Carnarvon Castle (2)

GJSL

CARNARVON CASTLE (2) was built in 1926 by Harland & Wolff at Belfast with a tonnage of 20122grt, a length of 630ft 8in, a beam of 73ft 5in and a service speed of 16 knots.

She was launched by Lady Suffield the second daughter of Lord Kylsant and commenced her maiden voyage on 16th July 1926.

The company's first motorship she was also the first to exceed 20000grt and had the distinctive Harland & Wolff profile including the dummy forward funnel.

In 1936 the new mail contract required a 19 knot service speed to reduce the passage time to 13.5 days.

Consequently, in 1937 she was modernised and re-engined, resuming service on 8th July 1938, without the forward funnel, and setting a new record to Cape Town of 12 days 13 hours and 36 minutes.

In September 1939 she was commissioned by the navy for conversion at Simonstown, South Africa to an armed merchant cruiser, HMS Carnarvon Castle.

1943 Decommissioned as converted for Trooping

1947 Returned to owners as “austerity” emigrant ship

1950 Returned to The Cape Mail Service

1962 Scrapped in Japan

Launch - 14 January 1926

Carnarvon Castle Interior

21st February 1952:  The South African rugby union team on board the liner Carnarvon Castle, on their voyage home following a series of matches in Britain

Captain J F Oakley in the centre

Springboks Tour of United Kingdom - 1952

Carnarvon Castle , 1956

back row from left:    B.Bennet 2/O,   S. Cazalet, X/4/O,   Bernard Wallace-Bradley J/4/O,   ???,   John Canner, 3/O

seated:  H. Dryden C/O,    Capt Billy Byles,   Sam Hagan, 1/O

Carnarvon Castle Deck Officers - 1956

Carnarvon Castle

Artist - Maurice Randall

By Colin Verity

Carnarvon Castle - Art Gallery

Refitted - 1937

In October 1937 she returned to her builders for a dramatic refit and a far more elegant appearance

Funnels were reduced to one, fitted with a raked and flared bow, new 10 cylinder diesel engines giving an increase in  service speed from 18 to 20 knots

In July 1938 she returned to the mail service and set a new southbound record of 12 days 13 hours 38 minutes

Service in WW2

In September 1939 she was requisition by The Royal Navy and converted at Simonstown into an Armed Merchant Cruiser.

She was now HMS Carnarvon Castle

In November 1943 she was decomissioned and sent to New York to be refitted as a troopship

Port

Arrived

Sailed

Comments

Swansea

25-Nov


De-arming for conversion to troop transport

1943

Port

Arrived

Sailed

Comments

Swansea


25-Feb


New York

09-Mar

15-Oct

Conversion to troop transport

Drydocking fitting tail shafts, anchor and cables

Southampton

25-Oct

28-Oct


Greenock

30-Oct

06-Nov

Voyage repairs

New York

16-Nov

23-Nov


Southampton

04-Dec

07-Dec


Liverpool

08-Dec


Voyage repairs

Fitting bulwarks on fore well-deck

1944

Port

Arrived

Sailed

Comments

Liverpool


05-Jan


Gibraltar

11-Jan

12-Jan


Port Said

15-Jan

16-Jan


Suez

17-Jan

21-Jan


Aden

25-Jan

25-Jan


Bombay

30-Jan

09-Feb


Suez

16-Feb

22-Feb


Port Said

22-Feb

25-Feb


Algiers

01-Mar

03-Mar


Gibraltar

05-Mar

06-Mar


Liverpool

12-Mar

30-Mar

Voyage repairs

Troop accommodation repairs

Taranto

11-Apr

11-Apr


Port Said

14-Apr

15-Apr


Suez

15-Apr

16-Apr


Aden

19-Apr

21-Apr

Engine repairs

Kilindini

25-Apr

29-Apr


Berbera

03-May

04-May


Suez

07-May

07-May


Port Said

08-May

11-May


Gibraltar

16-May

17-May


Greenock

22-May

28-May


Glasgow

28-May

07-Jun

Voyage repairs, repairs to generator and boat winches

Greenock

07-Jun

09-Jun


Naples

15-Jun

20-Jun


Southampton

25-Jun

29-Jun


Gibraltar

02-Jul

02-Jul


Taranto

07-Jul

06-Jul


Alexandria

09-Jul

12-Jul


Malta

14-Jul

14-Jul


Southampton

21-Jul

30-Jul

Engine repairs and drydocking

Taranto

10-Sep

11-Sep


Alexandria

13-Sep

14-Sep


Port Said

15-Sep

16-Sep


Suez

16-Sep

18-Sep


Kilindini

25-Sep

26-Sep


Durban

01-Oct

10-Oct

Voyage repairs

Kilindini

14-Oct

15-Oct


Suez

26-Oct

26-Oct


Durban

06-Nov

16-Nov


Kilindini

21-Nov

22-Nov


Aden

26-Nov

26-Nov


Suez

29-Nov

03-Dec


Kilindini

11-Dec

11-Dec


Durban

17-Dec

29-Dec

Voyage repairs

Cape Town

31-Dec



1945

1946

Port

Arrived

Sailed

Comments

Cape Town


02-Jan


Southampton

20-Jan

22-Jan

Engine repairs

Plymouth

24-Jan

26-Jan

Generator repairs

Freetown

05-Mar

05-Mar


Cape Town

14-Mar

21-Mar


Southampton

05-Apr

04-May

Voyage repairs and

generator repairs

Port Said

12-May

17-May


Malta

19-May

19-May


Southampton

24-May

07-Jun

Voyage repairs

Cape Town

22-Jun

30-Jun


Southampton

14-Jul

01-Aug

Voyage repairs

Cape Town

16-Aug

24-Aug


Southampton

07-Sep

27-Sep

Engine and

general voyage repairs

Cape Town

12-Oct

17-Oct


Southampton

02-Nov

18-Nov

Voyage repairs

Cape Town

04-Dec

07-Dec


Las Palmas

18-Dec

18-Dec


Southampton

22-Dec


Voyage repairs and overhaul

Drydocked

1947

Port

Arrived

Sailed

Comments

Southampton


10-Jan


Resumption of Mail Service after WW2 - June 1950

She remained on trooping duties after the war, and was finally released from naval service in March 1947.

Returned to her original owners, she was back on the route to South Africa by June 1947.

With her trooping accommodation only marginally upgraded, she carried a flood of post war emigrants from Britain on low cost assisted passages to East and South Africa.

She was again refitted, to more luxurious standards, by Harland and Wolff in early 1949.

Resuming service on 15 June 1950, she served until her retirement and sale.

Farewell Carnarvon Castle - 1962

Review  - October 1962

Master

From

To

J W Hague

7/1926

6/1927

H Strong

7/1927

10/1927

W F Stanley

10/1927

4/1930

Refit

H B Harvey

4/1930

6/1930

G Owens

6/1930

11/1930

Sir B Chave

11/1930

4/1931

H B Harvey

4/1931

6/1931

W Morton-Betts

6/1931

4/1932

H B Harvey

4/1932

6/1932

E S Vincent

7/1932

8/1932

J H Kerbey

9/1932

5/1933

C E Stuart

5/1933

12/1935

C R Bickford

12/1935

10/1936

E E Spradbrow

10/1936

2/1937

W Weller

8/1937

10/1937

A C Blackman

7/1938

9/1939

Royal Navy

R Wren

1/1944

10/1944

A Alderson

10/1944

11/1944

M H Williams

12/1944

11/1946

R T Smailes

12/1946

4/1947

T W McAllen

5/1947

1/1948

Refit

J F Oakley

6/1950

10/1953

W S Byles

10/1953

1/1960

J D Fisher

10/1957

3/1958

J P Smythe

2/1960

2/1961

G E Stephenson

3/1961

12/1961

W S Byles

12/1961

6/1962

Laid up

F J Pye

8/1962

9/1962

Carnarvon Castle Officers - March 1959

Maiden Voyage - 1926

   Crew List

Vessel

Built

Tonnage

Official No

Ship Builder

Engine Builder

Engine Type

HP

Screws

Carnarvon Castle (2)

1926

20122

148766

Harland & Wolff

Belfast

Harland & Wolff

Belfast

2 x Motor 8 Cyl

Burmeister & Wain

15000 BHP

2

Career Summary

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