Witness to Yesterday (The Champlain Society Podcast on Canadian History)

Oceans of Fate

·38 min·3 clips

Dan Black reveals the untold story of the Empress of Asia, a Canadian Pacific liner with a dramatic 30-year career spanning war and peace.

The episode begins with host Larry Ostola introducing Dan Black, author of 'Oceans of Fate,' a book about the Empress of Asia published by Dundurn Press in 2025. Black, a former journalist and editor-in-chief of Canada's Legion magazine, discusses his focus on lesser-known war narratives. The Empress of Asia was built in 1912 at the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Govan, Scotland, as part of Canadian Pacific's Trans-Pacific Steamship Service. It was a coal-fired passenger liner with luxurious amenities for first and second class, including a grand piano and Roman columns, but also carried over 800 steerage passengers. The ship's career included service as an armed merchant cruiser in World War I, hunting for the German raider Emden and patrolling the Red Sea. It transported Chinese Labour Corps members, American troops, and refugees, such as survivors of the 1923 Tokyo-Yokohama earthquake. Notable passengers included John D. Rockefeller, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Norman Bethune. The ship played a key role in the raw silk trade, with one 1927 shipment valued at $12 million. It was also involved in drug smuggling, with ingenious methods like using ropes and floats to smuggle opium. The final voyage in 1941-1942 saw it transporting British troops to Singapore, where it was attacked by Japanese aircraft and sank after a fire, with casualties including 16 soldiers and 9 crew members. The episode concludes with Black reflecting on the ship's legacy and the importance of individual stories.

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