RMS Empress of Japan - an ocean liner , built in 1929-1930 by the British company Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company , commissioned by the Canadian transport company Canadian Pacific Steamships ( CP ). The second ship of the company that bore this name. From 1930 to 1942, the liner made regular flights between the western coast of Canada and the Far East .
| RMS Empress of Japan | |
|---|---|
| 1930-1942: RMS Empress of Japan 1942-1957: RMS Empress of Scotland 1957-1966: SS Hanseatic | |
 Empress of Japan in its original form. Case - white, pipes - yellow | |
| Class and type of vessel | Ocean liner / cruise ship |
| Port of registry | 1930-1957: unknown, Great Britain 1957-1966: Hamburg , West Germany |
| IMO Number | 5514232 |
| Organization | 1930-1957: Canadian Pacific Line 1957-1966: Hamburg Atlantic Line |
| Operator | 1930-1957: Canadian Pacific Line 1957-1958: re-equipment 1958-1966: Hamburg Atlantic Line |
| Manufacturer | Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company , Gowan , Scotland |
| Launched | December 17, 1929 |
| Commissioned | 1930 year |
| Withdrawn from the fleet | 1966 year |
| Status | September 7, 1966 the ship burned down in the port of New York. Disassembled later. |
| Main characteristics | |
| Gross tonnage | 30 030 gross |
| Speed | 22 knots (40.7 km / h ) |
| Passenger capacity | 1260 people (liner) 960 people (cruise ship) |
In 1942, the ship was renamed the RMS Empress of Scotland , becoming the second ship of the same name in the CP fleet. In 1957, the ship was purchased by the West German company Hamburg Atlantic Line and renamed SS Hanseatic [1] .
Content
- 1 Design and construction
- 2 Operation
- 2.1 1930-1942: Empress of Japan
- 2.2 1942-1957: Empress of Scotland
- 2.3 1958-1966: Hanseatic
- 3 notes
- 4 Literature
Design and Construction
In the 1920s, the Canadian Pacific conglomerate created its own unified transport system connecting Europe with the Far East. The company's ships delivered passengers from Europe to Canada, then by rail, also owned by the conglomerate, passengers were transported through North America to its Pacific coast in Vancouver , and from there they were sent by ships of the same owner to the ports of the Far East. At that time, this route from Europe to the Far East was the fastest. In the late 1920s, the Canadian Pacific decided to renew the fleet of its vessels, intending to reduce travel time by two days [2] .
The following requirements were imposed on the liner of a new type:
- Gross tonnage 25,000 gross tonnage ;
- length 203.05 m;
- passenger capacity of 1173 passengers of four classes.
The contract for the construction was awarded to the Scottish shipbuilding company Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company , whose shipyard was located near Glasgow , in Govan [3] . On December 17, 1929 the ship was launched and named Empress of Japan . According to the original plan, a second ship of the same type was to be built, however, the Great Depression that had begun prevented the implementation of this plan. Canadian Pacific decided to direct all available resources to build Empress of Britain - an enlarged version of Empress of Japan , which was intended to work on the Atlantic section of the route. Structurally, both ships were similar and therefore could replace each other as necessary.
Operation
1930-1942: Empress of Japan
In May 1930, the vessel successfully completed the tests, developing at them a maximum speed of 23 knots. On June 8, Empress of Japan arrived in Vancouver to further work on the Pacific Route. At that time, it was the fastest liner in the Pacific.
Until the outbreak of World War II, Empress of Japan operated on the Vancouver- Yokohama - Kobe - Shanghai - Hong Kong line . After the outbreak of war, converted into military transport. After Japan entered the war in December 1941, the name of the liner was considered inappropriate, after which the ship was renamed Empress of Scotland .
1942-1957: Empress of Scotland
After the war, the ship was decided to be used in the Atlantic. New climatic conditions, as well as changing requirements for the transportation of passengers, required the conversion of the vessel. In 1948, Empress of Scotland went into refurbishment at the Fairfield shipyard in Glasgow. In 1950, the work was completed. During the conversion, the passenger cabins of the previous four classes were rebuilt so as to accept only two classes of passengers - the first and the tourist.
In 1957, the ship made its last voyage as part of the Canadian Pacific fleet, after which it stood for some time in Belfast , and then was sold.
1958-1966: Hanseatic
In 1958, the ship was purchased by the West German company Hamburg Atlantic Line , after which it underwent a major modernization. The superstructure, pipes and passenger cabins were rebuilt. The ship received a new name - Hanseatic . In its new quality, the ship was supposed to carry 1350 passengers in comfortable cabins along the Hamburg – New York route [4] .
On September 8, 1966 , a fire broke out in the engine room of a ship at the port of New York, later covering five decks [5] . Burnt Hanseatic was later disassembled for metal.
Notes
- ↑ Miller, William H. The Pictorial Encyclopedia of Ocean Liners, 1860-1994. - 1995 .-- P. 46.
- ↑ Sharp, PJ White Empresses . Empress of Scotland: An Illustrated History . Date of treatment August 20, 2012. Archived September 25, 2012.
- ↑ Johnston, Ian. Govan Shipyard in Ships Monthly. Archived June 11, 2008. June 1985.
- ↑ Sharp, PJ Hanseatic . Empress of Scotland: An Illustrated History . Date of treatment March 2, 2008. Archived on September 25, 2012.
- ↑ "German liner ablaze in New York" (Eng.) // The Times : journal, count. E. - L. , 8 September 1966. - Iss. 56731 . - P. 1 .
Literature
- Dawson, Philip. The Liner: Retrospective and Renaissance. - London: Conway Maritime Press, 2005 .-- ISBN 978-1-84486-049-4 .
- Johnston, Ian. "Govan Shipyard". Ships Monthly. June 1985.
- Miller, William H. Great Ship and Ocean Liners from 1954 to 1986: a Photographic Survey. - Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1988 .-- ISBN 978-0-486-25540-8 .
- Miller, William H. The Pictorial Encyclopedia of Ocean Liners, 1860-1994. - Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1995 .-- ISBN 978-0-486-28137-7 .