RMS Windsor Castle (1959)

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RMS Windsor Castle was a passenger ship launched June 23, 1959 by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. At the time of the launch, she was the largest liner built in England and the largest liner owned by Union-Castle Line.

Built by Cammell Laird in Southampton, her maiden voyage was to Durban on August 18, 1960 arriving 11 1/2 days later. She sailed regularly to South Africa, making 124 voyages.

By the 1970s the days of passenger sailing were numbered and in 1977 she was sold to Greek shipping tycoon Yiannis Latsis and renamed the Margarital L. After a refit she was used variously for luxury accommodation in Jeddah, office accommodation for one of Laksis' companies and later private accommodation for Laksis off Eleusis, Greece. She was offered for sale in 1998 and eventually sailed to India for the breakers, before breaking down off the coast and having to be towed the final few miles.

She is currently being broken up in Alang, India.

[edit] References

A Mersey Tribute to the RMS Windsor Castle. Retrieved on 2006-04-06.

See an account of life on board this ship and others of the Union-Castle Line in the 1960s, at http://rgascoyne.canadianwebs.com/LifeAtSea.htm