& Co. of Liverpool as luxury liners with the ability to be converted into armed merchant cruisers, Prince Robert was the last of the three, the other two being and . The ship was long overall with a moulded breath of and a moulded depth of . The vessel's draught was aft. Prince Robert displaced and had a gross register tonnage (GRT) of 6,893 tons and a net register tonnage (NRT) of 3,072 tons. Prince Robert was propelled by twin screws driven by two Parsons reaction three-stage single-reduction geared turbines rated at at 267 rpm or . These were powered by six water-tube, five-drum, super-heated main boilers and two three-burner Scotch marine boilers for auxiliary power. The ship achieved during sea trials and had a range of at economical speeds or at . The ship had a refrigerated cargo capacity forward and could had accommodation for 334 first class passengers and 70 third class. They could carry 1,500 passengers on day trips. The ship had three decks and an elevator that could move up to two automobiles between them. Prince Robert had an open bridge placed in front of a small, enclosed wheelhouse. The vessel had three funnels and was equipped with six lifeboats per side. Two booms were situated forward over the no. 1 hold. To allow access to jetties of different heights, shell doors were located on each deck. Problems with the design arose after entering service. Their high sides and lack of maneuverability led to them requiring tugboat assistance when entering smaller harbours. Their speed created a tremendous wash that damaged the sea walls in West Vancouver, British Columbia. This led to Prince Robert and its sister ships having to reduce speed to in Burrard Inlet. Service history Construction and early civilian service In 1928, the president of Canadian National, Sir Henry Thornton, announced orders for three luxury liners for service on the Pacific coast as part of the effort to re-establish the tri-city route between Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia and Seattle, Washington and to create a new market for Alaskan cruises. Prince Robert was ordered in 1929 by Canadian National for construction by Cammell Laird at their shipyard in Birkenhead with the yard number 966. The third ship of the class after and , the ship was launched on 3 April 1930 and named after Robert B. Teakle, a vice-president of Canadian National. Prince Robert