SS Duchess of Richmond
Empress of Canada arrives in Montreal, 1947.
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| History | |
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| Name: |
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| Namesake: | Duchess of Richmond |
| Operator: |
 Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd
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| Port of registry: | London,  UK
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| Route: | Liverpool to Quebec and Montreal (Apr-Nov), Liverpool to St. John (Nov-Apr) |
| Builder: | John Brown & Company, Clydebank |
| Yard number: | 523 |
| Launched: | 18 June 1928 |
| Maiden voyage: | 15 March 1929 |
| Refit: | 1946/1947 |
| Fate: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Type: |
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| Tonnage: | 20,022 (1947, 20,325) |
| Length: | 601 ft (183 m) |
| Beam: | 75 ft 3 in (22.94 m) |
| Propulsion: | Geared turbines, twin screw |
| Speed: | 18 knots |
| Capacity: | As built 580 cabin, 480 tourist and 510 3rd class passengers, 1947, 400 1st class, 300 tourist |
| Crew: | 510 |
SS Duchess of Richmond was an ocean liner built in 1928 for Canadian Pacific Steamships by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. In 1947 she was renamed SS Empress of Canada.
The Duchess of Richmond was one of the several Canadian Pacific liners which were known as the "Drunken Duchesses" for their lively performance in heavy seas." She was built as a sister ship to SS Duchess of York, SS Duchess of Bedford and SS Duchess of Atholl.
At midnight on Saturday, 26 January, 1929 she sailed from Liverpool to Freetown and back, on a cruise, calling in at
On board was the World Chief Scout, Lord Baden-Powell and his family; they attended Scout Rallies at each port. It may be that this was a "shake-down" cruise to test the ship.
In March 1929 the 20,022-ton ocean liner began transatlantic summer service from Montreal Canada to Liverpool in the United Kingdom with winter service out of the port of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. On 27 April 1929, she ran aground at Saint John. Her passengers were taken off, and she was refloated the next day.
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During World War II, the Duchess was requisitioned as a troopship, and also played a role in transporting the Tizard Mission, which brought secret military equipment and designs from Britain to the United States. On September 6, 1940, she delivered the Mission, including highly secret and important equipment such as the cavity magnetron, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Mission then went onward by land to the United States. She also transported men to the fighting in North Africa, stopping briefly in Algiers to disembark troops on November 14, 1942.
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