Canadian Pacific Ships

In 1873 a company was formed to construct the first railway across Canada. It soon branched out into shipping, chartering ships from the Cunard Line for service between Vancouver, Yokohama, Shanghai and Hong Kong. In 1889 Canadian Pacific would be awarded the mail contract for the service across the Pacific and, by 1903, they would purchase Elder Dempster & Company and begin sailing from Liverpool to Quebec and Montreal.

They obtained control of the Atlantic, rail and Pacific routes, and later interest in the Canadian-Australasian Line, becoming 'the world's greatest transportation system', bridging two oceans and linking four continents. Canada's largest operator of Atlantic and Pacific steamships until after the Second World War, CP Ships boasted such names as Empress of Britain, Empress of Ireland and Empress of Canada. This new history of the shipping side of Canadian Pacific includes a wealth of illustrations and a detailed fleet list that will enthral maritime enthusiasts.

Auteur

IAN COLLARD took early retirement at fifty and began to compile collections of maritime photographs, beginning with those he took over the past 40 years. His first book was Mersey Shipping: The Twilight Years and since then he has written many books on shipping and industry, including Birkenhead Docks, Cammel Laird, Coastal Shipping, Isle of Man Shipping Remembered and Ellerman Lines. He gives regular presentations and slide shows to various organisations. He lives in Wirral.