RMS Empress of Britain (ship, 1931)
.jpg) The RMS Empress of Britain in Yokohama (1934)
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The RMS Empress of Britain (II) was an ocean liner of the Canadian shipping company Canadian Pacific Steamship Company , which crossed the North Atlantic between 1931 and 1939 and carried passengers and cargo from Canada to Great Britain . She was the largest passenger ship of her shipping company and one of the largest and fastest of her time. On 28 October 1940, fell Empress of Britain off the northwest coast of Ireland for matches with two 250-kg bombs a sea reconnaissance of the Air Force and hits with torpedoes from a German submarine . 45 people were killed. With a volume of 42,348 GRT, the Empress of Britain was the largest ship sunk by a German submarine in World War II .
The ship
Construction and equipment
The steam turbine ship Empress of Britain was built from 1928 to 1931 at the renowned John Brown & Company shipyard in Clydebank , a town on the River Clyde near Glasgow . The ship was 231.8 meters long, 29.7 meters wide and had a maximum draft of 9.8 meters. Three massive chimneys in the shipping company's corporate colors towered over the main deck . The Empress of Britain was equipped with eight Yarrow boilers and a Johnson steam boiler and was driven by four Parsons steam turbines on four propellers . The two inner screws provided two thirds of the power, the two outer one third. The average cruising speed was 22 knots (approx. 40 km / h), the maximum speed was 25 knots (approx. 46 km / h). When crossing the Atlantic in the summer season, the ship used 356 tons of oil a day, while a cruise in the winter season only needed 179 tons.
The ship had ten decks . The lounges were luxurious and opulent, and well-known contemporary artists such as Frank Brangwyn , Sir Charles Allom , Edmund Dulac and William Heath Robinson had worked on the interior . The main dining room, which was decorated with frescoes, could seat 425 guests. The space, framed by galleries , was named “Salle Jacques Quartier” in honor of the French explorer Jacques Cartier . The interior of the ballroom on the promenade deck , known as the “Empress Room”, was designed by Sir John Lavery . There was also a smoking salon, the main salon “Mayfour Lounge”, several bars, a Turkish bath , a fitness room , a cinema and a swimming pool, the so-called “Olympian Pool”.
The Empress of Britain was the largest ship of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company (now CP Ships ), the shipping branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway . The company was based in Montreal and registered in London , but its home port was Québec . The Empress of Britain was the largest, fastest and most luxurious passenger ship on the Atlantic route to Canada in its time . It was allowed to carry the name prefix "RMS" ( Royal Mail Ship ) because decades earlier the Canadian Pacific Railway had signed a contract with the British government to transport mail.
She was the second of a total of three ships that bore the name Empress of Britain (German "Empress of Great Britain"). The first was the sister ship of the Empress of Ireland , which sank in 1914, and was commissioned in 1906 . It was sold for scrapping in 1930. The third Empress of Britain entered service in 1956, sold in 1964 and only scrapped in 2008. The Empress of Britain was planned for the more northerly transatlantic route from Great Britain to Canada (Southampton - Cherbourg - Québec) and did not go on the more popular southern route Southampton - New York . With the construction of the ship, the shipping company wanted to benefit from the growing tourism and make the northern route an equivalent counterpart to the southern one.
To advertise the route, the slogan "39% less ocean" was advertised, as one drove from Québec to Great Britain through the protected Saint Lawrence River and did not cover the entire route across the open sea as on the southern route. As there were often many icebergs and floes on the northern stretch of the winter months off the coast of Newfoundland , the steel plates of the front 46 meters below the waterline were twice as thick.
history
On November 28, 1928, the ship was laid down . The launch took place on June 11, 1930 in front of a large audience. The godfather of the Empress of Britain was Edward VIII , the then Prince of Wales . It was the first time in history that a ship's launching was broadcast on the radio in Canada and the United Kingdom .
On April 11, 1931, the Empress of Britain took her test drives, during which she reached a speed of 25.271 knots (46.80 km / h). After the test runs it was noted that the Empress of Britain was "the most economical ship in the world in terms of oil consumption per hour". On May 27, 1931, she left Southampton on her maiden voyage to Québec. Edward VIII, Prince of Wales, came to Southampton on the day of departure to be guided around the ship and shown everything. This led to the scheduled departure time being delayed by over an hour. Passengers on the maiden voyage included the actors and actresses Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford , co-owner of the Daily Mail , press magnate Esmond Harmsworth, 2nd Viscount Rothermere, and Sir Edward Wentworth Beatty , then President and Chairman of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company.
Canadian Pacific did extensive advertising for its new ship. Before the maiden voyage, posters appeared with slogans such as “Wonder Ship”, “Canada's Challenge” and “Atlantic Giant”. During the first crossing, the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail published an article with the following content:
“With the completion and commissioning of the Empress of Britain , Canadian Pacific presented a new challenge to the shipping world. The gigantic 42,000-ton steamer sets new standards on the Canada route. Its luxurious furnishings include an entire deck for sports and recreation, another for public spaces, including a ballroom designed by world-famous artists. Instead of cabins, there are apartments, each of which has a radio for the entertainment of the passengers. In the later years of the last century there was a long quest for a fast passage through the Atlantic. Time brought an answer. Despite the Depression, Canada has a new ship that will ply the St. Lawrence River in summer and cruise around the world in winter. Your passengers enjoy the latest in comfort and luxury on an ocean trip. The first trip of the new empress is a milestone in Canadian history. "
The steamer was built for regular transatlantic passages from Canada to Great Britain between spring and autumn. He steamed through the Saint Lawrence River to reach Québec. It was able to carry a total of 1195 passengers, of which 465 were in first class, 260 in tourist class and 470 in third class. In peacetime a 714-strong crew took care of the travelers. In the winter season, when the St. Lawrence River was often partially frozen, the Empress of Britain was converted into a luxury cruise ship that could take 700 passengers on board and sailed other routes. For this purpose, the Empress of Britain was built so that it could pass the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal . When she drove through the Panama Canal, she only had 190 centimeters of space on both sides. During the cruise season only two of the four turbines have been used since the speed in the cruise was not as important as in the Atlantic crossings.
In 1931, the Empress of Britain completed nine tours between Southampton and Québec. It had 4891 passengers in a westerly direction and 4696 passengers on board the journeys in an easterly direction. It began its first winter service on December 3, 1931, when it set off from New York for a 128-day circumnavigation of the world with 378 passengers . The journey took them through the Mediterranean , to North Africa , to the Holy Land , through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea , from there to India , Ceylon , Southeast Asia , the Dutch East Indies , China , Hong Kong and Japan and finally through the Pacific to Hawaii and California before heading back to New York through the Panama Canal. From New York she steamed back to Southampton, where she was again prepared for the scheduled service. This process was repeated in roughly this form every year until 1939.
Her first captain was RG Latta, who enjoyed a high reputation with the shipping company. When Latta retired in 1934, he was replaced by Ronald Niel Stuart. Stuart was a senior Victoria Cross carrier and Royal Navy commodore and commanded the Empress of Britain until 1937. In August 1934, the Empress of Britain made her fastest crossing when she completed the passage in four days, six hours and 58 minutes. In June 1939, during a voyage from Halifax to Southampton , the ship had the lowest number of passengers on board that it recorded in its entire service: King George VI. , Queen Elizabeth , 13 ladies-in-waiting and servants, 22 palace employees, a photographer and two reporters.
On September 2, 1939 the day before the declaration of war by Britain and Canada to the German Reich , put the Empress of Britain to its last transatlantic crossing from peacetime. It was occupied well beyond its capacity and had the longest passenger list of its career on this trip. She crossed the ocean in a zigzag course and arrived unmolested in Québec on September 8th.
In World War II
After her last arrival in Québec, the Empress of Britain was withdrawn from passenger traffic, painted gray and initially remained in the dock. On November 25, 1939 it was decided to use the steamer as a troop transport during the war . First, she completed four Atlantic crossings to bring troops from Canada to England. She was then sent to Wellington ( New Zealand ) to bring soldiers to Europe and returned to Scotland in June 1940. She was part of the "Million Dollar Convoy", a convoy consisting of seven luxury liners, including the Queen Mary , the Aquitania and the Mauretania . On August 6, 1940, she drove with over 3,000 soldiers from Liverpool via Cape Town to Suez in Egypt .
The sinking
Bombardment by maritime patrols
The return journey to Liverpool began on Tuesday, September 24, 1940 . Under the command of Captain Charles Havard Sapsworth, the Empress of Britain cast off at Port Taufiq near Suez. This time there were no contingents of troops on board, but 205 mostly civilian passengers, including relatives and friends of members of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force . There were also 416 crew members and two artillerymen . A total of 623 people were on board.
The Empress of Britain steamed through the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean and, after stops in Durban and Cape Town , sailed north through the Atlantic. In addition to 300 tons of essential military equipment , the cargo also included 300 tons of sugar , which had been taken on board in Cape Town on October 11th. The Empress of Britain made the zigzag course at an average cruising speed of 22 knots. Because of her high speed, she was not provided with an escort . On Saturday, October 26, 1940, the Empress of Britain was sighted at 9:20 a.m. about 70 miles northwest of the Aran Islands on the west coast of Ireland by a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, a German maritime patrol aircraft . The machine, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Bernhard Jope , of the 2nd Squadron of Kampfgeschwader 40 , launched several attacks on the steamer. Captain Sapsworth ordered top speed and returned fire through the deck-mounted Lewis Guns .
Jope threw several 250 kg bombs on the steamer, three of which brushed him and two hit him with full force. The first hit the Mayfair Lounge, the second hit the sundeck and destroyed several lifeboats . Thick black smoke began to envelop the upper decks. He also opened fire with a machine gun . The bombardment caused great damage and killed several people. It was only after Jope's arrival at his base in northern France that it was determined which ship had been attacked. The realization caused great excitement. After the notification arrived at the headquarters of the Wehrmacht , the German press reported that the Empress of Britain had been successfully bombed and went down.
In fact, the ship had not sunk. The hull was still intact. However, the bombs had started a fire that spread very quickly and got out of hand. Large parts of the life-saving appliances and fire-fighting equipment were destroyed so that the fire could not be brought under control. At 9:50 a.m., only half an hour after the first sighting by the maritime patrol, Captain Sapsworth ordered the ship to be abandoned. Since the fire broke out amidships, the passengers streamed to the bow and stern , which made evacuation difficult. The survivors were from the echo , a destroyer of the Royal Navy and the Burza , a destroyer of the Polish Navy , as well as the anti-submarine - Trawler Cape Arcona added.
Countersunk by U 32
Only a small group of crew members remained on the ship. Because of the fire but the steamer could no longer be controlled under its own power and drove with a slight list listless in the flow. On the morning of October 27th, the flotilla leader Broke reached the scene and sent men over to the Empress of Britain , who connected the two ships with two ropes. In the meantime the two tugs Marauder and Thames had arrived, taking the Empress of Britain into tow. With escort by the Broke and the Sardonyx , the convoy headed for land at a speed of about four knots. The ships were also accompanied by Short Sunderland flying boats.
Oberleutnant zur See Hans Jenisch on board his submarine U 32 received news of this in the night of October 28 and set course for the convoy. U 32 , a German type VII A submarine , left Lorient on October 24 for its ninth patrol. U 32 had to remain submerged for a long time because of the flying boats, but was able to make out the ship's formation through its hydrophones and approach. Jenisch positioned his submarine between the destroyers and the Empress of Britain and shot two torpedoes . The first exploded too soon, but the second hit the steamer and caused a huge explosion . Jenisch fired a third torpedo, which hit just behind the last.
The Empress of Britain filled up quickly and was listing more and more, so that the cables that connected the ship to the tugs were cut. At 2:05 a.m. on October 28, the Empress of Britain sank off the coast of County Donegal, Northwest of Gweedore, at 55 ° 16 ′ N , 9 ° 50 ′ W . As a result of the attacks on the ship, a total of 25 crew members and 20 passengers died.
Suspected gold charge
It was believed that the Empress of Britain had gold on board. However, there are only indications for this theory. The UK shipped gold to North America to increase its capital. South Africa was a leading gold miner and the Empress of Britain made a stop in Cape Town on its last voyage. Most of the gold was brought to the United States via Sydney , but as there were not enough suitable ships, much of the gold remained in Australia . It is therefore possible that the Empress of Britain brought gold to Great Britain, from where it could then be transported further.
The Daily Mail published a report on January 8, 1949, in which a rescue attempt was announced for the coming summer. However, the article contained errors in content and no further communications of this kind followed. In 1985, a person interested in salvage received a letter from the Insurance Department of the British Department of Transport, in which he was informed that gold had been found on board the ship.
In 1995 the wreck of the Empress of Britain was found near the top at a depth of 150 meters. It was discovered that the fire had almost completely destroyed the decks, leaving only the hull intact. The vault was still there, but instead of gold it only contained a human skeleton. It was then speculated that the gold was dismantled during the evacuation of the ship. However, there is no tangible evidence that gold was actually on board the Empress of Britain .
literature
- Clive Harvey. RMS Empress of Britain: Britain's Finest Liner. Tempus Publishing, Stroud (England) 2004.
- Nigel Pickford. Lost Treasure Ships of the Twentieth Century. National Geographic, Washington, DC 1999.
- Rob McAuley and William Miller. The Liners: A Voyage of Discovery. Motorbooks International Publishers & Wholesaler, Osceola (Wisconsin) 1997.
- Gordon Turner. Empress of Britain: Canadian Pacific's Greatest Ship. Stoddart, Toronto 1992
- Robert Seamer. The Floating Inferno: The Story of the Loss of the Empress of Britain. Stephens, Wellingborough (England) 1990.
- Mark H. Choko and David L. Jones. Canadian Pacific Posters, 1883-1963. Meridian Pess, Montreal 1988.
- Terry Coleman. The Liners: A History of the North Atlantic Crossing. GP Putnam's Sons, New York City 1977.
Web links
- Home page of a homepage about the RMS Empress of Britain
- More detailed website about the Empress of Britain (illustrated)
- Brief summary of the ship's history and some pictures
- Technical and historical figures in the Clydebuilt Ships Database
- The Empress of Britain in the submarine database
Footnotes
- ^ Gordon Turner: Empress of Britain: Canadian Pacific's Greatest Ship. Stoddart, Toronto 1992, ISBN 978-1-55046-052-0 , p. 15.