Union-Castle Line
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 in 1973 to create International Liner Services, but maintained its separate identity throughout. Its shipping operations ceased in 1977.
Predecessor lines
The Union Line 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 the Dane left Southampton on 15 September.Meanwhile, Donald Currie had built up 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 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 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 Line
Union-Castle named most of their ships with the suffix "Castle" in their names; the names of several inherited from the Union Line were changed to this scheme but others 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 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 bought by Royal Mail Line in 1911, but continued to operate as Union-Castle. Many of 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 the Second World War. Three –, Carnarvon Castle, Dunvegan Castle became armed merchant cruisers. 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 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.
British & Commonwealth, and International Liner Services
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 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 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 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, the former Kenya Castle in 2001, the former in 2003, the former Dunnottar Castle in 2004, and finally in 2005.
Ships
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:
| Ship | Built | Tonnage | Notes and references |
| 1901 | 5,893 | Passenger steamer Built by William Beardmore and Company, Glasgow Torpedoed by U-81 on 21 March 1917 | |
| 1903 | 12,973 | 1936 scrapped | |
| 1901 | 4,460 | Steamer Built by Barclay, Curle & Co., Ltd., Glasgow Torpedoed by U-90 on 21 Nov 1917 | |
| 1921 | 19,023 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, launched 11 September 1919, completed 8 April 1921, maiden voyage 22 April 1921, scrapped 1959 | |
| Athlone Castle | 1936 | 25,564 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, launched 28 November 1935, completed 13 May 1936, maiden voyage 22 May 1936, scrapped 1965 |
| Balmoral Castle | 1910 | 13,361 | 1939 scrapped |
| Balmoral Castle | 1965 | 7,952 | ex-Clan Robertson 1976 renamed Balmoral Castle 1979 renamed Balmoral Universal 1982 sold to Greece, renamed Psara Reefer. |
| Bampton Castle | 1920 | 6,698 | 1932 sold to Greece, renamed Atlantis |
| Banbury Castle | 1918 | 6,430 | ex-Glenstrae 1920 purchased from Glen Line, renamed Banbury Castle 1931 sold to Greece, renamed Rokos |
| Berwick Castle | 1902 | 5,883 | 1919 burnt out at Mombasa, sold to Italy |
| 1950 | 18,400 | 1959 sold to Greece, renamed Patris | |
| Braemar Castle | 1898 | 6,318 | Hospital ship Built by Barclay, Curle & Co., Ltd., Glasgow Mined and damaged by U-73 in the Aegean Sea in 1916 |
| Braemar Castle | 1943 | 7,067 | ex-Empire Duchess 1949 purchased from MoWT, renamed Braemar Castle 1950 transferred to King Line, renamed King James 1958 sold to Hong Kong, renamed Tyne Breeze |
| Braemar Castle | 1952 | 17,029 | 1966 scrapped |
| Bratton Castle | 1920 | 6,696 | 1931 sold to Greece, renamed Proteus |
| 1938 | 27,000 | 1967 scrapped | |
| Carlisle Castle | 1913 | 4,325 | Steamer 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 |
| Carlow Castle | 1917 | 5,833 | 1930 sold to Mitchell, Cotts & Co., renamed Cape St. Columba |
| Carnarvon Castle | 1926 | 20,122 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, launched 14 January 1926, completed 26 June 1926, maiden voyage 16 July 1926, scrapped 1963 |
| Cawdor Castle | 1902 | 6,235 | 1926 went ashore South West Africa and declared a total loss |
| Chepstow Castle | 1913 | 7,494 | ex-Anglo-Brazilian 1915 purchased from Nitrate Producers Ltd., renamed Chepstow Castle 1933 scrapped |
| Cluny Castle | 1903 | 5,147 | 1924 transferred to Bullard King, renamed Umkuzi |
| Comrie Castle | 1903 | 5,173 | Passenger steamer Built by Barclay, Curle & Co., Ltd., Glasgow Torpedoed and damaged by UC-71 S of St.Catherine's Point on 14 Mar 1918 1924 transferred to Bullard King, renamed Umvoti |
| Corfe Castle | 1901 | 4,592 | 1927 sold to W. Schuchmann, Hamburg, renamed Ostee |
| Crawford Castle | 1910 | 4,264 | ex-Hova 1917 purchased from F.S. Holland, London, renamed Crawford Castle 1930 sold to W. Kunstmann, Stettin, renamed Victoria W. Kunstmann |
| 1904 | 8,271 | Hospital ship Built by Barclay, Curle & Co., Ltd., Glasgow Torpedoed and sunk by UC-67 N of Bona, Algeria on 26 May 1917 | |
| Dover Castle | 1964 | 7,950 | ex-Clan Ranald 1976 renamed Dover Castle 1979 renamed Dover Universal 1981 sold to Greece, renamed Golden Sea |
| Drakensburg Castle | 1945 | 9,905 | ex-Empire Allenby 1946 purchased from MoWT, renamed Drakensburg Castle 1959 scrapped |
| Dromore Castle | 1919 | 5,242 | Cargo ship Built by Harland & Wolff at Greenock Launched as War Poplar, completed as Dromore Castle She hit a mine and sank whilst in a convoy SE of the River Humber, without any loss of life, on 12 Dec 1941 |
| Dunbar Castle | 1883 | 2,837 | Steamship 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 |
| Dunbar Castle | 1930 | 10,002 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, completed 20 May 1930, struck a mine off North Foreland, Kent and sank on 9 January 1940 |
| Dundrum Castle | 1919 | 5,259 | Cargo ship built by Harland and Wolff, completed 31 December 1919, caught fire and sank in Red Sea 2 April 1943 |
| Dunluce Castle | 1904 | 8,114 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, completed 15 September 1904, sold for scrapping in 1939 but purchased by the Admiralty for use as accommodation ship |
| 1890 | 5,625 | Passenger ship Built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co, Goven, Scotland Dec 1899 requisitioned as a troop transport for the Second Boer War 1913 sold to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company as Caribbean | |
| 1936 | 15,002 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, launched 25 January 1936, completed 27 June 1936, maiden voyage 10 July 1936, renamed Victoria 1958, The Victoria 1976 and Princesa Victoria 1993, scrapped 2004 | |
| Dunvegan Castle | 1936 | 15,007 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, launched 26 March 1936, completed 27 August 1936, requisitioned by Admiralty in 1940 as an armed merchant cruiser and renamed HMS Dunvegan Castle, torpedoed and sunk off Ireland by on 27 August 1940 |
| Durban Castle | 1938 | 17,382 | 1962 scrapped. In 1947 it was the crime scene of the Porthole Murder Case |
| 1904 | 8,217 | Passenger/cargo 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 | |
| Edinburgh Castle | 1910 | 13,326 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, launched 27 January 1910, completed 28 April 1910, maiden voyage May 1910, sunk as a target by gunfire by Royal Navy off Freetown 1945 |
| Edinburgh Castle | 1947 | 28,700 | 1976 scrapped |
| Edinburgh Universal | 1979 | 9,996 | ex-Polar Honduras 1981 leased from Barclays Mercantile Finance Co renamed Edinburgh Universal 1984 transferred to Hong Kong renamed Caspian Universal |
| Eider | 1900 | 1,236 | 1926 purchased from Royal Mail SP Co., for the Southampton – Bremen – Hamburg feeder service 1936 sold to J. Billmeir, renamed Stanhill |
| Galway Castle | 1911 | 7,988 | Passenger ship built by Harland & Wolff, torpedoed and sunk by U-82 SW of Fastnet Rock, Ireland on 12 September 1918 |
| Garth Castle | 1910 | 7,612 | Launched 13 January 1910. 1939 scrapped |
| 1900 | 6,807 | Formerly Union Line Galician 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 W of Lundy | |
| Glengorm Castle | 1898 | 6,763 | Formerly Union Line German |
| 1911 | 7,999 | Hospital ship Built by Fairfield SB. & Eng. Co., Ltd., Glasgow 31 Mar 1917 – Damaged by UB-32 near 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 | |
| Good Hope Castle | 1945 | 9,905 | ex-Empire Life 1946 purchased from MoWT, renamed Good Hope Castle 1959 scrapped |
| Good Hope Castle | 1965 | 10,500 | 1978 sold to Italy, renamed Franca C |
| Gordon Castle | 1901 | 4,408 | 1924 scrapped |
| Grantully Castle | 1909 | 7,612 | Launched 14 October 1909. 1939 scrapped |
| Guildford Castle | 1911 | 7,995 | 1 June 1933 beached after collision in Elbe with Blue Funnel Line's Stentor. Total loss |
| Hansa | 1904 | 880 | 1907 transferred from Liverpool-Hamburg Line 1937 sold to J. Billmeir, renamed Stanray |
| Helius | 1888 | 4,579 | ex-Dresden, 1903 purchased by Houston Line, renamed Helius 1904 purchased by Union-Castle 1906 sold to Turkey, renamed Tirimujghian |
| Incomati | 1920 | 340 | 1924 purchased from Portuguese Government, East Africa feeder service 1928 sold to Portugal |
| Iolaire | 1902 | 999 | Sir Donald Currie's yacht, used as officer cadet training ship 1914–1918 HMS Iolaire anti-submarine patrol ship 1939 became HMS Persephone 1948 scrapped |
| Kenilworth Castle | 1904 | 12,975 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, launched 15 December 1903, completed 19 May 1904, scrapped 1936 |
| Kenilworth Castle | 1944 | 9,916 | ex-Empire Wilson 1946 purchased from MoWT, renamed Kenilworth Castle 1968 scrapped |
| Kenya Castle | 1951 | 17,040 | 1967 sold to Greece, renamed Amerikanis |
| Kinnaird Castle | 1956 | 7,718 | ex-Clan Ross ex-South African Scientist, renamed Kinnaird Castle 1962 reverted to Clan Line 1969 transferred to King Line 1975 sold to Panama, renamed Nazeer |
| Kinpurnie Castle | 1954 | 8,121 | ex-Clan Stewart, ex-South African Sculptor 1961 transferred from Safmarine renamed Kinpurnie Castle 1967 sold to Panama, renamed Hellenic Med |
| Kinpurnie Castle | 1966 | 7,950 | ex-Clan Ross 1976 transferred from Houston Line, renamed Kinpurnie Castle 1979 renamed Kinpurnie Universal 1982 sold to Greece, renamed Syros Reefer |
| 1917 | 8,106 | Passenger steamer Built by Cammell, Laird & Co., Ltd., Birkenhead 20 Apr 1917 – Torpedoed and damaged by U-35 WxN of Gibraltar 27 May 1918 – Torpedoed and sunk by UB-51 W of Alexandria | |
| Llandaff Castle | 1926 | 10,786 | Passenger liner/troop transport Built by Workman, Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast She took part in Operation Ironclad Torpedoed and sunk by on 30 Nov 1942 off South Africa |
| 1914 | 11,423 | Hospital ship Built by Barclay, Curle & Co., Ltd., Glasgow 27 Jun 1918 – Torpedoed and sunk by W of Fastnet Rock, Ireland | |
| Llandovery Castle | 1925 | 10,640 | 1953 scrapped |
| 1929 | 11,951 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, launched 4 July 1929, completed 21 November 1929, maiden voyage 5 December 1929, damaged during an air raid while docked in Liverpool on the night of on 21–22 December 1940, torpedoed and damaged by the 16 January 1942, scrapped 1954 | |
| Llanstephan Castle | 1914 | 11,348 | 1952 scrapped |
| Lochgair | 1888 | 111 | 1901 acquired as tender at Port Elizabeth 1905 sold to J.G. Stewart, Glasgow, renamed Loch Gair |
| Newark Castle | 1902 | 6,224 | Passenger/cargo steamer 12 Mar 1908 ran ashore from the coast, in Richard's Bay near the Umhlatuzi River, South Africa |
| 1958 | 28,582 | 1976 sold to Philippines, renamed Ocean Queen April 1980 scrapped | |
| Polglass Castle | 1903 | 4,631 | ex-Reichenfels, 1914 captured by Britain 1916 managed by Union-Castle renamed Polglass Castle 1921 sold to Hansa Line, renamed Reichenfels |
Warwick Castle | 1939 | 17,383 | 1942 sold to Admiralty and rebuilt as an aircraft carrier 1946 re-purchased by Union-Castle, renamed Warwick Castle 1962 scrapped |
| Pretoria Castle | 1948 | 28,705 | 1966 transferred to South African Marine Corp., renamed S.A.Oranje 1975 scrapped. |
| Reina Del Mar | 1956 | 20,263 | Purchased from ex-Pacific Steam Nav. Co, 1964–1973 chartered by Union-Castle for cruising 1973 purchased by Union-Castle 1975 scrapped |
| Rhodesia Castle | 1951 | 17,041 | 1967 scrapped |
| Richmond Castle | 1938 | 7,798 | Cargo ship Built by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Belfast Torpedoed and sunk by in mid-Atlantic |
| Richmond Castle | 1944 | 7,971 | 1971 scrapped |
| Riebeeck Castle | 1946 | 8,322 | 1971 scrapped |
| Ripley Castle | 1917 | 7,521 | ex-War Soldier 1919 purchased from shipping controller, renamed Ripley Castle 1931 scrapped |
| Rochester Castle | 1937 | 7,795 | 1970 sold to Cyprus, renamed Glenda and scrapped |
| Roslin Castle | 1935 | 7,016 | Refrigerated cargo ship built by Harland and Wolff, completed 4 May 1935, scrapped 1967 |
| Rosyth Castle | 1918 | 4,328 | ex-War Earl 1919 purchased from shipping controller, renamed Rosyth Castle 1920 transferred to Bullard King & Co., renamed Umlazi |
| Rotherwick Castle | 1959 | 9,650 | 1975 sold to Liberia, renamed Sea Fortune |
| Rothesay Castle | 1935 | 7,016 | Refrigerated cargo ship built by Harland and Wolff, completed 11 May 1935, went ashore on Scottish Island of Islay, total loss 5 January 1940 |
| Rothesay Castle | 1960 | 9,650 | 1975 sold to Uruguay, renamed Laura |
| Rowallan Castle | 1939 | 7,798 | 1942 bombed by German aircraft and sunk in Mediterranean |
| Rowallan Castle | 1943 | 7,950 | 1971 scrapped |
| Roxburgh Castle | 1937 | 7,801 | Cargo ship Built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast Torpedoed and sunk by in mid-Atlantic on 22 Feb 1943 |
| Roxburgh Castle | 1944 | 8,003 | 1971 scrapped |
| Rustenberg Castle | 1946 | 8,322 | 1971 scrapped |
| Sandgate Castle | 1922 | 7,607 | 1937 caught fire and sank NE of Bermuda |
| Sandown Castle | 1921 | 7,607 | 1950 scrapped |
| Southampton Castle | 1965 | 10,538 | 1978 sold to Italy, renamed Paola C |
| 1936 | 25,554 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, launched 15 August 1935, completed 29 January 1936, maiden voyage 7 February 1936, scrapped 1966 | |
| Stirling Universal | 1979 | 9,065 | ex-Hilco Speedster 1981 leased from Lombard Facilities Ltd, London renamed Stirling Universal 1984 transferred to Hong Kong renamed Speedster Universal |
| Tantallon Castle | 1953 | 7,448 | 1971 sold to Cyprus, renamed Aris II |
| Tintagel Castle | 1954 | 7,447 | 1971 sold to Cyprus, renamed Armar |
| 1961 | 32,697 | Ocean liner Built by John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland Sold to Safmarine in 1966 and renamed SA Vaal Scrapped in 2003 | |
| Walmer Castle | 1902 | 12,546 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, launched 6 July 1901, completed 20 February 1902, scrapped 1932 |
| Walmer Castle | 1936 | 906 | 1941 Southampton – Bremen – Hamburg feeder service 21 Sep 1941 bombed and sunk in the Atlantic while convoy rescue ship |
| Warwick Castle | 1930 | 20,445 | Passenger ship/troop transport built by Harland & Wolff, launched 29 April 1930, completed 16 January 1931, maiden voyage 30 January 1931, torpedoed and sunk by in mid-Atlantic on 14 November 1942 |
| Winchester Castle | 1930 | 20,109 | Passenger ship built by Harland and Wolff, launched 19 November 1929, completed 11 October 1930, maiden voyage 24 October 1930, scrapped 1960 |
| Winchester Castle | 1964 | 7,950 | ex-Clan Ramsey 1977 renamed Winchester Castle 1979 renamed Winchester Universal 1980 sold to Greece, renamed Lady Madonna |
| 1915 | 18,967 | Ocean liner Built by John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland Torpedoed by enemy aircraft and sunk on 23 Mar 1943 off Algiers | |
| 1960 | 37,640 | 1977 sold to Yiannis Latsis, Piraeus, renamed Margarita L. Scrapped at Alang, India, from August 2005 | |
| York Castle | 1901 | 5,517 | 1924 sold to Italy, renamed San Terenzo |