RMS Empress of Australia (1919)

History
Fitting out at the AG Vulcan shipyard, Stettin, circa 1912

Name:	1913–1921: Admiral von Tirpitz 1921: Empress of China 1922–1952: Empress of Australia
Owner:	1913–1919: Hamburg America Line 1920–1921: P&O Line 1921–1952: Canadian Pacific
Port of registry:	1913–1919: German Empire 1920–1921: United Kingdom 1920–1929: Canada
Builder:	Vulcan AG shipyard, Stettin (now Szczecin), Poland (then German Empire)
Yard number:	333
Launched:	20 December 1913
Maiden voyage:	1 December 1919
Fate:	1952: scrapped at Thos W Ward Inverkeithing, Scotland
General characteristics
Class and type:	Ocean liner
Tonnage:	21,861 tons
Length:	187.45 metres (615.0 ft)
Beam:	12.8 metres (42 ft)
Propulsion:	DE and 6 SE boilers Two sets of steam turbines, turning twin propellers
Speed:	19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Capacity:	400 1st-class, 150 Tourist-class, 635 3rd-class
Crew:	520 officers & crew

RMS Empress of Australia was an ocean liner built in 1913–1919 by Vulcan AG shipyard in Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland) for the Hamburg America Line. She was refitted for Canadian Pacific Steamships; and the ship – the third of three CP vessels to be named Empress of China – was renamed yet again in 1922 as Empress of Australia..

In trans-Pacific service, the ship garnered fame for her part in rescue efforts at Tokyo following the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923.

In trans-Atlantic service, she earned distinction in 1927 by bringing the Prince of Wales from England to the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in Canada. She was honoured to serve as Royal Yacht during the Royal tour of Canada in 1939.

The ship was originally built for the Hamburg America Line by Vulcan AG shipyard, Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland), in 1912, as yard number 333.

The partially completed hull was launched on 20 December 1913. During this period, it was the intention of the Hamburg America Line to name the completed ship the SS Admiral von Tirpitz in honour of Alfred von Tirpitz. Later, the prospective name of the ship was shortened to simply the SS Tirpitz, but final outfitting was held up during World War I.

In 1916, Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered her to be completed as his royal yacht, in which he envisioned receiving the allied naval fleets when they surrendered. Her first trip, however, was under seizure as a war prize when she sailed from Hamburg to Hull on 1 December 1919. She was then used as a troop ship under P & O Line management.

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Wikipedia