Subseries consists of records related to the Canadian Pacific Railway Company's steamship division, which was first introduced in 1887 following the completion of the transcontinental railway. The Canadian Pacific Steamship Company (later the Canadian Pacific Steamships Ocean Services Ltd.), built a fleet of opulent ocean liners built to C.P.R. specifications, including several which operated as Royal Mail Ships for the British Empire. Canadian Pacific steamships became known for the luxury they offered passengers in addition to functioning as a major cargo carrier. Records in this subseries pertain to the Canadian Pacific steamships themselves, such as shipbuilding specifications, as well as to the ships' operations. There is a particular emphasis on the Empress line of ocean lines, although records about ships from other lines, such as the Princess and Duchess lines, are also found in this subseries.

These records include photographs and photograph albums, scrapbooks, ships histories, pamphlets, postcards, broadsides, newspaper clippings, diaries, menus and programmes, passenger lists, sailings schedules and fares, boarding cards, ship plans and technical drawings, reports, invoices, inventories, account books, log books, service records, maps, baggage labels, stationery, correspondence, ephemera, and artefacts.