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#639127 16th Dec 2011 11:09pm
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Forgotten about the Empress of Canada - good reminder thumbsup would love to see some more pics


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There's a real danger that the left will drag Britain back to the 1970s, with secure well-paid jobs, ample housing, properly-funded NHS and social care, free tuition, student grants, final salary pensions, affordable rail fares and fabulous films and music. David Osland 2025

We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn

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Empress of Canada 1961.

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God help us,
Come yourself,
Don't send Jesus,
This is no place for children.


Bertieone.
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Originally Posted by bert1
Empress of Canada 1961.


That's the 'new' Epress of Canada which made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Canada on 24th April 1961. The one that caught fire in the No 1 branch of Gladston Dock on 25th January 1953 was built as the Duchess of Richmond in 1928, and became the second Empress of Canada following a re-fit in 1947.

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As a young lad I went for a few runs on the Overhead, just to get a good view of the blackend hulk of the Empress of Canada in Glastone (I think) Dock. From memory, she lay on her side for ages before she was righted.

Last edited by Pinzgauer; 17th Dec 2011 9:43am.
#639267 17th Dec 2011 10:01am
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It took more than a year to re-float the Empress, she was finally winched upright, after removal of masts and funnels, in March 1954 and re-floated in May of the same year. She was then towed to Genoa for breaking up.

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#639268 17th Dec 2011 10:02am
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God help us,
Come yourself,
Don't send Jesus,
This is no place for children.


Bertieone.
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Brilliant ! Thanks Bert/upton.

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#639321 17th Dec 2011 1:10pm
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Seem to remember watching the 'Empresses' in and out of the river as a child. We used to call them the 'banana boats'.

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I'm curious why she keeled over, or was she purposely scuttled to reduce risk of the fire spreading around the dock?


There's a real danger that the left will drag Britain back to the 1970s, with secure well-paid jobs, ample housing, properly-funded NHS and social care, free tuition, student grants, final salary pensions, affordable rail fares and fabulous films and music. David Osland 2025

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From memory (scratch scratch) she keeled over due to massive amount of water poured into her to try and get to the seat of the fire. I don't think the fire was put out until she went glug-glug into the dock!

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Ta thumbsup


There's a real danger that the left will drag Britain back to the 1970s, with secure well-paid jobs, ample housing, properly-funded NHS and social care, free tuition, student grants, final salary pensions, affordable rail fares and fabulous films and music. David Osland 2025

We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn

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Originally Posted by diggingdeeper
I'm curious why she keeled over, or was she purposely scuttled to reduce risk of the fire spreading around the dock?


Full story HERE

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Wow, that's comprehensive, good find thumbsup


There's a real danger that the left will drag Britain back to the 1970s, with secure well-paid jobs, ample housing, properly-funded NHS and social care, free tuition, student grants, final salary pensions, affordable rail fares and fabulous films and music. David Osland 2025

We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn

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My Uncle served on the Empress of Canada, he was adrift for 3 days in a lifeboat before being picked up, he was found to be to young to serve !. when he reached the required age he then served in malaya.

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Originally Posted by Historybook
My Uncle served on the Empress of Canada, he was adrift for 3 days in a lifeboat before being picked up, he was found to be to young to serve !. when he reached the required age he then served in malaya.


That would be the first Empress of Canada.

copied from elsewhere.
RMS Empress of Canada (1922), a 21,517-ton 653-foot (199 m) ship built in Glasgow, Scotland; Vancouver-based ship served the Far East; served as troopship in World War II; torpedoed and sunk off Africa by an Italian submarine in 1943; 392 of 1,800 aboard perished
RMS Empress of Canada (1928), originally the Duchess of Richmond; served as troopship in World War II; renamed Empress of Canada in 1947; caught fire and capsized in Liverpool in 1953; scrapped the following year
RMS Empress of Canada (1961), transatlantic liner providing service between Canada and the United Kingdom during the summer and cruising from New York City to the Caribbean in the winter; made 121 Atlantic crossings before being sold to Carnival Cruise Lines in 1971; later Mardi Gras, and Apollo


God help us,
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Bertieone.
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