Empress of Scotland.

[NORMAN F WORMALD]

H i All,
I was an Electrical officer on the Empress of Scotland between may 1955 untill may 1956 sailing
between Liverpool and Montreal, we did the New York - West Indes cruises that year. If anybody
was on during this period in the Electrical section I would certainly like to hear from them.

Cheers and all the best
Norman

[Neville Roberts]

was,nt it the Scotland that turned over in the brockelbank dock in the early fifties, after a fire .there is a picture on a web site somewere of a Empress boat on its side in dock at LIverpool. I remember going on the overhead railway to see it

[NORMAN F WORMALD]

Hi Neville,
I think it was the Empress of Canada that nearly turned over in the Gladstone Dock at
Seaforth in the 50s after a fire onboard.
kind regards,
Norman.

[John Callon]

It was the Empress of Canada that burned out in Liverpool in Gladstone Dock B1. The fire was started by a discarded cigarette end. She capsized onto her port side and lay there for the best part of 6 months. Eventually she was refloated, towed in to the Gladstone drydock, patched up and taken to La Spezia for scrap the amount paid to the insurers was £40,000. The on ly reason have this information was that in 1966 I was on a fire fighting course at Banks Road, Speke in Liverpool and there was this middle aged guy who was asking the intructors qustions relating to this vessel, and really wanted answers in great detail. I had no idea who he was when several months later I saw his picture on the front of the Daily Telegraph with the MD of John Browns Shipyard on the Clyde. It turned out that he was Commodore of Cunard Captain Bill Warwick and he was to be Captain on the maiden voyage of the QE2. And so guys here ends another piece
of usless information.
Regards
John C.

[Bill Dobson]

It was the Empress of Canada that burned out in Liverpool in Gladstone Dock B1. The fire was started by a discarded cigarette end. She capsized onto her port side and lay there for the best part of 6 months. Eventually she was refloated, towed in to the Gladstone drydock, patched up and taken to La Spezia for scrap the amount paid to the insurers was £40,000. The on ly reason have this information was that in 1966 I was on a fire fighting course at Banks Road, Speke in Liverpool and there was this middle aged guy who was asking the intructors qustions relating to this vessel, and really wanted answers in great detail. I had no idea who he was when several months later I saw his picture on the front of the Daily Telegraph with the MD of John Browns Shipyard on the Clyde. It turned out that he was Commodore of Cunard Captain Bill Warwick and he was to be Captain on the maiden voyage of the QE2. And so guys here ends another piece
of usless information.
Regards
John C.

Thought you might be interested in the following regarding the fire of 25 January 1953 on the Empress of Canada:

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/e...l&siteid=50061

http://www.mersey-gateway.org/server...nMediaFile.155

Best wishes

[happy daze john in oz]

Hard to believe something as simple as a smouldering cig could do so much damage, great shame to see a good ship go out that way.

[john middleton]

It was the Canada, quick replacement was required, was the french ship 'De Grasse' (Empress of Australia), well known phrase was coined by the lads--Keep off De Grasse--

[Ted Cooper]

Hi Neville,
I think it was the Empress of Canada that nearly turned over in the Gladstone Dock at
Seaforth in the 50s after a fire onboard.
kind regards,
Norman.

I was serving aboard CPSCo Beaverlake at the time of the demise of the Empress of Canada and we had to sail for Liverpol to pick up her cargo. Cheers Ted Cooper

[Jim Brady]

I was in the Sea Cadets at the time and I walked on the capsized hull of the Canada in the Gladstone.
The day it was brought up I was on the barrell roof shed of a timber yard across the dock road and seen the whole thing,what a sight to see it been brought back upright.Every week before it was brought up I was down there watching all the different moves that where being made.For instance across the dock in an avenue behind the Blue Flu berth sheds a number of steam winches were set up,each winch with it's own steam supply line so that the farthest winch had the same pulling power as the nearest to the supply.Holes were put through the walls of the shed and cables put across the dock and attached to the ship.The first time we heard the word camel was then,the camels were big tanks welded to the hull below the water line.pumped out,full of air this gave bouyancy (sic?) and helped with the ships flotation.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Ray Manley]

I have only just found this area of this great site so its a bit late for a reply to this thread but I will reply anyway, you never know who will read it . I joined the "EMPRESS OF FRANCE" on the 26th Oct.1953 after a spell at "INDEFATIGABLE" training school. The first thing I noticed was the "EMPRESS OF CANADA" on its side in the same dock,what a sad sight to see, and after having recently seen another great ship ,high and dry on its side on the Menai straits (HMS CONWAY) I was beginning to think I was being told something. I spewed my way accross the Atlantic and I spewed my way back again and could not get off that ship quick enough, headed for London then and joined a Palm boat, happy days