RMS Empress of China (1891)

The RMS Empress of China (I ) was a 1891 put into operation in ocean steamers of the Canadian Pacific Line, which transported until his demise in 1911 passengers, mail and cargo on the Pacific route between Canada and Asia.

History

The Empress of China and her two sister ships Empress of India and Empress of Japan, which were put into service all three in 1891, were the first ships of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company Railway, which was in 1884 entered the shipping business. After the company had used until then only chartered ships, there were in 1890 three new buildings at the shipyard Naval Construction & Armament Company in Barrow-in -Furness in order.

Background was an agreement between the Canadian Pacific Railway and the British government, which provided for the subsidized transport of mail between the UK and Hong Kong via Canada. To this end, three new ocean liners were commissioned in the UK, which should use this service. These three ships were the basis for the success of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the merchant navy. All three had yacht -like contours and a white hull, which made ​​them look very elegant. They were the first ships on the Pacific, which were equipped with twin screw and reciprocating machines.

The 5,905 gross register tons (GRT ) large steamship ran the first of the three sisters on 25 March 1890 by the stack. It was christened by Lady Alice Stafford Northcote, wife of Baron Henry Stafford Northcote, in the name of Empress of China. The ship had a clipper bow, two funnels, three masts and two propellers. On board there was room for 50 passengers of the First, 150 Second and 400 third class. The two triple expansion steam engine contributed 10,000 PSi and could see the ship at up to 17.5 knots speed.

On July 15, 1891 put the Empress of China in Liverpool on her maiden voyage to Hong Kong and Sue and Vancouver from. Over the next 20 years it remained constant on the Pacific route. On August 25, 1893 went to Yokohama, the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on board the Empress of China to go to Vancouver. On July 27, 1911, the Empress of China Tokyo Bay, ran into dense fog and in heavy seas 65 nautical miles south on a submerged rock and sank off the lighthouse at Nojima -saki at the southern end of the Boso Peninsula. The two Japanese destroyers Aso and Soya helped in the rescue of 185 passengers and the mail. There was no personal injury and the post could be saved. In October 1912, the wreck was raised, towed to Yokohama and there stopped at Sasso Shojiro.

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