Union-Castle Liners 1946-1977

Front Cover, Union-Castle Liners From Great Britain to Africa 1946-1977 by William H. Miller, 2013. GGA Image ID # 2095e090d7

Contents

• Foreword
• Introduction
• Early Castle Liners
• Afterword
• Bibliograhy

From the GG Archives

William Miller went all out with this book. "Early Castle Liners" extends from page nine to 126 on the Table of Contents. He left off almost all of the chapters of this book, "Organized" by Ship. On page 14 is "Llanstephan Castle," a chapter header containing many photos of Arundel Castle, Carnarvon Castle, and Llandovery Castle. The next chapter, heading "Arundel Castle," includes photos of Carnarvon Castle. The next chapter is "Llandovery Castle." You'll find Llangibby Castle, Winchester Castle, and Carnarvon Castle pictures. While the text focuses on the chapter heading, his photos are inserted randomly throughout the book. Unlike most of his previous books, there isn't an index, so if you are keenly interested in one of the ships, you'll have to plod through 120 pages.

Back Cover, Union-Castle Liners From Great Britain to Africa 1946-1977 by William H. Miller, 2013. GGA Image ID # 20962087d3

From the Back Cover

It was one of the most important British liner routes - the express run from Southampton to the South African Cape. Carrying passengers and cargo, including the all-important mail, was a byword in travel - 'every Thursday at 4' as one of the big Union-Castle liners set off for Cape Town and beyond.

By the late 1950s, these mail ships included the A rundel Castle, Carnarvon Castle, Winchester Castle, Athlone Castle, Stirling Castle, Capetown Castle, and two post-war sensations, the Edinburgh Castle and Pretoria Castle. Three new liners arrived in 1959, and the last great ships were built for Union-Castle. They were Pendennis Castle, Windsor Castle, and Transvaal Castle.

The route was not just to the Cape - for Union-Castle also offered a service down the East coast of Africa and a round-Africa route. In 1977, with the mail contract and passengers lost to the jet and cargo to container ships, the service ceased in October of that year, and Union-Castle was no more.

Ships Referenced in Union-Castle Liners

• Arundel Castle
• Athlone Castle
• Bloemfontein Castle
• Braemar Castle
• Capetown Castle
• Carnarvon Castle
• Donnottar Castle
• Drakensburg Castle
• Durban Castle
• Edinburgh Castle
• Good Hope Castle
• Kenya Castle
• Llandovery Castle
• Llangibby Castle
• LLanstephan Castle
• Margarita L (ex-Windsor Castle)
• Pendennis Castle
• Pretoria Castle
• Reina Del Mar
• Rhodesia Castle
• Rustenburg Castle (Refrigerated Cargo Vessel)
• S. A. Oranje
• S. A. Vaal
• Southampton Castle
• Stirling Castle
• Transvaal Castle
• Warwick Castle
• Winchester Castle
• Windsor Castle

GG Archives Catalog Listing

• Author: William H. Miller
• Book Title (Short): Union-Castle Liners
• Book Title (Full): Union-Castle Liners From Great Britain to Africa 1946-1977 / William H. Miller
• Alternate Book Title: Union-Castle Liners: Southampton to the South African Cape 1946-1977
• Publisher: Amberley Publishing
• Publication Year: 2013
• Format: Trade Paperback
• Dimensions: 9.69 x 0.4 x 6.61 inches
• Subjects: Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company--History. Mail steamers--Great Britain--History.
• Call Number: HE945.U25
• Pages: 128
• ISBN: 9781445609560
• Type of material: Book