17-642: The Union-Castle Line was a British shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and cargo ships between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977. It was formed from the merger of the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line . It merged with Bullard King and Clan Line in 1956 to form British & Commonwealth Shipping , and then with South African Marine Corporation (commonly referred to as Safmarine ) in 1973 to create International Liner Services , but maintained its separate identity throughout. Its shipping operations ceased in 1977. The Union Line
34-553: A mine and sank whilst in a convoy 20 nautical miles (37 km) SE of the River Humber, without any loss of life, on 12 Dec 1941 Laid down as Doune Castle and upon purchase named Dunbar Castle 1895 Sold to Fairfield Ship Building and Engineering Co. and renamed Olympia 10 December 1910 – ran aground on Bligh Reef off Alaska's Prince William Sound and sank without loss of life Built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co, Goven, Scotland Dec 1899 requisitioned as
51-592: 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 1922 the line introduced its Round Africa service, a nine-week voyage calling at twenty ports en route. Alternate sailings travelled out via the Suez Canal and out via West Africa. The combined line was sold to the Royal Mail Line in 1911, but continued to operate as Union-Castle. Many of
68-587: A service carrying up to 750 Tourist Class passengers to Beira and back via the West Coast route every three months. 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. The last few surviving Union-Castle Line ships were scrapped in the early 21st century,
85-893: A troop transport for the Second Boer War 1913 sold to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company as Caribbean Built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering, Govan 1939 requisitioned by the Admiralty as an accommodation ship Struck a mine off Cromarty on 20 Jan 1940 and sank 1984 transferred to Hong Kong renamed Caspian Universal 1936 sold to J. Billmeir, renamed Stanhill Hospital ship Built by Harland & Wolff, Ltd., Belfast 1 Mar 1917 – Mined and damaged by UC-65 26 Feb 1918 – Torpedoed and sunk by UC-56 10 nautical miles (19 km) W of Lundy Built by Fairfield SB. & Eng. Co., Ltd., Glasgow 31 Mar 1917 – Damaged by UB-32 near
102-720: The Castle Packet Co. which traded to Calcutta round the Cape of Good Hope . This trade was substantially curtailed by the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, and the Castle Line started to run to South Africa instead, later becoming the Castle Mail Packet Company . In 1872 the Cape Colony gained responsible government and its first Prime Minister, John Molteno , ordered a re-negotiation of
119-1942: The Isle of Wight . 15 Jul 1942 – Sunk by German raider Michel off South West Africa . Captain H.H. Rose and 92 passengers and crew were killed. Two lifeboats containing 61 people were picked up by the raider and taken to Japan as prisoners 1946 purchased from MoWT , renamed Good Hope Castle 1959 scrapped 1937 sold to J. Billmeir, renamed Stanray 1903 purchased by Houston Line, renamed Helius 1904 purchased by Union-Castle 1906 sold to Turkey, renamed Tirimujghian 1928 sold to Portugal 1914–1918 HMS Iolaire anti-submarine patrol ship 1939 became HMS Persephone 1948 scrapped 1946 purchased from MoWT , renamed Kenilworth Castle 1968 scrapped ex- South African Scientist , renamed Kinnaird Castle 1962 reverted to Clan Line 1969 transferred to King Line 1975 sold to Panama, renamed Nazeer 1961 transferred from Safmarine renamed Kinpurnie Castle 1967 sold to Panama, renamed Hellenic Med 1976 transferred from Houston Line, renamed Kinpurnie Castle 1979 renamed Kinpurnie Universal 1982 sold to Greece, renamed Syros Reefer Built by Cammell, Laird & Co., Ltd., Birkenhead 20 Apr 1917 – Torpedoed and damaged by U-35 90 nautical miles (170 km) WxN of Gibraltar 27 May 1918 – Torpedoed and sunk by UB-51 104 nautical miles (193 km) W of Alexandria Built by Workman, Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast She took part in Operation Ironclad Torpedoed and sunk by U-177 on 30 Nov 1942 off South Africa Built by Barclay, Curle & Co., Ltd., Glasgow 27 Jun 1918 – Torpedoed and sunk by SM U-86 116 nautical miles (215 km) W of Fastnet Rock , Ireland 1905 sold to J.G. Stewart, Glasgow, renamed Loch Gair Shipping line Too Many Requests If you report this error to
136-1347: The Aegean Sea in 1916 1949 purchased from MoWT , renamed Braemar Castle 1950 transferred to King Line, renamed King James 1958 sold to Hong Kong, renamed Tyne Breeze Built by Northumberland SB. Co., Ltd., Newcastle upon Tyne ex- Holtye 1915 purchased from F.S. Holland & Co., London, renamed Carlisle Castle Torpedoed by UB-57 near Royal Sovereign Light Vessel on 14 Feb 1918 1915 purchased from Nitrate Producers Ltd., renamed Chepstow Castle 1933 scrapped Built by Barclay, Curle & Co., Ltd., Glasgow Torpedoed and damaged by UC-71 5 nautical miles (9.3 km) S of St.Catherine's Point on 14 Mar 1918 1924 transferred to Bullard King, renamed Umvoti 1917 purchased from F.S. Holland, London, renamed Crawford Castle 1930 sold to W. Kunstmann, Stettin , renamed Victoria W. Kunstmann Built by Barclay, Curle & Co., Ltd., Glasgow Torpedoed and sunk by UC-67 50 nautical miles (93 km) N of Bona, Algeria on 26 May 1917 1976 renamed Dover Castle 1979 renamed Dover Universal 1981 sold to Greece, renamed Golden Sea 1946 purchased from MoWT , renamed Drakensberg Castle 1959 scrapped Built by Harland & Wolff at Greenock Launched as War Poplar , completed as Dromore Castle She hit
153-582: The Second World War. Three – Dunnottar Castle , Carnarvon Castle , Dunvegan Castle became armed merchant cruisers . Pretoria Castle (1939) was also first requisitioned as an armed merchant cruiser, but later served as an escort carrier . After the war the line made good use of its three ships converted to troop transports to facilitate carrying the vast number of emigrants seeking new lives in East and South Africa. When they ran out of berths
170-727: The country's mail services. In 1876, keen to avoid either of the two main companies gaining a monopoly on the country's shipping, he awarded the South African mail contract jointly to both the Castle Mail Packet Company and the Union Line. The contract included a condition that the two companies would not amalgamate, as well as other clauses to promote competition, such as alternating services and speed premiums. This competition led to their shipping services running at unprecedented speed and efficiency. The contract
187-951: The former Kenya Castle in 2001, the former Transvaal Castle in 2003, the former Dunnottar Castle in 2004, and finally Windsor Castle in 2005. The initial Union fleet consisted of the colliers Union , Briton , Saxon , Norman and Dane . In 1860 this was augmented by the much larger Cambrian . At the time of the merger in 1900, the Union fleet included: and the Castle Line fleet included: Built by William Beardmore and Company , Glasgow Torpedoed by U-81 on 21 March 1917 Built by Barclay, Curle & Co., Ltd. , Glasgow Torpedoed by U-90 on 21 Nov 1917 1976 renamed Balmoral Castle 1979 renamed Balmoral Universal 1982 sold to Greece, renamed Psara Reefer . 1920 purchased from Glen Line, renamed Banbury Castle 1931 sold to Greece, renamed Rokos Built by Barclay, Curle & Co., Ltd. , Glasgow Mined and damaged by U-73 in
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#1732772534570204-1063: The line set up its own internal travel agency to book passages on other lines and even air services. The mail service to South Africa, curtailed during hostilities, recommenced with the sailing of Roxburgh Castle from Southampton on 2 January 1947. The company took over the King Line in 1949, and merged with Bullard King and Clan Line in 1956 to form British & Commonwealth Shipping . It merged with South African Marine Corporation in 1973 to create International Liner Services, but competition with air travel adversely affected its shipping activities, and cargo shipping rapidly became containerised . The final South African mail service arrived in Southampton on 24 October 1977, and International Liner Services withdrew from shipping in 1982. British & Commonwealth continued in other fields, and acquired Atlantic Computers in 1989, but accounting problems soon became apparent and British & Commonwealth
221-497: The line's vessels were requisitioned for service as troop ships or hospital ships in the First World War, and eight were sunk by mines or German U-boats . The Royal Mail Line ran into financial difficulties in the 1930s, culminating in the prosecution of its director Lord Kylsant , and Union-Castle Line became an independent company again with Vernon Thomson as Managing Director. Many vessels were again requisitioned in
238-404: The suffix "Castle" in their names; the names of several inherited from the Union Line were changed to this scheme (for example, Galician became Glenart Castle ) but others (such as Galeka ) retained their original name. They were well known for the lavender-hulled liners with red funnels topped in black, running on a rigid timetable between Southampton and Cape Town . Every Thursday at 4pm
255-558: Was eventually to expire however, and the period of intense competition was later to give way to co-operation, including transporting troops and military equipment during the Boer War . Finally, on 8 March 1900, the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line merged, creating the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company, Ltd , with Castle Shipping Line taking over the fleet. Union-Castle named most of their ships with
272-725: Was founded in 1853 as the Southampton Steam Shipping Company to transport coal from South Wales to Southampton . It was renamed the Union Steam Collier Company and then the Union Steamship Company. In 1857, renamed the Union Line, it won a contract to carry mail to South Africa, mainly the Cape Colony . The inaugural sailing of Dane left Southampton on 15 September. Meanwhile, Donald Currie had built up
289-500: Was liquidated in 1990. In the 1950s and 60s the line operated a fleet of fifteen ships, eight on the principal weekly mail run from Southampton to Cape Town. Each ship could carry an average of two hundred First Class passengers and four hundred and fifty in Tourist Class. Six of the remaining ships operated the monthly Round Africa service, sailing both clockwise and anti-clockwise round the continent. The remaining ship operated
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