RMS Empress of Scotland (1905)

RMS Empress of Scotland, originally SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, was an ocean liner built in 1905–1906 by Vulcan AG shipyard in Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland) for the Hamburg America Line. The ship regularly sailed between Hamburg and New York City until the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914. At the end of hostilities, re-flagged as USS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, she transported American troops from Europe to the United States. For a brief time Cunard sailed the re-flagged ship between Liverpool and New York.

The ship was refitted for Canadian Pacific Steamships (CP) and in 1921, she was renamed Empress of Scotland—the first of two CP ships to bear that name.[3]

The vessel ended service in 1930 and was sold for scrap. During the demolition of the ship, the vessel caught fire, broke in two and sank. The hulls were raised and scrapped.

Service history

Kaiserin Auguste Victoria was built by AG Vulcan Stettin in Stettin on the Baltic in 1905–1906. The new ship was ordered by the expanding Hamburg America Line

Interiors

Like her sister ship Amerika, the interiors of the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria were luxurious and included several cutting-edge amenities. The interiors were designed by the French architect Charles Mewès and the decoration entrusted to the English firm of Waring & Gillow, as had been the case with the Amerika.[6] Like her older sister, the Kaiserin was installed with an elevator and offered an à la carte restaurant as an alternative to the main dining room. Both were complete novelties at the time.[6][7] There was also a gymnasium, electric baths, massage rooms, a palm garden, children's playroom, music room, and a two-deck high smoking room.[7][8][9][10]

World War I

During World War I, Kaiserin Auguste Victoria stayed in the port of Hamburg starting in August 1914. In March 1919, she was surrendered to Britain.[5] The ship was chartered by the United States Shipping Board, and USS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria carried American troops from France to the United States. The ship made five crossings bringing troops home from the war.[11]

Post war

On 14 February 1920, the ship was decommissioned by the United States Navy and chartered to Cunard. SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria sailed between Liverpool and New York although her time with Cunard would be very short, likely because they found her interior too dated and her design too top-heavy.[11][12]

On 13 May 1921, the ship was sold to Canadian Pacific and was renamed Empress of Scotland. The ship was refitted to carry 459 first-class passengers, 478 second-class passengers, and 960 third-class passengers; it was converted to fuel oil at the same time.

On 22 January 1922, Empress of Scotland embarked on her first voyage from Southampton to New York. On 22 April 1922, she made her second trans-Atlantic voyage, sailing the Southampton-Cherbourg-Quebec route. On 14 June 1922 she transferred to the Hamburg-Southampton-Cherbourg-Quebec service. In 1923, she was involved in a collision with SS Bonus at Hamburg.[5]

In 1926, Empress of Scotland was refitted again, this time with accommodations for first-class, second-class, tourist-class, and third-class passengers.

country	Germany
owner	Hamburg America Line
registry	Hamburg
builder	Vulcan AG shipyard, Stettin, Germany
maiden voyage	10 May 1906
yard number	264
launched	29 August 1905 by the German Empress
fate	Seized by the United States

RMS Empress of Scotland (1905)

Service history

Interiors

World War I

Post war

See also

External links

References