RMS Empress of Canada (1928)
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Empress of Canada arrives in Montreal, 1947.
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| History | |
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| Name: |
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| Namesake: | Duchess of Richmond |
| Operator: |  Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd |
| Port of registry: | London,  UK |
| Route: | Liverpool to Quebec and Montreal (Apr-Nov), Liverpool to St. John (Nov-Apr) |
| Builder: | John Brown & Company, Clydebank |
| Yard number: | 523[1] |
| Launched: | 18 June 1928 |
| Maiden voyage: | 15 March 1929 |
| Refit: | 1946/1947 |
| Fate: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Type: |
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| Tonnage: | 20,022 (1947, 20,325) |
| Length: | 601 ft (183 m) |
| Beam: | 75 ft 3 in (22.94 m) |
| Propulsion: | Geared turbines, twin screw |
| Speed: | 18 knots |
| Capacity: | As built 580 cabin, 480 tourist and 510 3rd class passengers, 1947, 400 1st class, 300 tourist |
| Crew: | 510 |
SS Duchess of Richmond was an ocean liner built in 1928 for Canadian Pacific Steamships by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. In 1947 she was renamed SS Empress of Canada.
Duchess
The Duchess of Richmond was one of the several "sturdy Canadian Pacific liners which were known as "Drunken Duchesses" for their lively performance in heavy seas."[2] She was built as a sister ship to SS Duchess of York, SS Duchess of Bedford and SS Duchess of Atholl.
In March 1929 the 20,022-ton ocean liner began transatlantic summer service from Montreal Canada to Liverpool in the United Kingdom with winter service out of the port of Saint John, New Brunswick.
Troopship
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During World War II, the Duchess was requisitioned as a troopship, and also played a role in transporting the Tizard Mission, which brought secret military equipment and designs from Britain to the United States. On September 6, 1940, she delivered the Mission, including highly secret and important equipment such as the cavity magnetron, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Mission then went onward by land to the United States. She also transported men to the fighting in North Africa, stopping briefly in Algiers to disembark troops on November 14, 1942.[3]
Empress
War losses reduced the Canadian Pacific fleet considerably and post war only the Liverpool to Montreal service was resumed. The two surviving cabin class Duchesses were upgraded to "Empress" status and refitted with accommmodation for 400 1st class and 300 tourist passengers (down from the pre-war three class total of 1,570). In May 1946 "Duchess of Richmond" arrived at the Govan yard of Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering for her overhaul and refit. Upon completion she was renamed "Empress of Canada" on July 12, 1947 and sailed on Canadian Pacific's first post-war Liverpool-Montreal sailing four days later.
On 25 January 1953 "Empress of Canada" caught fire and heeled over against the dock wall at Gladstone Dock, Liverpool. Re-floated after being righted by parbuckling,[4] the following spring she was taken to La Spezia, Italy where she was scrapped. The difficulty of her recovery has been likened to that of USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor in 1943 and SS Normandie in New York harbor in 1942.[4]
Notes
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Buchan, William. (1982) John Buchan: a Memoir, p. 224.
- ↑ Netherlands Navy: "Mystery photos". Archived 13 February 2011 at WebCite
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
References
- Musk, George. (1981). Canadian Pacific: The Story of the Famous Shipping Line. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-7968-4
External links
- A website for the Empress of Canada with photos
- Ship List: , Canadian Pacific's Empress fleet
- Australian War Memorial: Empress of Australia with defensive armament, 1941
