WikiWirral Share a Little Learn a Lot about your Wirral
Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics76,453
Posts1,033,906
Members14,828
Most Online44,182
Mar 18th, 2025
Who's Online Now
7 members (2 invisible), 18,869 guests, and 600 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters
sunnyside 45,164
MattLFC 22,315
Mark 21,269
granny 17,809
_Ste_ 16,347
Newest Members
silverking88, ladams888, Davids123, Sunwick, cashandcarry
14,828 Registered Users
New General Forums
Cancel Account?
by ladams888 - 30th Mar 2025 6:25pm
New Wirral History
Bidston Docks!
by Bronski - 27th Mar 2025 4:11pm
Tam O'Shanter. 1841 census
by granny - 25th Mar 2025 6:16pm
Italian bedroom
by cashandcarry - 24th Mar 2025 8:53pm
History Lesson
by bert1 - 23rd Mar 2025 7:41am
New Brighton Stock Car Racing 1971
by KevinFinity - 22nd Mar 2025 4:33pm
Top Posters(30 Days)
bert1 15
Bronski 14
granny 6
Topic Replies
Cancel Account?
by bert1 - 31st Mar 2025 8:08am
Bidston Docks!
by diggingdeeper - 28th Mar 2025 5:16am
Jets flying overhead
by granny - 27th Mar 2025 4:15pm
Tam O'Shanter. 1841 census
by granny - 26th Mar 2025 10:52pm
676 Queens Royal Hotel Marine Promenade Wallasey
by diggingdeeper - 25th Mar 2025 3:16pm
Italian bedroom
by cashandcarry - 24th Mar 2025 8:53pm
New Brighton Stock Car Racing 1971
by diggingdeeper - 24th Mar 2025 6:56pm
History Lesson
by bert1 - 23rd Mar 2025 7:41am
Wirral Festival of sport racing 1971
by KevinFinity - 22nd Mar 2025 4:27pm
April
M T W T F S S
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30
Top Likes Received (30 Days)
bert1 8
Top Likes Received
bert1 22
casper 4
Mark 4
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#639127 16th Dec 2011 11:09pm
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,471
Likes: 31
Wiki Master
OP Offline
Wiki Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,471
Likes: 31
Forgotten about the Empress of Canada - good reminder thumbsup would love to see some more pics


Attached Images

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

https://ddue.uk
Google Ads
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,712
Likes: 22
Wiki Veteran
Offline
Wiki Veteran
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,712
Likes: 22
Empress of Canada 1961.

Attached Images
canada.jpg (271.56 KB, 228 downloads)

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


Bertieone.
bert1 #639255 17th Dec 2011 9:29am
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 683
Likes: 1
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 683
Likes: 1
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.

Attached Images
empresscanada2.jpg (148.64 KB, 230 downloads)
P
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
P
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
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 683
Likes: 1
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 683
Likes: 1
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.

Attached Images
canada2.jpg (139.74 KB, 224 downloads)
Canada1.jpg (206.5 KB, 224 downloads)
#639268 17th Dec 2011 10:02am
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,712
Likes: 22
Wiki Veteran
Offline
Wiki Veteran
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,712
Likes: 22


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


Bertieone.
P
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
P
Brilliant ! Thanks Bert/upton.

Last edited by Pinzgauer; 17th Dec 2011 10:12am.
#639321 17th Dec 2011 1:10pm
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,390
Forum Addict
Offline
Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 1,390
Seem to remember watching the 'Empresses' in and out of the river as a child. We used to call them the 'banana boats'.

Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,471
Likes: 31
Wiki Master
OP Offline
Wiki Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,471
Likes: 31
I'm curious why she keeled over, or was she purposely scuttled to reduce risk of the fire spreading around the dock?


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

https://ddue.uk
P
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
Pinzgauer
Unregistered
P
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!

Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,471
Likes: 31
Wiki Master
OP Offline
Wiki Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,471
Likes: 31
Ta thumbsup


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

https://ddue.uk
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 338
Old Hand
Offline
Old Hand
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 338
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

Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,471
Likes: 31
Wiki Master
OP Offline
Wiki Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 14,471
Likes: 31
Wow, that's comprehensive, good find thumbsup


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

https://ddue.uk
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 190
Enthusiast
Offline
Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 190
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.

Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,712
Likes: 22
Wiki Veteran
Offline
Wiki Veteran
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,712
Likes: 22
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,
Come yourself,
Don't send Jesus,
This is no place for children.


Bertieone.
Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  Mod 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Random Wirral Images

Click to View Topic.
Newest Topics
Cancel Account?
by ladams888 - 30th Mar 2025 6:25pm
Bidston Docks!
by Bronski - 27th Mar 2025 4:11pm
Jets flying overhead
by granny - 27th Mar 2025 11:44am
Tam O'Shanter. 1841 census
by granny - 25th Mar 2025 6:16pm
Italian bedroom
by cashandcarry - 24th Mar 2025 8:53pm
For Sale & Free
Member Spotlight
Gibbo
Gibbo
Formby
Posts: 2,293
Joined: December 2010
Today's Birthdays
There are no members with birthdays on this day.
New Wirral Info
Dr Robert Hermon Wallasey
by robin47 - 8th Mar 2025 9:42pm
Eastham kitchen
by robin47 - 5th Mar 2025 9:48pm
Galtres School Bebington
by AllanB - 20th Aug 2021 7:36am
News : New Topics
Jets flying overhead
by granny - 27th Mar 2025 11:44am
Are our local councillors all insane?
by Excoriator - 20th Mar 2025 10:32am
Wirral Planning searches
by Excoriator - 16th Mar 2025 4:39pm
New Ferry regeneration
by Excoriator - 16th Mar 2025 4:22pm
Old Littlewoods Building
by Excoriator - 11th Mar 2025 12:39pm
New Enthusiast Forums
Tranmere Tunnels - Inside the Shaft Part 2 Access
by KevinFinity - 24th Jan 2015 7:22pm
Popular Topics(Views)
10,284,074 CW Chat room thread
5,557,604 WIKI WALK CHAT
4,398,507 Spotted!
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5