View source for RMS Empress of Britain (1955)

{{Short description|Ship built in 1956}}
{{other ships|RMS Empress of Britain}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= Kobe topaz01s3200.jpg
|Ship caption= SS ''The Topaz'' at [[Kobe]], Japan in 2006
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship name=*1955–1964: ''Empress of Britain''
*1964–1975: ''Queen Anna Maria''
*1975–1993: ''Carnivale''
*1993–1994: ''Fiestamarina''
*1995–1997: ''Olympic''
*1997–2008: ''The Topaz''
*2008: ''Topaz''
|Ship owner=*1956–1963: [[File:Canadian Pacific house flag.svg|border|20px]] [[Canadian Pacific Steamships]]
*1964–1975: [[Greek Line]]
*1975–1994: [[File:Carnival Corporation house flag.svg|border|20px]] [[Carnival Corporation & plc]]
*1995–1997: [[Epirotiki Line]]
*1997–2003: [[TUI Travel PLC]]
*2003–2008: Topaz International
|Ship operator=*1956–1965: Canadian Pacific Steamships
*1965–1975: Greek Line
*1975–1993: Carnival Cruise Lines
*1993–1994: [[Fiesta Marina Cruises]]
*1995–1996: Epirotiki Line
*1996–1997: [[Royal Olympic Cruises]]
*1998–2003: [[Thomson Cruises]]
*2003–2008: [[Peace Boat]]
|Ship registry=*1956–1965: London, {{flag|United Kingdom|civil-1957}}
<!--*1965-1975: Piraeus,{{flag|Greece|civil}}
*1975-1994:-->
*[[Panama City]],{{flag|Panama}}
*1993–1998: Piraeus,{{flag|Greece}}
*1998–2008: [[Panama City]],{{flag|Panama}}
*2008: [[Basseterre]], {{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis}}
|Ship route=[[Liverpool]]-[[Greenock]]-[[Quebec]]-[[Montreal]] (1965, [[Haifa]]-[[Piraeus]]-[[New York City]], Cruising)
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder= [[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering]], [[Govan]], Scotland
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number= 731
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched= 22 June 1955 by Queen Elizabeth II
|Ship completed= 1956
|Ship christened=22 June 1955
|Ship acquired=
|Ship maiden voyage=20 April 1956
|Ship in service= 1955-2008
|Ship out of service= April 2008
|Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: V4XW
*{{IMO Number|5103924}}
|Ship fate= Sold for scrap in 2008.
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Ocean liner]]
|Ship tonnage= 25,516 GRT (1965, 21,716 GRT)
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length= 640 ft.
|Ship beam= 85.2 ft.
|Ship height=
|Ship draught= 29 ft.
|Ship depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship power=30,000 shp
|Ship propulsion= Geared turbines, Twin screw
|Ship speed= {{cvt|20|knots}}
|Ship capacity=As built, 160 1st-class & 894 tourist-class passengers (1965, 168 1st class, 1,145 tourist. 741 one class when cruising)
|Ship crew=464
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''RMS ''Empress of Britain''''' was a [[transatlantic crossing|transatlantic]] [[ocean liner]] built by [[Fairfield Shipbuilding]] at [[Govan]] on the [[River Clyde|Clyde]] in Scotland in 1955-1956<ref>The disambiguation date used in this article's title is the year in which the hull is launched, not the year of the vessel's sea trial or maiden voyage.</ref>  for [[CP Ships|Canadian Pacific Steamships]] (CP). This ship — the third of three CP vessels to be named ''Empress of Britain''<ref>The second of three ships named [[RMS Empress of Britain (1931)|SS ''Empress of Britain'']] (1931) was built for [[CP Ships|CP]]; and the first [[RMS Empress of Britain (1906)|SS ''Empress of Britain'']] (1906) was also built for CP some years earlier.</ref>—regularly traversed the trans-Atlantic route between [[Canada]] and [[Europe]] until 1964, completing 123 voyages under the Canadian Pacific flag.
==History==
===''Empress of Britain''===
''Empress of Britain'' was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding in Govan near [[Glasgow]], Scotland.<ref>Johnston, Ian. "Govan Shipyard" in [http://www.shipsmonthly.com/ships/home.htm  ''Ships Monthly.''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611163521/http://www.shipsmonthly.com/ships/home.htm |date=11 June 2008 }} June 1985.</ref>  [[Ships christened by Queen Elizabeth II|She was christened]] on 22 June 1955 by HM [[Queen Elizabeth II]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081215040356/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,807260,00.html   "Canada: Economical Empress,"] ''Time'' (New York). 4 July 1955.</ref>  This was nearly fifty years after the first CP ''Empress of Britain'' was launched from Govan in November 1905.  Eleven months later, she set out on a maiden voyage from Liverpool to Montreal, leaving Liverpool on 20 April 1956.<ref name="sl1">Ship List: [http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsE.html  Description of ''Empress of Britain''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204175556/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsE.html |date=4 February 2012 }}</ref>
The 25,516-ton vessel had a length of 640 feet, and her beam was 85.2 feet. The ship had one funnel, one mast, twin propellers and an average speed of 20 knots.  The [[ocean liner]] provided accommodation for 160 first class passengers and for 984 tourist class passengers.<ref name="sl1" />
===''Queen Anna Maria''===
In November 1964, the former CP ''Empress'' was sold to the [[Greek Line]]; and the ship was renamed SS ''Queen Anna Maria''.  This ''Queen'' was rebuilt with a new lido area at the stern and remeasured under Greek rules to 21,716 gross tons, implying a significant reduction in size. In fact her genuine tonnage had been increased by superstructure extension at the stern and the measurement was an attempt to reduce dock dues. With accommodation for 168 first-class passengers and for 1,145 tourist-class passengers, she sailed on the Piraeus, Palermo, Naples, Lisbon, Halifax [Nova Scotia] and New York route. Later, she provided service on the Haifa, Limassol, Piraeus, Palermo, Naples, Lisbon, Halifax and New York route and occasionally calling at Boston before New York. In due course, these liner services were replaced by full time, one class, cruising. In 1975, she was laid up at Piraeus for a time.
===''Carnivale''===
[[File:"Carnivale" - Miami, 1984.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The ''Carnivale'' in [[Miami]], [[Florida]] on June 15, 1984.]]
In 1976, the former Greek ''Queen'' was sold to [[Carnival Cruise Lines]]; and the ship was renamed — this time as the SS ''Carnivale''.  As Carnival's market expanded and the company could afford to buy new ships, the ship transferred into a Latin market subsidiary cruise line.<ref name="sl1" />
===''Fiesta Marina''===
In 1993, Carnival Cruise Lines transferred registration of the ''Carnivale'' to a subsidiary cruise line, [[Fiesta Marina Cruises]]; and the ship was renamed SS ''Fiesta Marina.''  She became something of a test ship in a cruise line expansion venture which proved ultimately to be unsuccessful.<ref name="sl1" />
===''Olympic''===
In 1994, Fiesta Marine sold ex-''FiestaMarina'' to [[Epirotiki]]; and the ship was renamed ''Olympic''. In 1996, she was transferred to Royal Olympic Cruises, operating under the same name.<ref name="sl1" />
===''The Topaz''===
In 1997, the  former ''Olympic'' was sold to Cyprus-based [[Thomson Holidays]]; and the ship was renamed ''The Topaz''.
[[File:The Topaz IMO 5103924 und Astoria IMO 8000214 P Arrecife 03-2002.jpg|left|thumb|''Topaz'' in Thompson Cruises TUI livery]]<!--<ref name="sl1" />-->
In 2003, the vessel was chartered, and then later sold to [[Topaz International]] to sail for [[Peace Boat]] operating under the name ''Peace Boat'' &ndash; she was repainted white with a blue funnel and her name painted in large letters across both sides of the hull. In October 2005, ''The Topaz'' was inspected and found to be in immaculate condition, the steam turbines engines operating flawlessly. Topaz International were looking for a buyer for ''The Topaz'' and they had maintained the ship in excellent condition. It was hoped that a buyer could be found as ''The Topaz'' offered any potential buyer the opportunity of a ready to work ship. However, rising oil prices combined with inefficient 50-year-old engines proved too much for any potential buyer. In April 2008, ''The Topaz'' was retired from the Peace Boat organization.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}}
==After retirement==
After ''Topaz'' was retired in April 2008, she was laid up. On 15 June, while she was anchored, she was struck by the tanker ''[[Champion Brali]]''. The collision severed off part of her bow.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.maritimematters.com/shipnews.html |title=Cruise ship news, shipping reports at MARITIME MATTERS : CLIPPER PACIFIC Back On The Atlantic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080831234521/http://maritimematters.com/shipnews.html |publisher=Maritime Matters |archive-date=31 August 2008 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> During her lay up, she was sold to the [[Ship breaking|breakers]]. In the late summer of 2008, ''Topaz'' was beached in [[Alang]], India to be scrapped. She was placed not too far away from where the remains of the {{SS|France|1960|6}}/SS ''Norway'' were located.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finnjetweb.com/alang/Outside/slides/CIMG3339.html |date=26 August 2008|title= Outside / CIMG3339}}</ref> The ship began demolition a few months after being beached. As of December 2022, the Topaz has been completely scrapped.
==See also==
* [[Govan#Ships built at Govan|Ships built at Govan]]
==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==References==
* Musk, George. (1981). [https://books.google.com/books?id=iWoTAAAAYAAJ&q=ss+empress+of+britain  ''Canadian Pacific: The Story of the Famous Shipping Line.'']  Newton Abbot, Devon: [[David & Charles]]. {{ISBN|0-7153-7968-2}}
== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050426213009/http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=1049 Shipping Times: Clydebuilt Database]
{{1955 CP Empress}}
{{Carnival Cruise Line}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Empress Of Britain (1955)}}
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]
[[Category:Ships of CP Ships]]
[[Category:Ships of Carnival Cruise Line]]
[[Category:1955 ships]]
[[Category:Ocean liners of Canada]]