CP Ships

CP Ships was a large Canadian container shipping company that was purchased by Hapag Lloyd in late 2005. CP Ships had its head office in the City Place Gatwick development on the property of London Gatwick Airport in Crawley, West Sussex. The Company was a part of the Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. conglomerate. It was spun out as a separate company in 2001.

The Company moved to a model of container shipping from passenger, freight and mail service in the 1960s due to competitive pressure from the airline industry. The Company from the late 1880s until after WWII was Canada's largest operator of Atlantic and Pacific Steamships. Large numbers of immigrants travelled on CP ships from Europe to Canada. The sinking of the steamship RMS Empress of Ireland is noted for being the largest maritime disaster in Canadian history. The Company also provided Canadian Merchant Navy vessels in both WWI and WWII. Twelve vessels were lost due to enemy action in WWII including the largest ship sunk by a German U-Boat.

History

Early Era (1881-1915)

Three steamships docked together -- the SS Empress of France, the SS Empress of India, and SS Empress of Britain. Note the curved bow of the 1891 Empress of Britain in contrast with the straight-sided bows of the newer ships in the CP fleet. (1926)

Advertising booklet, c. 1930.

In the early 1880s, Canadian Pacific Rail negotiated with the Government of the United Kingdom to establish a trans-Pacific steamship routes between Vancouver and the Far East. The trans-Pacific services of Canadian Pacific were begun by Sir William Cornelius Van Horne, the Canadian-American builder of the railroad network in 1887. In that year, Sir William chartered three vessels from Cunard Line; the SS Abyssinia, the SS Parthia, and the SS Batavia—as a beginning of the CP fleet. The agency for chartering and managing the ships was secured by Adamson, Bell and Company. for the first three years. When the new shipping line had shown to be profitable, Canadian Pacific decided not to renew the contract with Adamson, Bell and Company and to run the line itself.

In 1891, CPR adopted a new name—the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company (CPSC). The CPSC became one of the many shipping companies operating in and out of Liverpool. The Company expanded as people emigrating from Europe to North America provided a larger number of passengers and the company also started holiday cruises. As with other shipping companies, CPSC had larger ships built to cope with the demand.

In the late 19th century, CPR initiated an ocean-going service between the port of Vancouver, British Columbia and Hong Kong, with calls at Japan and China, and later at Manila, Philippine Islands and Honolulu, Hawaii. This service provided a link for CPR's transcontinental railroad passenger and freight services. Passengers could travel from England to Eastern Canada, travel across the railway to Vancouver, and on to Asian destinations. During 1887, temporary steamship service was initiated on a Vancouver-Yokohama-Hong Kong route. From 1887 through 1941, the Canadian Pacific Railway provided steamship service between Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and Hong Kong with calls at Japan and China, and later at Manila, Philippine Islands and Honolulu, Hawaii. Three ships were built at Barrow-in-Furness in England, and the three sailed together towards Vancouver in 1890, with initial voyages projected for January 15, February 15, and March 15 of the new year. An 11-foot scale model of the ship was put on display in Canadian Pacific's New York offices. In an effort to lure American Chinese passengers to sail with CPR from North America to Shanghai and Hong Kong, prominent members of the Chinese community in New York were invited to examine the scale model and its amenities.

In 1915, CP changed the name of its shipping business to Canadian Pacific Steamships Ocean Services Ltd.

In 1891, CPR and the British government reached agreement on a contract for subsidized mail service between Britain and Hong Kong via Canada. The route began to be serviced by three specially designed Empress liners—the RMS Empress of China and the RMS Empress of India. Each of these "Empress" steamships sailed regularly in the period from 1891 through 1912. In that year, the Empress of China struck a reef near Tokyo, and she was subsequently towed to Yokohama where she was scrapped. The Empress of India would continue in service through 1914. The third of the three original empresses, the RMS Empress of Japan, sailed regularly from 1891 through 1922. These three ships and the others which comprised the "Empress fleet" carried mail, passengers, and freight speedily across the Pacific for over half a century.

In 1903 the company began operating ships on the Atlantic between Halifax, Nova Scotia and the United Kingdom. In 1906, two vessels were built in England: the SS Empress of Scotland and SS Empress of Ireland. These two vessels had a full capacity of 1,530 passengers. There were accommodations for 310 first class, 470 second class passengers, 500 third class and 250 steerage passengers. The CP transported many immigrants from Europe to Canada, primarily from Great Britain and Scandinavia.

CP acquired the successful Allan Line and expanded to become a major international cargo carrier and operators of luxury passenger liners such as the Empress of Britain and the Empress of Canada.

Sinking of the Empress of Ireland

RMS Empress of Ireland

In 1914 the Empress of Ireland sank after a collision with the Norwegian collier SS Storstad in the St. Lawrence River. In just 14 minutes after the collision, this accident claimed 1,012 lives, making it the deadliest maritime disaster in Canadian history.

The Empress was heading down the channel near Pointe-au-Père, Quebec in heavy fog. At 02:00 the Storstad crashed in the side. The Storstad, though damaged did not sink. The Empress took severe damage to her starboard side and began to list and take on water. Some passengers managed to get into lifeboats quickly. The ship began to list too far, and additional life rafts were not able to be launched. The ship rolled to its side 10 minutes after the collision. 4 minutes later the ship had sunk. Only 465 survivors were rescued. A board of inquiry found the Storstad responsible for the sinking.

Royal Visit to Canada

In 1939, the CP Ship RMS Empress of Australia had the honour of transporting King George VI and his royal consort, Queen Elizabeth from London, England to Quebec City for the 1939 royal tour of Canada. This was the first ever visit by the Monarch to a Dominion. The King chose to visit Canada using a Canadian luxury liner rather than an established English Royal Yacht. The Princess of Australia was considered to be a Royal Yacht after its use by the King.

WWI (1914-1918)

SS Mount Temple run around in Canada before the war.

Canadian Pacific was an important contributor to the Merchant Navy (United Kingdom) in WWII. Like other shipping companies, Canadian Pacific provided ships to carry troops in both World Wars. CP lost 18 ships in the war.

In WWI, some ships were refitted as Armed merchantmen or auxiliary minelayers. These were operated by the Royal Navy, not CP Ships. For example the RMS Princess Irene and the RMS Princess Margaret were requisitioned by the Royal Navy for the war. They were manned by Navy, not CP. Neither ship was returned to CP.

Inter-war Period (1919-1938)

CP purchased eleven new steamships to replace its losses during the war. New ships included RMS Empress of Australia and RMS Empress of Canada. The Company continued to carry passengers, freight and mail across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

WWII (1939-1945)

In WWII, the CP fleet carried over a million tons of cargo and a million troops and civilians during the Second World War. The Company lost twelve vessels due to enemy action which is a larger loss than any Western company. Company ships participated in both the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the Pacific. Notably, the Merchant Marine who operated the ships were denied veterans' benefits by the Canadian Government until 1988.

Post War Period (1945 - 2005)

Side elevation plans of the Empress of Britain

The Company acquired its last three steam passenger ships RMS Empress of Britain, RMS Empress of England and RMS Empress of Canada. Competition from airlines forced CP to retire these ships in the 1970s. The Company looked towards bulk and tanker fleets as replacements for its steamships.

In 1971, the company changed its name to CP Ships Ltd. and container ships were added as Intermodal freight transport became popular. Intermodal transportation integrated well with CP's rail assets.

In 1984, CP Ships entered a joint venture with Compagnie Maritime Belge called Canada Maritime to secure North Atlantic container traffic for its rail facilities in Montreal. This "new" company prospered and the fortunes of CP Ships revived in the early 1990s and in 1993 Canadian Pacific bought out its partner and merged it with CP Ships. The next decade saw the company grow through acquisition. In April 1995 CP Ships purchased the Cast Group out of a bankruptcy proceeding, and subsequently bought Lykes Lines in July 1997 also out of bankruptcy, Contship Containerlines in October 1997 at a profitable level, Australia-New Zealand Direct Line in December 1998 also being profitable, Ivaran Lines in May 1998 (unprofitable), TMM Lines (unprofitable, 50% in January 1999, rest 50% in January 2000), in August 2000 Christensen Canadian African Lines (CCAL) at small profitability and Italia Line in August 2002 at breakeven business results. By 2001 it was the seventh largest carrier in the world, and dominated the North Atlantic. When it was spun off into a separate company it represented 8% of Canadian Pacific's revenues and was a source for a large portion of CPR's rail traffic — much originating from CP Ships' Montreal Gateway Terminals.

Sale of Company

On August 21, 2005, German conglomerate TUI AG offered to acquire CP Ships Limited for €1.7 billion (US$2.0 billion) in cash, and merge it with TUI's Hapag-Lloyd division.

On October 19, 2005 CP Ships and TUI AG jointly announced that 89.1% of CP Ships shareholders had accepted Ship Acquisition Inc.'s August 30 offer for $21.50 USD per share on October 25, 2005.

Fleet Events

Civilian

RMS Empress of Australia in Yokohama after the earthquake

There are several notable civilian events in the CP fleet.

• In 1912 RMS Empress of China struck a reef near Tokyo and was towed to Yokohama and scrapped. All crew and passengers were uninjured.

• In 1914 RMS Empress of Ireland sank in the St. Lawrence River. 1,012 passengers died in the worst maritime disaster in Canadian history.

• In1918 SS Princess Sophia sank after grounding on Vanderbilt Reef in Lynn Canal near Junea, Alaska. 343 passengers and crew were lost with the ship. It is the worst martime disaster in British Columbia and Alaskan history.

• In 1923 RMS Empress of Australia survived the Great Kantō earthquake while in port at Yokohama, Japan. She rescued hundreds of people form the dock, manoeuvred out of port to safety, then provided aid to the population. Capitan Samuel Robinson was awarded the CBE for his actions.

• In 1952 SS Princess Marguerite ran aground and sank in Lynn Canal, Alaska. All crew and passengers were rescued by the United States Coast Guard.

WWI

CP Ships served in the Merchant Navy (United Kingdom) in WWI.

• In 1916 SS Mount Temple was taken by the SMS Mowe, a merchant raider of the Imperial German Navy. She was skuttled and her British Empire crew was held prisoner of war. American crewman were released as the United States was neutral at the time. Four Crew were killed.

WWII

Empress of Britain arriving at Greenock with Canadian troops aboard. (HMS Hood is visible in the background.)

The Empress of Asia on fire and sinking after being attacked by Japanese aircraft en route to Singapore.

CP Ships served in the Canadian Merchant Navy in WWII. Twelve ships were lost to direct enemy action. Two additional ships were lost to accidents.

• In 1940 RMS Empress of Britain was torpedoed by SM U-32 a Kriegsmarine U-Boat. She was the largest vessel sunk by a U-Boat in WWII. She had previously been abandoed after being attacked by Luftwaffe Focke Wulf Condor bombers. 45 men were lost in the initial attack.

• In 1940 SS Beaverburn was torpedoed by U-Boat SM U-41. 1 sailor was lost and 76 were rescued by the US tanker Narraganset.

• In 1941 SS Niagara was lost in the Hauraki Gulf by a mine from the German auxiliary cruiser Orion. All crew members were rescued.

• In 1941 the SS Beaverford was part of Convoy HX-84. The convoy was escorted by the HMS Jarvis Bay. The convoy was attacked by the Admiral Scheer pocket battleship. The Jarvis Bay was lost in action and the Beaverford stepped in to defend the convoy. The 32 other ships of the convoy managed to escape with the lightly armed, and armour less Beaverford duelled the Battleship. She held the Germans off long enough for the Convoy to escape, but was sunk with all 76 crew aboard.

• In 1941 the SS Beaverbrae was bombed by a Focke-Wulf and sunk. All crew members were rescued.

• In 1941 the SS Beaverdale was torpedoed by U-boat SM U-48. 21 crew were killed. Captain Draper navigated one lifeboat to 300 miles to Iceland. The other lifeboat was rescued at sea.

• In 1942 RMS Empress of Asia was sunk by 9 dive-bombers of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service near Singapore. 40 crewman survived with Leonard H. Johnson awarded the OBE for his actions.

• In 1942 SS Duchess of Bedford sank a U-boat with its deck gun two days out of Liverpool. It also damaged a second one. Capitan Busk-Wood was awarded the OBE for this action.

• In 1942 SS Princess Marguerite was sunk by SM U-83 with over 1,000 troops on board. Swift action from its escorts allowed the rescue of most persons on board. 55 Men were lost with the ship.

• In 1942 Duchess of Atholl was sunk by SM U-178 2,000 miles off Ascension island with 831 people on board. 5 crewmen were lost in the initial torpedoing, everyone else was rescued from lifeboats by HMS Corinthian.

• In 1943 RMS Empress of Canada was sunk by an Italian submarine off Cape Palmas. 392 of the 1,800 people on board were killed, many were Italian Prisoner of War.

• In 1943 SS Duchess of York was sunk by long range Luftwaffe bombers. Twenty Seven crew were killed.

Notable Captains

Ronald Stuart receiving his VC from King George V outside Buckingham Palace

• Ronald Niel Stuart VC DSO RD RNR (1886–1954) was highly decorated for his service in the Royal Navy during the first World War I. In addition to his British decorations, he was honoured with the French Croix de Guerre and the United States' Navy Cross while serving in the Royal Navy during the First Battle of the Atlantic. The remainder of his naval career was spent with Canadian Pacific. A special warrant was written in 1927 which allowed him to fly the Blue Ensign from any ship, mercantile or military, which he commanded. In 1934, he was named Commodore of the CPS fleet and was placed in command of the 42,000 ton liner RMS Empress of Britain on her transatlantic route. In 1937, he was promoted to company superintendent, a role followed by the job of general manager at Canadian Pacific's London office. He retained this job for 13 years, including through the difficult experiences of World War II when London's dockyards were badly damaged by the London Blitz. During this period, he was made a part-time naval aide-de-camp to King George VI in 1941 – a position he held part–time throughout World War II.
• Captain Sir Samuel Robinson KBE (1870–1958) served 37 years at sea on Canadian Pacific vessels. He earned international acclaim as captain of the RMS Empress of Australia which was at Yokohama in Tokyo Bay during the devastating Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. He would be credited with saving the ship, his crew and passengers, and more than 3,000 others during the unfolding catastrophe. Robinson's honours included Commander of the British Empire (CBE); Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE); Order of the Chrysanthemum (Japan); Order of St John of Jerusalem, the Silver Medal (UK); Lloyd's Medal for Meritorious Service (UK); Medal of Honour, Red Ribbon (Japan); Order of the White Elephant (Siam); Cross of the Second Class of the Order of Naval Merit (with white badge) (Spain).
• Captain John Wallace Thomas CBE (1888–1965) served with distinction in both first and second World Wars. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his handling of the RMS Empress of Scotland during an attack by the Luftwaffe off the coast of Ireland on November 9, 1940. Captain Thomas was the only member of the Canadian merchant navy to have been honoured with the CBE during that war.

Corporate Timeline

• 1881 Canadian Pacific Railway was founded.
• 1891 Shipping assets are incorporated into Canadian Pacific Steamship Company.
• 1915 Name changes to Canadian Pacific Steamships Ocean Services Ltd.
• 1971 Name changes to CP Ships Ltd.
• 2001 CP Ships Ltd. is spun out from the conglomerate Canadian Pacific Railway and become and independent company.
• 2005 Company sold to TUI AG.

See also

• List of Ships of CP Ships
• Princess fleet
• Empress of Ireland
• SS Mount Temple
• Canadian Merchant Navy

References

• Musk, George. (1981). Canadian Pacific: The Story of the Famous Shipping Line. Toronto: Holt, Rinehart and Winston of Canada. 10-ISBN 0039202917; 13-ISBN 9780039202910; OCLC 7540915
• Snelling, Stephen. 2002. The Naval VCs. Stroud, Gloustershire: Sutton. 10-ISBN 0-750-91395-9; 13-ISBN 978-0-750-91395-9

Further reading

• History of CP Ships - Hapag Lloyd
• The Role of the CP Ships in World War II
• EDGAR Online: CP Ships Limited - Revised 2003 Annual Information Form, 7 September 2004

External links

• CP Ships (Archive)
• White Empress fleet list: 20 vessels
• New York Public Library Digital Gallery:
  • NYPL ID 97712, unknown photographer: Empress of Canada, portside view
  • NYPL ID 97717, unknown photographer: Empress of Scotland, starboard view