SS Edinburgh Castle Archival Collection
Edinburgh Castle (1873) Castle Line (British)
Built by Robert Napier & Sons, Glasgow, Scotland. Tonnage: 2,678. Dimensions: 335' x 37'. Single-screw. Compound engines. Two masts and one funnel. Iron hull. Service In mail service between England and Cape Town. Sale: Sold to Spanish owners in 1880. Renamed: Espana. Fate: Scrapped in 1898. Sister ship: Windsor Castle.
Edinburgh Castle (1910) Union-Castle Line
Built by Harland & Wolff, Ltd., Belfast, Ireland. Tonnage: 13,326. Dimensions: 570' x 64'. Twin-screw, 17 knots. Quadruple expansion engines. 12,500 I.H.P. Two masts and two funnels. Service: Southampton-Cape Town. Passengers: 320 first, 220 second, 250 third. Fine type of liner for her era. Withdrawn from service in 1938. Sale: Sold to British Government in 1940. World War II Service: Served as a base ship at Freetown, Sierra Leone. Fate: Sunk by British warships off Freetown in September 1945. Sister ship: Balmoral Castle. Note: Largest Union-Castle liners built to date.
Edinburgh Castle (1948) Union-Castle Line
Built by Harland & Wolff, Ltd., Belfast, Ireland. Tonnage: 28,705. Dimensions: 717' x 84' (747' o.l.). Twin-screw, 22 knots. Six steam turbines. Two masts and one funnel. Launched by Princess Margaret, on October 16, 1947. The first major public engagement for the very individualistic British Princess. The name of this beautiful liner is linked to Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. Accommodation for 214 first class and 541 tourist class passengers. Service: England-South Africa. Speed Record: In January 1954 the Edinburgh Castle made the Southampton-Cape Town voyage in the record time of 11 days, 21 hours, 5 minutes. Sister ship: Pretoria Castle.
1950-03-31 RMS Edinburgh Castle Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Union-Castle Line
- Class of Passengers: First and Cabin Class
- Date of Departure: 31 March 1950
- Route: Capetown to Southampton via Madeira
- Commander: Captain T. W. McAllen
1955-06-17 RMS Edinburgh Castle Passenger List
- Steamship Line: Union-Castle Line
- Class of Passengers: First and Cabin Class
- Date of Departure: 17 June 1955
- Route: Cape Town to London via Madeira
- Commander: Captain H. A. Deller
1955-06-17 Sports and Entertainments Program - RMS Edinburgh Castle
Colorful, elaborate events program for voyage 43 of the RMS Edinburgh Castle of the Union-Castle Line. Events listed include Whist (card game), movies, dancing, "Edinburgh Derby," concerts, Father Neptune ceremony, fancy dress ball, and a variety of deck sports tournaments.
1955-06-24 Horse Racing Program - RMS Edinburgh Castle
Tongue-in-Cheek Horse Racing Program published onboard the RMS Edinburgh Castle of the Union-Castle Line, held on Friday, 24 June 1955. Each of the six races was given a "theme," and the five [wooden] horses would be listed by owner, name of the horse, jockey, and quip.
