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TSS Empress of Britain
Quick facts...
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| Owners: |
Canadian Pacific |
| Builders: |
Fairfield Shipbuilding & Eng. Co.
Glasgow |
| Launched: |
22 June 1955 |
| Tonnage: |
25,516 tons gross |
| Dimensions: |
640 x 85 feet
(197 x 26 metres) |
| Machinery: |
Steam turbines, geared
twin screw,
21 knots |
| Complement: |
160 First Class
898 Tourist Class |
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Fondly remembered by many a child of the 1950s and 60s as the 'big white
ships', Canadian Pacific's final generation Empress liners were undoubtedly
among the most distinctive and finest looking post-war passenger ships built
in Britain. Empress of Britain was launched by HM The Queen from the
Fairfield Shipyard, Glasgow, in June 1955. The 640-foot (197 m) 25,516 grt
liner entered service on the UK - Canada transatlantic routes the following
year. Joined by her Tyne-built sisters, Empress of England in 1957 and
Empress of Canada in 1961, this handsome trio provided a reliable and
regular service from Liverpool and Greenock to Quebec and Montreal.
Although sold by Canadian Pacific in 1964 due to the ever growing popularity
of jet air travel, Empress of Britain was still operating in 2001 as a
cruise liner (Topaz), as indeed was her younger sister, Empress of Canada.
This nostalgic and highly detailed painting by Gordon Bauwens shows the
liner anchored off Greenock in 1960. The family of a serving officer watch
from the Esplanade as the liner, attended by a Clyde puffer, prepares for
her imminent transatlantic departure. The turbine steamer Queen Mary II on a
day-cruise 'doon the watter' from Glasgow, sweeps down the main channel
behind.
These superb quality 'Memories of an Empress' Artist-signed limited edition
prints are carefully produced using fade-resistant inks on heavy, acid-free
art paper. Each has its numbered Certificate of Authenticity, printed on
attractive marbled parchment paper.
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