A consortium of housing associations, along with Glasgow City Council, local regeneration companies and Anniesland College, have joined forces to try to save an iconic liner and promote her preservation as part of the overall regeneration of the Clyde.

Linthouse, Partick, GHA and Link Group is campaigning to save the SS Empress of Britain, which they fear may soon be sold for scrap.

The liner is the last available transatlantic liner of her type and era which was built on Clydeside. Completed for the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1956, she initially sailed weekly from Greenock to Montreal.

Now named SSTopaz, a buyer is needed for the iconic liner, and the consortium has alerted national and local newspapers and broadcasters to the imminent demise of what would be a unique and real monument to Clyde shipbuilding and enterprise.


The consortium hopes that a 'champion' might emerge to fund her purchase and return her to the place of her birth. Conversion for use as a hotel, leisure complex, conference centre and social enterprise 'hub' would have the potential to contribute to economic regeneration in Glasgow, Greenock or elsewhere in the area.

The consortium's spokesperson, Craig Sanderson of Link, said: "The Empress has had an uninterrupted career as a cruise liner for 52 years, an astonishing record and testament to the excellence of her builders, Fairfields of Govan.

"Growing up in Rothesay, I used to watch her gliding past the Skelmorlie coast - and I'm sure others of a certain age have fond memories of her too. We must not let her go without a fight!

"Sadly, the current members of the consortium are not commercial organisations or experts in the field of ships or hotels and do not have access to the sort of money needed to buy her or fund conversion. So, we need some big hitters to help - if your readers know of anyone who has some £9m to spare."

(GK/JM)