Union-Castle Line
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The Union-Castle Line was a prominent shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and freighters between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977.
The company originated as Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company, Ltd on 8 March 1900 with the merger of Union Line and Castle Shipping Line, with Castle Shipping Line taking over the fleet.
Union-Castle named all their ships with the suffix "Castle" in their names. They were well known for the lavender hulled liners with black and red funnels, running on a rigid timetable between Southampton and Cape Town. Every Thursday at 4pm a Union-Castle Royal Mail Ship would leave Southampton bound for Cape Town. At the same time, a Union-Castle Royal Mail Ship would leave Cape Town bound for Southampton.
In December 1999, the Union-Castle name was revived for a millennium cruise; the P&O ship Victoria was chartered for a 60-day cruise around Africa, and had its funnel repainted for the occasion.
[edit] Ships
| Vessel | Tons | In Service |
|---|---|---|
| Alnwick Castle | 5,893 | 1901-1917 |
| Armadale Castle (2) | 12,973 | 1903-1936 |
| Aros Castle | 4,460 | 1901-1917 |
| Arundel Castle (4) | 19,023 | 1921-1958 |
| Athlone Castle | 25,564 | 1934-1965 |
| Balmoral Castle (2) | 13,361 | 1910-1939 |
| Balmoral Castle (3) | 7,952 | 1965-1982 |
| Bampton Castle | 6,698 | 1920-1932 |
| Banbury Castle | 6,430 | 1918-1931 |
| Berwick Castle | 5,883 | 1902-1919 |
| Bloemfontein Castle | 18,400 | 1950-1959 |
| Braemar Castle (2) | 7,067 | 1943-1950 |
| Braemar Castle (3) | 17,029 | 1952-1966 |
| Bratton Castle | 6,696 | 1920-1931 |
| Capetown Castle | 27,000 | 1938-1967 |
| Carlisle Castle | 4,325 | 1913-1918 |
| Carlow Castle | 5,833 | 1917-1930 |
| Carnarvon Castle (2) | 20,122 | 1926-1963 |
| Cawdor Castle | 6,235 | 1902-1926 |
| Celt (I)[1] | ||
| Celt (II)[1] | ||
| Chepstow Castle | 7,494 | 1913-1933 |
| Cluny Castle (3) | 5,147 | 1903-1924 |
| Comrie Castle | 5,167 | 1903-1924 |
| Corfe Castle | 4,592 | 1901-1927 |
| Crawford Castle | 4,264 | 1910-1930 |
| Dover Castle (2) | 8,271 | 1904-1917 |
| Dover Castle (3) | 7,950 | 1964-1981 |
| Drakensburg Castle | 9,905 | 1945-1951 |
| Dromore Castle | 5,242 | 1919-1942 |
| Dunbar Castle (2) | 10,002 | 1930-1940 |
| Dundrum Castle | 5,259 | 1919-1943 |
| Dunluce Castle (2) | 8,114 | 1904-1939 |
| Dunottar Castle (1) | 5,625 | 1890-1916 |
| Dunnottar Castle (2) | 15,002 | 1936-1958 |
| Dunvegan Castle (2) | 15,007 | 1936-1940 |
| Durban Castle | 17,382 | 1938-1962 |
| Durham Castle | 8,217 | 1904-1939 |
| Edinburgh Castle (2) | 13,326 | 1910-1940 |
| Edinburgh Castle (3) | 28,700 | 1947-1976 |
| Galway Castle | 7,988 | 1911-1918 |
| Garth Castle (2) | 7,612 | 1910-1939 |
| Glenart Castle | ||
| Glengorm Castle | ||
| Gloucester Castle | 7,999 | 1911-1942 |
| Good Hope Castle (1) | 9,905 | 1945-1959 |
| Good Hope Castle (2) | 10,500 | 1965-1978 |
| Gordon Castle | 4,408 | 1901-1924 |
| Grantully Castle (2) | 7,612 | 1910-1939 |
| Guildford Castle | 7,995 | 1911-1933 |
| Kenilworth Castle (2) | 12,975 | 1904-1936 |
| Kenilworth Castle (3) | 9,916 | 1944-1968 |
| Kenya Castle | 17,040 | 1951-1967 |
| Kinnaird Castle | 7,718 | 1956-1969 |
| Kinpurnie Castle (1) | 8,121 | 1954-1967 |
| Kinpurnie Castle (2) | 7,950 | 1966-1982 |
| Leasowe Castle | 8,106 | 1917-1918 |
| Llandaff Castle | 10,786 | 1926-1942 |
| Llandovery Castle (1) | 10,639 | 1914-1918 |
| Llandovery Castle (2) | 10,640 | 1925-1953 |
| Llangibby Castle | 11,951 | 1929-1954 |
| Llanstephan Castle | 11,348 | 1914-1952 |
| Newark Castle | 6,224 | 1902-1908 |
| Pendennis Castle | 28,582 | 1958-1976 |
| Polglass Castle | 4,631 | 1903-1921 |
| Pretoria Castle (1) / Warwick Castle (4) | 17,383 | 1939-1962 |
| Pretoria Castle (2) | 28,705 | 1948-1975 |
| Reina Del Mar | 20,263 | 1956-1975 |
| Rhodesia Castle | 17,041 | 1951-1967 |
| Richmond Castle (1) | 7,798 | 1938-1942 |
| Richmond Castle (2) | 7,971 | 1944-1971 |
| Riebeeck Castle | 8,322 | 1946-1971 |
| Ripley Castle | 7,521 | 1917-1931 |
| Rochester Castle | 7,795 | 1937-1970 |
| Roslin Castle (3) | 7,016 | 1935-1967 |
| Rosyth Castle | 4,328 | 1918-1920 |
| Rotherwick Castle (2) | 9,650 | 1959-1975 |
| Rothesay Castle (1) | 7.016 | 1935-1940 |
| Rothesay Castle (2) | 9,650 | 1960-1975 |
| Rowallan Castle (1) | 7,798 | 1939-1942 |
| Rowallan Castle (2) | 7,950 | 1943-1971 |
| Roxburgh Castle (1) | 7,801 | 1937-1943 |
| Roxburgh Castle (2) | 8,003 | 1944-1971 |
| Rustenberg Castle | 8,322 | 1946-1971 |
| Sandgate Castle | 7,607 | 1922-1937 |
| Sandown Castle | 7,607 | 1921-1950 |
| Southampton Castle | 10,538 | 1965-1978 |
| Stirling Castle (2) | 25,550 | 1936-1966 |
| Tantallon Castle (3) | 7,448 | 1953-1971 |
| Tintagel Castle (2) | 7,447 | 1954-1971 |
| Transvaal Castle | 32,697 | 1961-1966 |
| Victoria | 26,677 | 1999-2000 |
| Walmer Castle (2) | 12,546 | 1902-1932 |
| Walmer Castle (3) | 906 | 1936-1941 |
| Warwick Castle (3) | 20,445 | 1930-1942 |
| Winchester Castle (1) | 20,109 | 1930-1960 |
| Winchester Castle (2) | 7,950 | 1964-1980 |
| Windsor Castle (2) | 18,967 | 1915-1943 |
| Windsor Castle (3) | 37,640 | 1960-1977 |
| York Castle | 5,517 | 1901-1924 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Marischal Murray (1933). Ships and South Africa: A Maritime Chronicle of the Cape, with Particular Reference to Mail and Passenger Liners from the Early Days of Steam down to the Present. Oxford University Press. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- Harris, C.J. and Ingpen, B.D., (1994), Mailships of the Union-Castle Line, Fernwood Press, ISBN 1-874950-05-9
