Lives of the liners: The wreckers' ball

[Doc Vernon]

Empress of France.jpg




During her winter refit of 1958-59, the thirty-year-old Empress of France was slightly modernized. Her funnels were tapered to give her a more modern appearance. However, time was running out – the commercial jet appeared for the first in October 1958 and the competition proved unbeatable. Shipping lines began losing business – and quite quickly. Furthermore, with the brand new Empress of Canada due to enter in the spring of 1961, the aged Empress of France was soon redundant. Her final crossing was scheduled for October 1960. Two months later, on December 19th, she left Liverpool for the breakers at Newport in nearby Monmouthshire. (Just three days before, another well known Atlantic liner, Cunard's Britannic, left Liverpool for the breakers at Inverkeithing. The Atlantic liner trade had begun its gradual, but definite decline.)



During the demolition of the Empress of France, some of the ship's wood paneling was removed and sold for use in the White Hart Pub in Machen, near Caerphilly in South Wales. It endured for decades, but the pub was closed in the spring of 2016. It has been reported that the pub was up for sale and would most likely be demolished to make way for a small housing development. The paneling will most likely be lost in the demolition.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Ah! those black lifeboats, so easy to spot in a heavy sea!

[Captain Kong]

That's my old ship. always a good job, Lou sailed on her when she was the Duchess of Bedford, Jim B and Charlie Hannah also sailed on her.
Inside crew accommodation , chatty but happy.
We hit the ice berg one trip and lost 40 feet of bilge keel.
Lifeboats were wood and varnished. Saw a passenger vault over the rails into the Western Ocean, we had to go out in one of those the Forard one on the Starboard side, , only found his cap.
Cheers
Brian
Here is a photo I took with an old 1930s Box Camera from the mast in the usual heavy weather in the Western.

[Frederick Lacey]

img984.jpg

This is the photo I took of the Empress of France on the St Lawrence I was on the Beaver Glen at the time.

[Captain Kong]

I was in that Crows Nest when the Yard above, carried away in heavy weather and crashed down on top of the Nest nearly taking it off.
I was down the mast before it hit the deck. I legged it up to the Bridge, Did you see that Captain ? Yes he said, Better keep the look out on the Bridge until we can check it for safety.
The Yard was a good 30 feet in length and made of Steel and weighed in at a couple of tons. We then lashed it against the rails and left it until we got to Liverpool, The Riggers in Gladstone Dock took it back up with a crane with all new stays and bolts.
Scary times.
She had Rigging like a Sailing ships, no ladder on the mast, The Topping Lifts were lashed against the rigging all the way up. the look out went up the inside of the mast and through a trap door into the nest
Cheers
Brian

[Ray Manley]

my first trip to sea was on this ship, October 1953, I went up the inside of the mast to have a look at the crows nest and I remember there was a bosuns chair rigged up for the lookout to sit in. Not a good trip for me ,spewed all the way across the western ocean and nearly all the way back. only did 11 trips,one out and one back, Still got my pay slip for that trip,payed off with about 3 pound seven shillings and 6 pence

[Keith at Tregenna]

Empress bar - Barry Hotel, Barry docks

Seafaring link with the Barry Hotel: The 32-year old Empress of France was bought in 1960, by the British Iron & Steel Corporation, for scrap. Two features of the ship were saved from the scrap yard. The Empress Bar was dismantled and taken to Glamorgan where it was incorporated in the Barry Hotel in Barry as the Empress Room. In 1961 the ship's bell was presented to Colonel John Wallis, Army Headquarters, Ottawa.