RMS Empress of Canada was an ocean liner built in 1961 by Vickers-Armstrongs, Walker-on-Tyne, Scotland for the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one Seaport to another along regular long-distance Maritime routes according to a schedule Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in CP Ships was a large Canadian Container shipping company now part of Hapag Lloyd since late 2005 This ship -- the second of two CP vessels to be named Empress of Canada^[1] -- regularly traversed the trans-Atlantic route between Maritime Canada and Europe for the next decade. This Empress was distinguished by the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) prefix in front of her name while in commercial service with Canadian Pacific. Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship, Steamer) usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the Ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that ^[2]

History

The Empress of Canada was a 27,284-ton vessel with a length of 650 feet, and a beam was 86. 9 feet. The ship had one funnel, one mast, twin screws and an average speed of 20-knots. The ocean liner provided accommodation for 192 first-class passengers and for 856 tourist-class passengers. ^[2]

The ship was launched on May 10, 1960; and she sailed on her maiden voyage from Liverpool for Greenock, Quebec and Montreal on April 24, 1961. ^[2]

In January 1972, the ship was sold to Carnival Cruise Line of Panama. Carnival Cruise Lines is a Cruise line operating a large number of Cruise ships. She was re-named SS Mardi Gras in the same year.

Notes

External links

• A website for the Empress of Canada I with photos
• The Role of the CP Ships in World War II
• Ship List: Canadian Pacific, description of White Empress fleet