RMS Empress of Australia was an ocean liner built in 1913-1919 by Vulcan AG shipyard in Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland) for the Hamburg America Line. In trans-Pacific service, the ship … The keel was laid in 1890; and she was launched on 25 March 1891. She was refitted for Canadian Pacific Steamships; and the ship -- the third of three CP vessels to be named Empress of China -- was renamed yet again in 1922 as the Empress of Australia.. The 5,905-ton vessel had a length of 455.6 feet, and her beam was 51.2 feet. dock, Vancouver 1897.jpg 3,000 × 2,735; 379 KB RMS Empress of China was built by Naval Construction & Armament Co. (now absorbed into Vickers Armstrongs) at Barrow, England. RMS Empress of China at Vancouver 1907.jpg 3,000 × 2,110; 739 KB RMS Empress of China docked at Vancouver circa 1893.jpg 3,000 × 2,325; 646 KB The Empress of China at the C.P.R.