Departure: January 3rd 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by L. D. Douglas, began a Pacific crossing upon sailing from Vancouver on January 3rd, 1931. On this crossing the ship would call at Hawaii.
The ship carried a light passenger list of 282 aboard with 43 First Class, 21 Second Class, 18 Third Class and 200 Steerage. A fair cargo was reported.
Notable passengers embarking aboard EMPRESS OF ASIA on January 3rd, 1931 at Vancouver and Victoria.
| Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield Cox | Of London. |
| Mr. and Mrs. F. N. Dunbar | Of London. |
| Mr. and Mrs. John Kitto | Of Tientsin, associated with the Asiatic Petroleum Company. |
| I. I. Monteith | |
| Mrs. W. A. Murphy | Of Winnipeg |
| Mr. and Mrs. T. Wilcox | Of Washington Seventh Day Adventists |
| R. P. Wood | Of Shanghai. |
Arrival: March 7th 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by L. D. Douglas concluded a Pacific crossing upon reaching Vancouver on March 7th, 1931. While in the Orient the ship received an annual overhaul at Kowloon. The ship carried a very light passenger list of 103 persons with 14 First Class, 13 Second Class, 4 Third Class and 72 Steerage. The light passenger list was attributed to the economic affects of the Depression. A fair cargo was reported including 500 tons of raw silk that was expedited to New York by a special Canadian Pacific train of 10 cars that awaited the ship at Vancouver.
Notable passengers aboard EMPRESS OF ASIA arriving at Victoria and Vancouver on March 7th, 1931.
| Mr. and Mrs. T. H. Banfield | Of Portland, Oregon, proceeding home from a business trip to the Far East. The former being President of the Fireman Manufacturing Company. |
| Mrs. Phillip S. Dalton | Of Milton, Kansas, en route from Tokyo. |
| E. Armstrong | Associated with the Governor-General’s Staff at Manila. |
| A. H. Glendinning | Of Belfast, Manager of the Glendinning, McLeish Company, linen manufacturers, en route to Ireland. |
| D. C. Whittinghill | Of Watertown, Massachusetts, Far Eastern representative of the Hood Rubber Company returning from the Philippines. |
| Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Hughes | Of Shanghai, the former being an official of the Surveyor’s Department of the Shanghai Municipal Council. |
| George Lake | Of Vancouver, an agent of Canadian Pacific Steamships. |
| Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Kilop | Of Shanghai, the former being a Police Inspector of the Shanghai Municipal Police, en route to England. |
Departure: March 14th 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by L. D. Douglas, began a Pacific crossing upon sailing from Vancouver on March 14th, 1931.
The ship carried a light passenger list of 157 aboard with 22 First Class, 33 Second Class and 102 Steerage. Included was a party of 5 Chinese students returning home from Boston and Harvard Universities.
Notable passengers embarking aboard EMPRESS OF ASIA on March 14th, 1931 at Vancouver and Victoria.
| Violet Punnett | Of Victoria, en route to Peiping. |
| M. H. Dodge | Far East representative of the Fairbanks-Morse Company |
| Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Johnston | Of Los Angeles, on a tour of the Orient. |
| T. L. Bonstow | Of San Francisco. |
Arrival: April 28th 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by L. D. Douglas, concluded a Pacific crossing upon reaching Victoria on April 28th, 1931.
A cargo of 2,400 tons was carried and included 400 tons of silk that was discharged at Vancouver to a special train that would carry the shipment to the East Coast.
The ship reported a passenger list of 308 with 85 First Class, 43 Second Class, and 200 Third Class passengers.
Notable passengers aboard EMPRESS OF ASIA arriving at Victoria and Vancouver on April 28th, 1931.
| Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Wehrhane | Of New York, returning from a trip to the Far East. |
| Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright | Of Kobe, en route to England. |
| B. M. Tyler | Of London, associated with Tyler Brothers, en route to England. |
| Mrs. Walso Forbes | Of Boston, returning from a visit to the American Embassy in Japan. |
| J. O. Ross | Of New York, associated with Ross Industries Corporation, returning from a visit to China and Japan. |
| Frank S. Booth | Of Kobe, en route to the United States. |
| F. B. Anderson | Of Cleveland, associated with the Anderson Manufacturing Company, returning from a world tour. |
| G. N. Sterling | Associated with the British Legation in China, travelling to British Columbia. |
| J. E. S. Alexander | En route to England. |
| H. A. Anderfelt | Of Kobe, associated with the Swedish Match Company, travelling to Sweden. |
| C. H. C. de la Camp | Of Kobe, associated with the De la Camp Paper Company, en route to England and Europe. |
Departure: May 9th 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by L. D. Douglas, began a Pacific crossing upon sailing from Vancouver on May 9th, 1931.
The ship carried a light passenger list of 203 aboard with 25 First Class, 26 Second Class and 162 Third Class passengers.
A full cargo was reported.
No other passenger information is available for this voyage.
Arrival: June 22nd 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by L. D. Douglas, concluded a Pacific crossing upon reaching Vancouver on June 22nd, 1931. The crossing was described as uneventful with smooth seas.
A good cargo was reported that included a valuable silk shipment.
The ship reported a fair passenger list of 431 with 60 First Class, 41 Second Class and Steerage Class passengers.
Notable passengers aboard EMPRESS OF ASIA arriving at Victoria and Vancouver on June 22nd, 1931.
| Mr. and Mrs. Ashcroft | Of Rhoss-on-Sea, England returning home on a world tour. |
| Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Fairhurst | Of Tacoma, returning from a visit to the Far East. |
| A. Lincoln Cooper | Of New York, associated with General Motors Corporation, returning from a trip to the Far East. |
| D. Grebstein | Of New York, returning from a business trip to China and Japan. |
| E. Brier | Associated with the Park-Davis Drug Company, Detroit, en route from a business tour of the Far East. |
| Idwin Herzig | Associated with Herzig & Hart of New York. |
| J. F. Malone | Associated with Cobb Tobacco Company, Richmond, returning from a business tour of the Far East. |
| Harry Lang | Associated with Herzig & Hart of New York. |
| Mr. and Mrs. Paul Lauder | Of Hong Kong, associated with the Union Insurance Company of Canton, en route to England. |
| Mrs. J.J. Jensen | Of Shanghai, en route to Vancouver. |
| B. G. Ryan | Of Kobe, passenger agent for the Canadian Pacific Railway Company travelling to Canada. |
| Mr. and Mrs. Barry | Of Mombassa, associated with the Standard Bank Of South Africa, en route to England. |
| Captain C. M. B. Hindered | Of Nairobi en route to England. |
| Mr. and Mrs. G. B. Slater | Of Tokyo, associated with W. H. Allen & Sons, Bedford, en route to England. |
| Mrs. H. M. Hito | Of Tokyo en route to Canada. |
| Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Butterfiedl | Former being a civil engineer with the Public Works Department, Kedah, Malaya. |
| T. F. Winmill | Of London, associated with the British American tobacco company, returning from a visit to the far East. |
| Henry B. Smith | Of Melbourne. |
| A. H. Rasmussen | Of Tientsin. |
Departure: July 6th 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by A. V. R. Lovegrove, began a Pacific crossing upon sailing from Vancouver on July 6th, 1931. Captain Lovegrove had temporarily replaced Captain Douglas as Master of the ship while the later had been assigned Master of the EMPRESS OF CANADA. The Staff Captain of the EMPRESS OF ASIA, Captain E. Green was similarly transferred to the EMPRESS OF CANADA as Staff Captain.
The ship was held over at Vancouver several hours to accommodate delegates to the National Education Association who were travelling from San Francisco.
The EMPRESS OF ASIA reported a fair passenger list and an absolutely full cargo including flour, paper and other general merchandise. Refrigerated items included California grapes, cabbages and other fruits and vegetables. Notable passengers embarking aboard EMPRESS OF ASIA on July 6th, 1931 at Vancouver and Victoria.
| B. D. F. Beith | Of London, a Director of Messrs. Matheson & Company, Hong Kong. |
| Judge J. H. Covington | Former Representative in Congress for Maryland and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at Washington. |
| James Ramsay | Edmonton proprietor. |
| A. Snow | |
| K. Yukawa | Returning to Japan after post graduate work at Harvard University |
Arrival: August 17th 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by A. V. R. Lovegrove, concluded a Pacific crossing upon reaching Vancouver on August 17th, 1931. At Victoria 96 tons of cargo and 600 bags of mail were discharged. The cargo included 250 packages of silk that was transferred to the H. F. ALEXANDER for transshipment to San Francisco.
At Vancouver 3,370 tons of cargo were discharged that included 1,748 bales of raw silk. The silk left Vancouver aboard a special train that would carry the shipment to the East Coast.
The ship reported a small passenger list of 262 with 42 First Class, 27 Tourist Class and 193 Steerage.
One passenger was J. A. Moir, the Purser of the EMPRESS OF CANADA who was called home to Vancouver from his ship to attend a family illness. Purser Moir left his ship and boarded the EMPRESS OF ASIA at Yokohama.
Notable passengers aboard EMPRESS OF ASIA arriving at Victoria and Vancouver on August 17th, 1931.
| J. A. Moir | Purser of the EMPRESS OF CANADA, returning home from Yokohama to attend to a personal emergency. |
| S. M. Gunn | Of the Rockefeller Foundation, Peiping en route to the United States. |
| E. Byrner | Agent of the Canadian Pacific at Mukden. |
| Shoze Kimura | Manager of the Japan Cotton Company, en route to Dallas. |
| I. Pettina | Of Harbin, travelling to Philadelphia. |
| Lieutenant W. Shirley Gooch | Of H.M.S. CUMBERLAND en route to England. |
| H. W. Lampher | Of Shanghai, with the American Church Mission, en route to the United States. |
| Dr. M. Narmann | Of Berlin, with the Siemens China Company, travelling home after a visit to the Far East. |
| Elias Antaki | Of Shanghai, silk importer en route to Paris. |
| Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Dent | Of Australia, travelling to Alaska and the Yukon on a holiday. |
| Lena Lindquist | Returning to the United States after a tour of the Far East. |
| Mr. and Mrs. A. Loomis | Of Shanghai, proceeding to Belgium on vacation. |
| W. B. Hall | Director of Aviation for the Chinese Government, en route from Hong Kong to Washington. |
Departure: August 29th 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by A. V. R. Lovegrove, began a Pacific crossing upon sailing from Vancouver on August 29th, 1931.
The ship carried a passenger list of 420 with 50 First Class, 70 Second Class and 300 Steerage.
Notable passengers embarking aboard EMPRESS OF ASIA on August 29th, 1931 at Vancouver and Victoria.
| Dr. L. Rajchman | Associated with the Health Section of the League Of Nations. |
| Reverend Canon B. H. Streeter | Canon of Hereford Cathedral en route to Shanghai. |
| Viscount Kato | Yokohama. |
| Kirokuro Okura | Yokohama. |
| J. F. M. Bland | Associated with the Rising Sun Petroleum Company, Yokohama. |
| Reverend and Mrs. John Macneill | Of Hamilton, the former associated with McMaster University and the Baptist World Alliance. |
| Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Shook | Associated with the Manufacturers’ Life Assurance Company, Singapore. |
Arrival: October 12th 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by A. V. R. Lovegrove concluded a Pacific crossing upon reaching Vancouver on October 12th, 1931. The crossing of the Pacific was described as uneventful. The ship carried a very light passenger list of 208 persons with 8 First Class, 15 Tourist Class and 185 Steerage.
Cargo included 280 tons of silk that was expedited to the East Coast of North America from Vancouver by a special train. At Victoria, 800 bales of raw silk were transferred to the Pacific Steamship Company’s DOROTHY ALEXANDER. The DOROTHY ALEXANDER would carry the silk to San Francisco were it would be transferred to a Dollar Line ship and carried to New York via the Panama Canal. Other cargo, for overland shipment, consisted of 900 tons of general freight and 400 tons of perishable goods. Forty tons of silk were also destined for the British West Indies.
No other passenger information is available for this crossing.
Departure: October 24th 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by L. D. Douglas, began a Pacific crossing upon sailing from Vancouver on October 24th, 1931.
On this voyage Captain Douglas returned from vacation and rejoined the EMPRESS OF ASIA. Captain Lovegrove, who been replacing Douglas, returned to the EMPRESS OF JAPAN.
The ship carried a passenger list of 550.
A good cargo was reported.
The passenger list included W. Cameron Forbes, United States Ambassador to Japan, who was returning to Japan.
No other passenger information is available for this voyage.
Arrival: December 7th 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by L. D. Douglas, concluded a Pacific crossing upon reaching Victoria on December 7th, 1931 and Vancouver the following day. The ship was 14 hours late in reaching Victoria having been delayed at Yokohama to accommodate late passengers and then further delayed by stormy weather off the Japanese coast.
A cargo of 3,621 tons was carried and included silk valued at $1,750.00 that was discharged at Vancouver to a special train that would carry the shipment to the East Coast. The silk filled 6 rail cars.
Included in cargo were 64,000 bundles of Japanese oranges. Most of the oranges were transported to other Canadian provinces and the shipment filled 65 rail cars
The ship reported a light passenger list of 140 with 26 First Class, 11 Second Class and 103 Third Class.
Notable passengers aboard EMPRESS OF ASIA arriving at Victoria and Vancouver on December 7th, 1931.
| C. J. Burchell | Of Halifax, returning member of the Canadian Delegation to the Institute of Pacific Relations conference at Shanghai. |
| J. McIntosh Bell | Of Almonte, Ontario, returning member of the Canadian Delegation to the Institute of Pacific Relations conference at Shanghai. |
| Guy Rogers | Of Toronto, returning member of the Canadian Delegation to the Institute of Pacific Relations conference at Shanghai. |
| C. S. Shank | Of Seattle returning member of the American Delegation to the Institute of Pacific Relations conference at Shanghai. |
| Count A. Kabayama | Of Tokyo, a member of the Japanese House of Peers, en route to the United States. |
| Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Gallenkemp | Of San Francisco returning from a trip to Japan. |
| T. Komatsu | Managing Director of the Asano Shipbuilding Company en route to the United States. |
| General Sir E. Atkinson | Of London, associated with Vickers Ltd., returning from a trip to the Far East. |
| Professor and Mrs. K. H. Digby | En route to London England from Hong Kong. |
| B. M. Cairns | Of Hong Kong, associated with the United Church of Canada Mission, en route to Hemmingford, Quebec. |
| Mr. and Mrs. William Turner | The former being the Reuters’s News Service Manager at Shanghai, en route to London. |
Departure: December 19th 1931
The EMPRESS OF ASIA, commanded by L. D. Douglas, began a Pacific crossing upon sailing from Vancouver on December 19th, 1931.
The ship carried a passenger list of 452.
The ship would travel to the Far East by way of Hawaii and approximately 50 passengers would disembark there.
The ship was decorated for the Christmas Season and Christmas Day would be spent at Honolulu. Special dinners and events marked Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Notable passengers embarking aboard EMPRESS OF ASIA on December 19th, 1931 at Vancouver and Victoria.
| Hon. H. H. Stevens, Mrs. Stevens and Marjorie Stevens | H. H. Stevens was the Canadian Minister of Trade and Commerce; his party was bound for Honolulu. |
| A. E. Tregent | Of Vancouver travelling to Honolulu. |
| D. I. Tregent | Of Vancouver travelling to Honolulu. |
| E. E. Baker | Of Vancouver travelling to Honolulu. |
| Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Field | Of Portland travelling to Honolulu. |
| Phillip Field | Of Portland travelling to Honolulu. |
| Elinor Field | Of Portland travelling to Honolulu. |
| Harriet Field | Of Portland travelling to Honolulu. |
| Mr. and Mrs. G. Butterworth | Of Seattle travelling to Honolulu. |
| Margaret Heilman | Of Seattle travelling to Honolulu. |
| Ernest Steiner | Of Seattle travelling to Honolulu. |
| W. Dejarlais | Of Seattle travelling to Honolulu. |
| Wilfred Dejarlais | Of Seattle travelling to Honolulu. |
| David Spencer | Associated with the Spencer Company stores of Vancouver, en route to the Far East. |
| Mr. and Mrs. T. A. Spencer | Associated with the Spencer Company stores of Vancouver, en route to the Far East. |
| Dr. Arthur Torrance | A British Physician en route to Manchuria to battle the plague. |
| L. Galt | Of Victoria, en route to the Far East. |
| M. Galt | Of Victoria, en route to the Far East. |
| Captain A. J. Holland | The Marine Superintendent of Canadian Pacific Steamships en route to Hong Kong to supervise the overhaul of Canadian Pacific ships. |
| R. R. Liddell | The Superintendent Engineer of Canadian Pacific Steamships en route to Hong Kong to supervise the overhaul of Canadian Pacific ships. |
| H. C. Spring | En route to the far East. |