The Union-Castle Line was a prominent 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.
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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.
Meanwhile Donald Currie had built up the Castle Packet Co. which traded to Calcutta round the Cape of Good Hope. This trade 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. From 1876 the mail contract to South Africa was awarded jointly to the Castle Mail Packet Company and the Union Line. After a period of intense competition and later co-operation, including transporting troops and military equipment during the Boer War, the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line merged 8 March 1900, creating the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company, Ltd, with Castle Shipping Line taking over the fleet.
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 (for example, Galacian became Glenart Castle) but others (such as Galkea) 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.
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. Many vessels were again called up in the Second World War. Four – Dunnottar Castle, Carnarvon Castle, Dunvegan Castle and Pretoria Castle – became armed merchant cruisers.
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 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, the former Kenya Castle in 2001, the former Transvaal Castle in 2003, the former Dunnottar Castle in 2004, and finally Windsor Castle in 2005.
At the time of the merger in 1900, the Union fleet included:
and the Castle Line fleet included:
| 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 |
| 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 | 1883-1895 | |
| 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 (formerly Union Line Galician) | ||
| Glengorm Castle (formerly Union Line German) | ||
| 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) / S.A. Oranje | 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 / S.A. Vaal | 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 |