The largest ship ever built for the transatlantic route to Canada was the Empress of Britain. At over 45,000 tons, the Canadian Pacific liner towered over her competitors. But it wasn't just size that made the Empress Britain's greatest liner - her interiors were the finest ever seen on the Canadian route and some of the most sumptuous ever in an ocean liner. Artists and designers from W. Heath Robinson to Edmund Dulac created outstanding public rooms and cabins while the naval architects of John Brown's at Clydebank designed the exterior.<BR>In winter, the Empress of Britain became the world's most luxurious cruise ship, undertaking world cruises and visiting such exotic locations as Hong Kong, Cuba, Singapore and South America. In 1941 her career was cut short by a lone German aircraft which bombed her and set her on fire. The Empress of Britain was abandoned off the coast of Scotland and left to burn, until she was sunk by a U-boat. It was a tragic end for Britain's greatest liner.