RMS Empress of France ( 1914 ) RMS " Empress of France , formerly the SS " Alsatian was an ocean liner built in 1913 - 1914 by William Beardmore and Company at Glasgow in Scotland for Allan Line . In total , the ship ' s service history encompasses 99 trans - Atlantic voyages , 5 trans - Pacific voyages , and 8 other cruises in addition to her war service . Service . This ship was the first North Atlantic liner with a cruiser stern . The vessel was built by William Beardmore & Co Ltd . at Glasgow . She was an 18 , 481 gross tonnage ship , length 571 . 4 ft x beam , two funnels , two masts , four propellers and a speed of 18 knots . Her initial configuration provided accommodation for 287 1st class , 504 2nd class and 848 3rd class passengers . The ocean liner was initially launched as the SS " Alsatian " on 22 March 1912 . She sailed from Liverpool on her maiden voyage to Saint John , New Brunswick for the Allan Line on 17 January 1914 . On 22 May 1914 , set out on her first trans - Atlantic crossing from Liverpool to Quebec . Her last voyage that summer began on 17 July 1914 ; and when she returned to Europe , the nascent war in Europe brought a close to this truncated peacetime period of the ship ' s history . World War I . During the First World War , the SS " Alsatian " was converted into an Armed Merchant Cruiser ; and she joined the 10th Cruiser Squadron patrolling off the Shetland Islands as part of the Northern Patrol maintaining the blockade of Germany . HMS " Alsatian " became flagship for Rear - Admiral Sir Dudley de Chair . Later , HMS " Alsatian " served as flagship for Vice - Admiral Sir Reginald Tupper . During the war years , she became one of the first ships to be fitted with the new wireless direction - finding apparatus . After the squadron was retired in 1917 , she was re - fitted for peacetime service . Between the wars . At war ' s end , the ship was added to the fleet of Canadian Pacific Ocean Services Ltd . ( CP ) , which absorbed the entire Allan Line fleet . On 28 September 1918 , the SS " Alsatian " began her first voyage from Liverpool to Canada as a newly flagged ship of the Canadian Pacific fleet . After a second , trans - Atlantic voyage , the " Alsatian " was taken out of service for refitting at Glasgow . The ship was renamed " Empress of France " on 4 April 1919 . The first voyage as a CP " Empress " began of 26 September 1919 . She sailed from Liverpool to Quebec . On 3 May 1922 , her regular route was changed ; and she sailed between Southampton , Cherbourg and Quebec . On 31 May 1922 , the route was modified yet again ; and she sailed between Hamburg , Southampton , Cherbourg and Quebec . The Empress was one of four ocean liners to circumnavigate the world in 1923 . In 1924 , the ship was converted from coal to oil fuel . In July 1926 , her interiors were re - configured as 1st - class , 2nd - class , tourist - class and 3rd - class accommodations . In January 1927 , the interior was again re - configured as 1st - class , tourist - class and 3rd - class . Voyages . On 9 September 1927 , the " Empress " set out on what was to be her final Hamburg - Southampton - Cherbourg - Quebec voyage . On 8 September 1928 , she sailed on final Southampton - Cherbourg - Quebec voyage before being transferred to the Pacific . On October 31 , 1928 , she sailed from Southampton for Suez , Hong Kong and Vancouver . Subsequently sailed on the Pacific until 17 October 1929 when she left Hong Kong en route to Liverpool . On 2 September 1931 , the " Empress of France " set out for what was to be her final voyage from Southampton to Cherbourg and Quebec ; and in then she was laid up in the Clyde . The " Empress " was scrapped at Dalmuir on October 20 , 1934 .