, the SS Empress of Canada was torpedoed and sunk by an Italian submarine (01-13S 09-57W) approximately 400 miles (640 km) south of Cape Palmas off the coast of Africa. Of the approximate 1800 people on board, 392 died.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The second SS Empress of Canada (1961) was built for CP.
  2. ^ Ship List: Description of Empress of Canada
  3. ^ Johnston, Ian. "Govan Shipyard" in Ships Monthly. June 1985.
  4. ^ "All Ships Aiding Relief," New York Times. September 9, 1923.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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