Arundel Castle (4)

ARUNDEL CASTLE (2) was completed in 1921 by Harland & Wolff in Belfast with a tonnage of 19023grt, a length of 630ft 5in, a beam of 72ft 5in and a service speed of 16 knots. She was laid down in 1915 as the Amroth Castle but wartime shortages delayed completion.

The internal layout of the public rooms and passenger accommodation set the pattern for all subsequent mails ships until the Pendennis Castle was launched in 1958.

When she was delivered on 8th April 1921 for the mail service she was the company's largest ship at the time and caused a sensation on the route as she was so similar, albeit smaller, to the North Atlantic liners.

In 1923 she brought South African Prime Minister Smuts to London for the Imperial Conference and in 1925, during the seamen's strike, came home with a scratch crew which included 120 non-seamen and was the first Union-Castle vessel to arrive for a month.

In November 1926 she collided with the steamer Maud Llewyllyn in Southampton Water.

With her sister, the Windsor Castle (2), she was, in 1936, deemed too slow for the mail run and in the following year was modernised by Harland & Wolff which included re-engining and the reduction of funnels from four to two, resuming service in October 1937 with her service speed increased by 3 knots.

In 1939 she was requisitioned for use as a troopship and in November 1942 took part in the North Africa landings when she survived a glider bomb attack by shooting down a JU-88 aircraft.

She took part in the Sicily and Italian campaigns in 1943 and in August 1944 exchanged wounded prisoners of war at Gothenburg.

The Gripsholm (Swedish America Line) brought German POW's from the USA and, with the Arundel Castle and Drottningholm repatriated 1800 sick and wounded troops and 552 civilians to Liverpool.

All the ships had 'Protected' painted on their hulls. In January 1945 she carried out a similar exchange with Donaldson's Letitia when they carried 1940 persons including 1400 wounded, many from the Arnhem 'Market Garden' operation, from Marseilles to Liverpool.

During 1945-46 she continued trooping between the UK-Gibraltar-Malta - Port Said for the RAF and RN and in 1947, with berths for 846, carried emigrants to the Cape in 'Austerity' conditions.

After steaming 625,000 miles she completed her final government voyage in May 1949 and returned to her builders for an overhaul.

She returned to the Mail run on 21st September 1950 and on 6th November 1958 left Southampton on her 211th and final voyage having been replaced by the Pendennis Castle.

She was sold for scrap, realising £245,000, and was broken up in 1959 by Chiap Hua Manufacturing Co. at Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Launch - 11 December 1919

Arundel Castle was the largest liner built in Belfast since 1914 when the Belgenland was built. So when the time came for her launch it attracted a great deal of local interest.

She was launched without any great ceremony.

At precisely 1145 the hull was set in motion and Arundel Castle took to the water.

Such was the urgency for new builds after the Great War than no sooner was she afloat than a new build number was hoisted at the yard for the next ship to occupy the slipway.

The Interior of Arundel Castle

Service in WW2

Refitted - 1937

In 1937 she was transformed from “ugly duckling” into the “beautiful swan” at Harland & Wolff

Re-engined to increase her speed from 15 to 19 knots

In September 1944 exchanged wounded prisoners of war at Gothenburg.

The Gripsholm (Swedish America Line) brought German POW's from the USA and, with the Arundel Castle and Drottningholm repatriated 1800 sick and wounded troops and 552 civilians to Liverpool.

Resumption of Mail Service after WW2 - 1950

From the start of the war in 1939 until December 1940 Arundel Castle remained employed on her Liner Service.

From January 1941 until September 1949 she was taken up on Sea Transport Personnel services.

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Clyde		12-Jan
Freetown	25-Jan	29-Jan
Durban	10-Feb	12-Feb
Suez	03-Mar	18-Mar
Aden	22-Mar	22-Mar
Mombasa	30-Mar	05-Apr
Dar es Salaam	06-Apr	07-Apr
Durban	12-Apr	19-Apr	Voyage repairs
Cape Town	23-Apr	02-May	Voyage repairs and drydock
St Helena	05-May	07-May
Freetown	12-May	14-May
Freetown	16-May	16-May
Gibraltar	22-May	22-May
Avonmouth	01-Jun	15-Jun	Voyage repairs and fumigation
Newport	15-Jun	26-Jun
Freetown	13-Jul	16-Jul
Durban	29-Jul	03-Aug
Aden	18-Aug	18-Aug
Suez	22-Aug	30-Aug
Durban	10-Sep	21-Sep
Port Elizabeth	22-Sep	24-Sep
Cape Town	25-Sep	28-Sep
Trinidad	12-Oct	13-Oct
Clyde	23-Oct	12-Nov	Voyage repairs
Freetown	25-Nov	28-Nov
Durban	18-Dec	31-Dec	Voyage repairs

1941

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Port Elizabeth	01-Jan	03-Jan
Cape Town	04-Jan	14-Jan
Freetown	22-Jan	23-Jan
Clyde	03-Feb	17-Feb
Liverpool	18-Feb	23-Mar	Engine & boiler repairs, fumigation and drydocking
Freetown	06-Apr	11-Apr
Cape Town	23-Apr	02-May
Stranraer	22-May	22-May
Newport	27-May	02-Jun
Avonmouth	02-Jun	17-Jun	Voyage repairs and drydock
Clyde	20-Jun	21-Jun
Freetown	02-Jul	06-Jul
Durban	20-Jul	26-Jul
Aden	07-Aug	08-Aug
Suez	12-Aug	14-Aug
Diego Suarez	22-Aug	03-Sep
Durban	07-Sep	08-Sep
Port Elizabeth	09-Sep	14-Sep
Cape Town	16-Sep	20-Sep
Clyde	08-Oct	10-Oct
Glasgow	10-Oct	31-Oct	Boiler cleaning, ballasting and fumigation
Clyde	31-Oct	01-Nov
Algiers	09-Nov	15-Nov
Clyde	23-Nov	12-Dec
Algiers	21-Dec	24-Dec
Clyde	31-Dec

1942

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Clyde		07-Jan
Glasgow	07-Jan	17-Jan	Repairs to machinery and heavy weather damage
Clyde	17-Jan	24-Jan
Freetown	06-Feb	09-Feb
Cape Town	22-Feb	26-Feb
Aden	15-Mar	16-Mar
Suez	20-Mar	24-Mar
Aden	27-Mar	30-Mar
Mombasa	05-Apr	06-Apr
Durban	13-Apr	27-Apr
Cape Town	29-Apr	29-Apr
Liverpool	20-May	17-Jun	Voyage repairs and drydocking
Clyde	18-Jun	25-Jun
Glasgow	25-Jun	01-Jul	Voyage repairs
Malta	10-Jul	14-Jul
Gibraltar	21-Jul	21-Jul
Avonmouth	01-Aug	14-Aug	Voyage repairs
Clyde	14-Aug	16-Aug
Port Said	29-Aug	16-Sep	Voyage repairs
Alexandria	17-Sep	21-Sep
Taranto	24-Sep	24-Sep
Augusta	25-Sep	28-Sep
Greenock	07-Oct	15-Nov	Voyage repairs
Port Said	02-Dec	02-Dec
Suez	03-Dec	04-Dec
Aden	07-Dec	13-Dec
Mombasa	19-Dec	20-Dec
Durban	24 Dec		Voyage repairs

1943

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Durban		07-Jan
Mombasa	12-Jan	12-Jan
Aden	17-Jan	18-Jan
Suez	21-Jan	01-Feb
Port Said	02-Feb	03-Feb
Augusta	07-Feb	08-Feb
Algiers	11-Feb	12-Feb
Liverpool	20-Feb	14-Mar	Voyage repairs and drydocking
New York	23-Mar	06-Apr
Greenock	16-Apr	16-Apr
Glasgow	16-Apr	03-May	Voyage repairs
Greenock	03-May	05-May
Algiers	14-May	26-May
Greenock	29-May	11-Jun	Voyage repairs
Algiers	20-Jun	01-Jul
Naples	03-Jul	04-Jul
Algiers	05-Jul	07-Jul
Naples	08-Jul	09-Jul
Algiers	11-Jul	13-Jul
Naples	15-Jul	17-Jul
Algiers	19-Jul	21-Jul
Naples	23-Jul	24-Jul
Greenock	10-Aug	28-Aug	Voyage repairs and fumigation
Liverpool	29-Aug	02-Sep
Gothenburg	08-Sep	10-Sep	POW exchange & repatriation
Liverpool	15-Sep	16-Sep
Greenock	17-Sep	23-Sep
Glasgow	23-Sep	28-Sep	Voyage repairs
Greenock	28-Sep	30-Sep
Malta	09-Oct	09-Oct
Naples	10-Oct	13-Oct
Algiers	15-Oct	19-Oct
Naples	20-Oct	21-Oct
Oran	22-Oct	25-Oct
Algiers	26-Oct	29-Oct
Naples	30-Oct	31-Oct
Oran	02-Nov	03-Nov
Naples	05-Nov	08-Nov
Algiers	09-Nov	09-Nov
Bone	10-Nov	10-Nov
Naples	11-Nov	12-Nov
Algiers	14-Nov	19-Nov
Taranto	19-Nov	19-Nov
Oran	22-Nov	23-Nov
Naples	25-Nov	27-Nov
Taranto	28-Nov	29-Nov
Algiers	01-Dec	04-Dec
Gibraltar	11-Dec	12-Dec
Oran	16-Dec	17-Dec
Naples	19-Dec
Algiers	22-Dec	24-Dec
Naples	26-Dec	26-Dec
Gibraltar	31-Dec

1944

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Gibraltar		01-Jan
Greenock	06-Jan	07-Jan
Faslane	07-Jan	12-Jan	Fumigation
Greenock	12-Jan	12-Jan
Liverpool	13-Jan	15-Jan
Gibraltar	18-Jan	20-Jan
Marseilles	21-Jan	30-Jan
Gibraltar	31-Jan	31-Jan
Liverpool	05-Feb	10-Mar	Voyage repairs and drydock
Gibraltar	16-Mar	17-Mar
Port Said	21-Mar	21-Mar
Suez	21-Mar	23-Mar
Bombay	31-Mar	14-Apr
Suez	22-Apr	22-Apr
Port Said	23-Apr	23-Apr
Gibraltar	30-Apr	30-Apr
Greenock	05-May	05-May
Glasgow	05-May	23-May	Engine repairs
Greenock	23-May	27-May
Liverpool	28-May	30-May
Cristobal		16-Jun
Wellington	03-Jul	04-Jul
Sydney	06-Jul	15-Jul
Fremantle	22-Jul	22-Jul
Bombay	31-Jul	04-Aug
Aden	08-Aug	09-Aug
Suez	13-Aug	13-Aug
Port Said	13-Aug	14-Aug
Liverpool	23-Aug	16-Sep	Voyage repairs and fumigation
Haifa	24-Sep	25-Sep
Port Said	26-Sep	27-Sep
Malta	30-Sep	30-Sep
Toulon	02-Oct	03-Oct
Malta	06-Oct	06-Oct
Taranto	06-Oct	06-Oct
Port Said	09-Oct	11-Oct
Taranto	14-Oct	16-Oct
Port Said	18-Oct	19-Oct
Bombay	27-Oct	04-Nov
Suez	11-Nov	12-Nov
Port Said	12-Nov	13-Nov
Southampton	20-Nov	06-Dec	Voyage repairs and drydocking
Marseilles	11-Dec	15-Dec
Port Said	19-Dec	20-Dec

1945

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Saigon	04-Jan
Singapore	12-Jan	14-Jan
Bombay	20-Jan	24-Jan
Port Said	01-Feb	03-Feb
Takoradi	13-Feb	14-Feb
Freetown	17-Feb	18-Feb
Port Said	01-Mar	02-Mar
Suez	02-Mar	04-Mar
Bombay	11-Mar	17-Mar	Voyage repairs
Colombo	19-Mar	19-Mar
Singapore	23-Mar	25-Mar
Kure	01-Apr	07-Apr
Singapore	11-Apr	16-Apr
Port Swettenham	17-Apr	19-Apr
Colombo	22-Apr	25-Apr
Bombay	27-Apr	29-Apr
Suez	06-May	07-May
Port Said	08-May	08-May
Southampton	16-May	14-Jun	Drydocked for drawing of tailshaft for survey. Deck, engine and accommodation repairs, including boiler survey
Port Said	21-Jun	22-Jun
Suez	22-Jun	23-Jun
Aden	26-Jun	27-Jun
Mombasa	01-Jul	02-Jul
Durban	06-Jul	15-Jul
Kilindini	19-Jul	20-Jul
Aden	24-Jul	24-Jul
Port Said	28-Jul	29-Jul
Naples	01-Aug	01-Aug
Southampton	06-Aug	26-Aug	Deck, engine and accommodation repairs
Port Said	03-Sep	04-Sep
Aden	06-Sep	08-Sep
Singapore	18-Sep	19-Sep
Colombo	23-Sep	24-Sep
Bombay	26-Sep	29-Sep
Aden	03-Oct	03-Oct
Suez	06-Oct	06-Oct
Port Said	07-Oct	08-Oct
Southampton	15-Oct	07-Nov	Deck, engine and accommodation repairs
Gibraltar	10-Nov	11-Nov
Port Said	16-Nov	16-Nov
Aden	20-Nov	20-Nov
Singapore	29-Nov	04-Dec
Hong Kong	08-Dec	09-Dec
Shanghai	12-Dec	12-Dec
Kure	15-Dec	19-Dec
Hong Kong	25-Dec	27-Dec
Singapore	31-Dec

1946

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Singapore		01-Jan
Aden	09-Jan	09-Jan
Suez	12-Jan	12-Jan
Port Said	13-Jan	13-Jan
Southampton	21-Jan	07-Feb	Voyage repairs, drydocked for cleaning and painting
Port Said	15-Feb	15-Feb
Aden	19-Feb	20-Feb
Colombo	25-Feb	25-Feb
Singapore	01-Mar	04-Mar
Bombay	10-Mar	13-Mar
Suez	20-Mar	20-Mar
Port Said	20-Mar	21-Mar
Southampton	28-Mar	17-Apr	Voyage repairs
Port Said	24-Apr	25-Apr
Aden	29-Apr	30-Apr
Bombay	04-May	09-May
Suez	16-May	16-May
Port Said	17-May	17-May
Southampton	24-May	17-Jun	Voyage repairs
Gibraltar	20-Jun	20-Jun
Port Said	24-Jun	24-Jun
Port Sudan	27-Jun	27-Jun
Aden	29-Jun	29-Jun
Bombay	03-Jul	09-Jul
Aden	13-Jul	13-Jul
Suez	16-Jul	16-Jul
Port Said	17-Jul	18-Jul
Southampton	25-Jul	12-Aug	Voyage repairs, drydocked for cleaning and painting
Malta	17-Aug	17-Aug
Port Said	19-Aug	22-Aug
Malta	25-Aug	25-Aug
Gibraltar
Southampton	31-Aug	11-Sep	Voyage repairs
Malta	17-Sep	17-Sep
Port Said	20-Sep	21-Sep
Salonika		24-Sep
Piraeus		25-Sep
Malta	27-Sep	27-Sep
Gibraltar		29-Sep
Southampton	03-Oct	16-Oct	Voyage repairs
Port Said	23-Oct	25-Oct
Aden	28-Oct	29-Oct
Kilinidini	02-Nov	03-Nov
Bombay	09-Nov	14-Nov
Aden	18-Nov	19-Nov
Massawah	20-Nov	21-Nov
Suez	23-Nov
Port Said		24-Nov
Southampton	02-Dec	12-Dec	Voyage repairs
Malta	17-Dec	17-Dec
Port Said	19-Dec	21-Dec
Salonika		23-Dec
Piraeus		24-Dec
Malta	26-Dec	26-Sep
Gibraltar	27-Dec	29-Dec

1947

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Southampton	01-Jan	13-Jan	Voyage repairs
Gibraltar	16-Jan	16-Jan
Malta	19-Jan	19-Jan
Port Said	21-Jan	23-Jan
Piraeus	26-Jan	26-Jan
Malta	28-Jan	28-Jan
Southampton	02-Feb	12-Feb	Voyage repairs
Malta	16-Feb	16-Feb
Port Said	20-Feb	22-Feb
Cyprus	23-Feb
Salonika		25-Feb
Piraeus		26-Feb
Malta	01-Mar	02-Mar
Gibraltar	04-Mar	04-Mar
Southampton	07-Mar

1948

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Southampton		16-Jun
Malta	21-Jun	21-Jun
Port Said	24-Jun	26-Jun
Malta	28-Jun	28-Jun
Southampton	03-Jul	14-Jul
Malta	19-Jul	19-Jul
Port Said	21-Jul	23-Jul
Malta	25-Jul	25-Jul
Southampton	30-Jul	11-Aug
Gibraltar	14-Aug	14-Aug
Malta	16-Aug	16-Aug
Port Said	19-Aug	21-Aug
Malta	23-Aug	23-Aug
Gibraltar	25-Aug	26-Aug
Southampton	29-Aug	09-Sep
Malta	14-Sep	14-Sep
Port Said	16-Sep	18-Sep
Southampton	25-Sep		Handed back to owners

1949

Painted in her war-time grey colours

Master, Officers and Crew on Maiden Voyage - April 1921

Farewell Arundel Castle - 1958

Final Voyage to Hong Kong - 1959

On 30 December 1958 she left Southampton for Kowloon on her way to Chiap Hua, the ship breakers in Hong Kong.

When the ship arrived in Hong Kong harbour, Chiap Hua organised a lavish cocktail party on board the vessel with many of Hong Kong's dignitaries including government officials and bank executives.

The ship's furnishings and accessories—including the chronometers, captain's armchair, steering wheel, crockery and sterling silver cutlery—were offered as gifts.

In her career she had steamed 2,850,000 miles in peace-time service and 625,565 as a troopship.

A Bristol Britannia, in B & C livery, about to leave Heathrow for Hong Kong to repatriate the ship’s company

Arriving in Hong Kong Bay

Moored and awaiting her turn in the scrap yard

Arundel Castle Left Southampton 6 November For South Africa
Master	D MacKenzie
Chief Officer	A Freer
First Officer	B Mitton
Second Officer	P Truman
Third Officer	K Bennet
Fourth Officer	J Gamble
Ex Fourth Officer	C Jewell
Jnr Fourth Officer	I Gordon
Surgeon	S Caller
Purser	A Stevens
Asst Pursers	R Campbell
Purser’s Clerks	C MacRae R Fiddes
First Radio Officer	G Kilmister
Second Radio Officer	W Eckersley
Third Radio Officer	J Ward
Nursing Sister	Miss M Dowling
Children’s Hostess	Miss E Vecqueray
Band Leader	G Jones
Carpenter	R Williams
Bosun	C Thomas
Chief Engineer	P McTaggart
First Engineer	P Nicholls
Second Engineer	W Irvine
Int Second Engineer	J Bray
Jnr Second Engineer	L Dean
Snr Third Engineer	E Sartori
Int Third Engineer	F McIntosh
Jnr Third Engineer	P McDaid
Snr Fourth Engineer	F Lawrence
Int Fourth Engineer	W Newton
Jnr Fourth Engineer	F Venter
Snr Fifth Engineer	I Jenkins
Int Fifth Engineer	J Thom
Jnr Fifth Engineer	C Meek
Snr Sixth Engineer	T Puleston
Int Sixth Engineer	J Kennedy
Jnr Sixth Engineer	J Lyle
Seventh Engineer	R Hughes
First Electrician	E Wilson
Second Electrician	A Ricketts
ER Storekeeper	T Allen
ER Leading Hand	F Williams
Chief Steward	A Turpin
Second Steward	F Headland
Chief Barman	C Gilmour
Storekeeper	H Moss
Head Waiter (1st Class)	S Sullivan
First Tourist Steward	N Bottoms
Head Waiter (Tourist Class)	C Williamson
Laundryman	G Higgins
Chef	F Hopper
Baker	H Hainsworth
Butcher	S Grove

Arundel Castle Left Southampton 30 December For Hong Kong
Master	D MacKenzie
Chief Officer	A Freer
Second Officer	P Truman
Third Officer	K Bennett
Fourth Officer	J Gamble
First Radio Officer	T Peake
Carpenter	R Williams
Bosun	C Thomas
Chief Engineer	W Purse
Second Engineer	P Nicholls
Int Second Engineer	J Bray
Jnr Second Engineer	L Dean
Snr Third Engineer	F McIntosh
Int Third Engineer	P McDaid
Jnr Third Engineer	F Lawrance
Snr Fourth Engineer	W Newton
Int Fourth Engineer	I Jenkins
Jnr Fourth Engineer	W Thom
Junior Engineer	C Meek
First Electrician	A Ricketts
ER Storekeeper	F Williams
Chief Steward	A Turpin
Head Waiter	S Sullivan

Arundel Castle

Artist - Maurice Randall

Arundel Castle

Artist - Keith Byass

Arundel Castle

Artist - Roger H Middlebrook

Arundel Castle - Art Gallery

Off Cape Town

Artist - Unknown

Arundel Castle Officers - 1953

Taken on Northbound passage in October 1953

Capt W S Byles front row centre, Harold Charnley is middle row 2nd from left

Vessel

Built

Service

Tonnage

Arundel Castle (4)

1921

1921 Deployed to The Cape Mail Service

1937 Refitted and re-engined

1940 Requisitioned as a Troop Ship

1950 Returned to The Cape Mail Service

1949 Scrapped at Hong Kong

19023

Official Number

Ship Builder

Engine Builder

Engine Type

Screws

145175

Harland & Wolff

Belfast

Harland & Wolff

Belfast

6 x Steam turbines

15000

Master	From	To
T J Bremner	4/1921	12/1922
D H Hoskins	1/1922	3/1922
L A Millard	1/1923	3/1923
J W Hague	3/1923	4/1926
J George	4/1926	9/1927
A S Knight	9/1927	5/1928
C E Stuart	5/1928	7/1928
W Morton-Betts	8/1928	9/1928
S H Owen	10/1928	12/1929
G F Gardner	12/1929	3/1930
W Morton-Betts	8/1930	5/1931
C Le Brocq	5/1931	7/1931
C E Stuart	7/1931	3/1933
G J Whitfield	4/1933	8/1935
A O Morgan	9/1935	12/1935
C Le Brocq	1/1936	1/1937
S F Newdigate	1/1937	10/1937
Refit
W Weller	10/1937	12/1937
C E Aylen	12/1937	6/1939
E E Spradbrow	6/1939	7/1939
F A Smyth	7/1939	6/1940
R C Harris	9/1939	11/1939
A C Blackman	11/1939	12/1939
R T Smailes	6/1940	8/1943
L P Wilkie	1/1943	1/1943
J C Brown	8/1943	2/1945
L P Wilkie	5/1945	12/1947
H A Deller	2/1948	5/1949
C Gorringe	9/1950	11/1950
J H Trayner	1/1951	1/1952
W S Byles	8/1953	10/1953
D D MacKenzie	10/1953	2/1959
A G Patey	7/1956	9/1956
	6/1957	8/1957
	9/1958	10/1958