Talk:HMS Empress

An earlier HMS Empress?

The Australian Dictionary of Biography states that James Murray, the second bishop of Maitland arrived on HMS Empress on 21 October 1866. This indicates that there was an earlier incarnation of this lady.

I've looked through the linked article, but it doesn't make any reference to an HMS Empress at all. Benea (talk) 18:52, 18 September 2011 (UTC)

Having looked a little into your contributions, I assume you refer to this entry concerning Matthew Quinn. It states that he arrived aboard the Empress. This is not a warship, and only commissioned warships of the Royal Navy bore the prefix HMS. This is almost certainly a mercantile vessel. Looking through shipping records I see that Houlder Bros Ltd. operated a sailing ship named Empress between 1863 and renamed her Elizabeth in 1877. Houlder had been operating the London - Australia route since 1861. It is quite possible then that this is the Empress that brought Murray and Quinn to Australia. Benea (talk) 05:08, 19 September 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for your help. Boats, ships, and vessels are not my thing! I'm doing some stuff on people in mitres, at present. Jherschel (talk) 12:18, 19 September 2011 (UTC)