RMS Empress of Asia
Empress of Asia
| |
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | Empress of Asia |
Owner | Canadian Pacific Steamships |
Port of registry | Canada |
Builder | Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering, Govan , Scotland |
Launched | 23 November 1912[1] |
Completed | June 1913 |
Fate | Sunk by Japanese aircraft off Sultan Shoal on 5 February 1942. |
General characteristics | |
Type | Ocean liner |
Tonnage | 16,909 GRT, 8,883 NRT |
Length | 570.2 ft |
Beam | 68.2 ft |
Draft | 42 ft |
Propulsion | Quadruple propellers, 4 x steam turbines by Builder, 3, 750 nhp |
Speed | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
Capacity | 200 first class, 100 second class and 800 third class passengers[1] |
Notes | Special cargo arrangements for silk, an important Canadian Pacific commodity.[1] |
RMS Empress of Asia was an
As well as being a passenger liner in peacetime, Empress of Asia served as an armed merchant cruiser and a
Service history
Empress of Asia was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering at Govan near Glasgow in Scotland[2] Decorative plaster and wrought iron work in the dining room was carried out by H.H. Martyn & Co.[3] She was launched on 23 November 1912, and christened by Mrs. Bosworth, wife of the Vice-President of the Canadian Pacific Railway. She completed her maiden voyage in 1913.
In May 1914, Captain Samuel Robinson pushed the RMS Empress of Asia and her crew in setting a new world's record for both a single day's steaming (473 nautical miles) and for crossing the Pacific (nine days, two hours, and fifteen minutes).[4]
World War I
During the
She was deployed in Asia, in the Middle East and in the Atlantic with Chinese, British Indian and Portuguese Indian (Goan) crew.
In late 1914, Empress of Asia was among the cruisers tasked with hunting the German
On 9 September 1918, Empress of Asia set sail from Hoboken, NJ bound for Liverpool carrying troops from the 86th Infantry Division's 331st Machine Gun Battalion, 311th Engineer Regiment and 311th Engineer Train.[7] She arrived safely on 21 September 1918.
In 1919, Empress of Asia returned to Vancouver carrying the 72nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces (CEF); and the men disembarked from the ship at the CPR pier.[8]
Inter-war period
Amongst the celebrities who sailed in Empress of Asia was Bertrand Russell. The writer traveled from Yokohama to Vancouver in the late summer of 1921.[9]
On 11 January 1926, Empress of Asia rammed the British coastal steamer Tung Shing in the Yangtze at Shanghai, China. Tung Shing sank with the loss of between five and ten lives.[10]
Empress of Asia and Empress of Canada evacuated civilians from Shanghai in 1937 during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
World War II
Empress of Asia was requisitioned by the
Her first task was to take soldiers of the
In September 1941, Empress of Asia sailed with the first convoy from North America to England which was escorted by ships of the United States Navy.[12]
The final voyage of Empress of Asia began in November 1941, when she sailed from
Empress of Asia was one of five ships that were carrying troops and military
The last convoy of evacuees leaving Singapore included SS Sing Kheng Seng of the Straits Shipping Company, carrying 45 crewmen from Empress of Asia along with an unknown number of others.[16]
Leonard H. Johnston was chief mate of Empress of Asia when she went down. He took charge of 40 other young survivors and led his crew-mates safely to Fremantle, Australia. The journey involved sailing on three inter-island steamers to Sumatra, hiking over 100 miles across the island to catch a ferry to Java, and then a voyage from Batavia to Australia aboard a flat-bottomed river boat with Johnston serving as navigator. He was honored with the OBE for his exploits.[17]
One of the ship's anchors was salvaged and subsequently put on display at the National Museum of Singapore in September 2015.[18]
In April 2010, the shipwreck of the RMS Empress of Asia was found and in the possession for a subject of claim.[19]
See also
- CP Ships
- List of ocean liners
- List of ships in British Columbia
References
- ^ a b c "Launches and Trial Trips". International Marine Engineering. 35 (January). Marine Engineering, Inc., New York—London: 244. 1913. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
- ^ Johnston, Ian. "Govan Shipyard" in Ships Monthly. Archived 11 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine June 1985.
- ^ John Whitaker (1985). The Best. p. 229.
- ^ Hammer, Joshua. (2006). Yokohama Burning: The Deadly 1923 Earthquake and Fire that Helped Forge the Path to World War II, p. 60.
- ^ Frame, Tom. (2004). No Pleasure Cruise: The Story of the Royal Australian Navy, p. 110.
- ^ Australian War Memorial (AWM): caption for archive photo (ID No. C02534), SS Empress of Asia in Columbo harbour[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Order of Battle - American Expeditionary Forces - World War I Eighty-Sixth "Black Hawk" Division (National Army)". scharch.org. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ City of Victoria Archives: "72nd Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, C.E.F. disembarking from the "Empress of Asia" at the C.P.R. pier." Matthews Collection, 1919.
- ^ Russell, Bertrand. (2000). Uncertain Paths to Freedom: Russia and China, 1919–22, p. 542.
- ^ "Telegrams in Brief". The Times. No. 44167. London. 12 January 1926. col G, p. 13.
- ^ Empress of Asia: Empress of Asia, requisition – accessed 6 May 2008
- ^ Morison, Samuel Eliot. (2001). History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, p. 86.
- ^ a b Gill 1957, pp. 527–529.
- ^ Australian War Memorial (AWM): caption for archive photo (ID No. P00634.001), Empress of Asia sinks[permanent dead link]
- ^ Allied Merchant Navy of World War II: Role of CPR ships; Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB): Wilfred Hastings Harrington, KBE; ADB: Robert William Rankin
- ^ Singapore evacuation 1942: Civilian evacuation lists; 13 February 1942.
- ^ Bamberger, Werner. "Empress of Canada's Skipper Ending 43-Year Career at Sea; Johnston Sails for England – Began as Deck Cadet With Canadian Pacific in '22," New York Times. 1 April 1965.
- ^ "Step back into history as the National Museum of Singapore Re-opens its Permanent Gallaries" (PDF). Media release. National Museum of Singapore. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ^ "Notice of Wreck". 20 April 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
Bibliography
- Frame, Tom. (2004). No Pleasure Cruise: The Story of the Royal Australian Navy. Sydney: ISBN 978-1-74114-233-4(paper)
- Gill, G. Hermon (1957). Royal Australian Navy 1939–1942. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy. Vol. 1. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- Hammer, Joshua. (2006). Yokohama Burning: The Deadly 1923 Earthquake and Fire that Helped Forge the Path to World War II. New York: ISBN 978-0-7432-6465-5(cloth)
- ISBN 0-252-06963-3
- Osborne, Richard; Spong, Harry & Grover, Tom (2007). Armed Merchant Cruisers 1878–1945. Windsor, UK: World Warship Society. ISBN 978-0-9543310-8-5.
- ISBN 0-415-09411-9