The Empress of Japan was a beautifully-designed steam liner that travelled at record-breaking speeds for 22 years and saw 37 years’ service in total.

The Empress of Japan was built in 1891 and owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, who ran the Canadian mail contract. The steel steamship measured 148 metres in length and boasted 10,000 horsepower.

The ship was in service on the lucrative and exotic route from Canada to Japan and Hong Kong. She broke the Vancouver to Hong Kong speed route in 1897 and crossed the Pacific over 300 times during her career.

Many Asian immigrants to the New World travelled towards their new lives on the Empress of Japan, most of them journeying in the 700-berth steerage section of the ship. The Empress of Japan was called into service during World War One, resuming passenger service for the company between 1916 and 1922. She was finally scrapped in Vancouver in 1928.