passenger liner designed specifically to become a cruise ship in winter when the St. Lawrence River was frozen. Empress of Britain was annually converted into an all-first-class, luxury cruise ship, carrying 700 passengers. For the latter role her size was kept small enough to use the Panama and Suez canals, though at and , she was still large. When passing through Panama, there were only between the ship and the canal lock wall. She was powered by 12 steam turbines driving four propellers: the two inboard took two-thirds of the power, the outboard one-third. For cruising two engines were shut down and the two outboard propellers removed since speed was less important on a cruise. With four propellers, her speed during trials was , although her service speed was claimed to be , making her the fastest ship from England to Canada. Running on inner propellers, her speed was measured during trials at . The efficiency of this arrangement became clear in service – in transatlantic service, she consumed 356 tons of oil a day, while on her 1932 cruise, consumption fell to 179. To serve as a beacon at night during emergencies her three funnels were illuminated by powerful floodlights. From the air the funnels could be spotted 50 miles away and ships could see the illuminated funnels at 30 miles distance. Peacetime commercial service After sea trials, the ship headed for Southampton to prepare for her maiden voyage to Quebec City. Canadian Pacific posters proclaimed the ship the "Five Day Atlantic Giantess", "Canada's Challenger" and "The World's Wondership". The night before her maiden voyage, the Prince of Wales decided to go to Southampton to bid bon voyage. His inspection of the ship caused a short delay but at 1:12pm on Wednesday, 27 May 1931 Empress of Britain left Southampton for Quebec. Once at sea, the Toronto newspaper The Globe ran an editorial on what the ship meant to Canadians. “Canadian enterprise has issued a new challenge in the world of shipping by the completion and sailing of the Empress of Britain from England for Quebec. This giant Canadian Pacific liner of 42,500 tons sets a new standard for the Canadian route. Its luxurious equipment includes one entire deck for sport and recreation, another for public rooms, including a ballroom, with decorations by world-famous artists. There are apartments instead of cabins, and each is equipped with a radio receiving