Llangibby Castle

Service in WW2

Llangibby Castle - Interior

Leaving Beira on her final voyage in 1954

Farewell Llangibby Castle - 1954

Very few merchant ships had such adventurous careers, and none led a more charmed life!

In July 1940, after a voyage from Cape Town to Falmouth, she was requisitioned for trooping duties, as she was the ideal size to carry a battalion, and initially carried troops to South and East Africa.

On December 21/22 1940 she was one of eleven ships, including the Roxburgh Castle, damaged during an air raid in Liverpool.

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Liverpool		30-Jan
Greenock	30-Jan	09-Feb
Freetown	02-Mar	08-Mar
Freetown	08-Mar	09-Apr
Clyde	03-May	03-Jun
Freetown	16-Jun	20-Jun
Cape Town	01-Jul
Durban	04-Jul	08-Jul
Aden	21-Jul	30-Jul
Suez	03-Aug	10-Aug
Port Sudan	13-Aug	19-Aug
Durban	01-Sep	04-Sep
Port Elizabeth	06-Sep	07-Sep
Cape Town	09-Sep	12-Sep
Trinidad	30-Sep	01-Oct
Halifax	09-Oct	10-Oct
Glasgow	22-Oct	12-Nov	Voyage repairs
Clyde	12-Nov	15-Nov
Halifax	24-Nov	25-Nov
New York	27-Nov	05-Dec
Halifax	08-Dec	08-Dec
Clyde	22-Dec
Glasgow	24-Dec		Voyage repairs

1941

1942

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Glasgow		12-Jan	Voyage repairs DEMS
Horta	19-Jan	02-Feb
Gibraltar	08-Feb	06-Apr	Temporary repairs to torpedo damage
Southampton	12-Apr	12-Aug	Permanent repairs to torpedo damage. Drydocked
Clyde	14-Aug	15-Sep	Completion of repairs and fitting
Clyde	23-Oct	26-Oct
Gibraltar	06-Nov	12-Nov
Clyde	19-Nov	21-Nov	Voyage repairs Drydocked
Glasgow	21-Nov	28-Nov
Gibraltar	05-Dec

During a voyage from the Clyde to Singapore she was, on 16th January, torpedoed north of the Azores by U-402 The stern and after gun were blown off but the propellers remained intact.

Although carrying 1400 troops only 26 lives were lost and she managed to limp to Horta in the Azores at 9 knots, fighting off attacks by Focke-Wulf 200 'Kondor' aircraft on the way.

Only 14 days were allowed for repairs to be carried out so on 2nd February set sailed for Gibraltar escorted by an Admiralty tug and three destroyers.

She still had her troops on board and proceeded without her stern and rudder. On the following day the group of ships encountered and fought off a U-boat pack attack during which HMS Westcott sank U-581.

The tug took the Llangibby Castle in tow to assist with steering and on 8th February arrived at Gibraltar where the troops were disembarked.

Except for meals they had remained on deck for the entire voyage but they had avoided being taken prisoner in Singapore.

On 6th April, after 57 days, she sailed from Gibraltar, still without a rudder but with her escorts in attendance, for the 1445 mile voyage back to the United Kingdom where she arrived safely on 13th April.

In all she had sailed 3400 miles without a stern and rudder, using her engines only for steering, a feat for which her master, Captain Bayer, was awarded the CBE

On 9th November 1942 she was part of assault force KMF which, with force KMS and comprising in total 340 ships escorted by 3 battleships, 5 aircraft carriers, 5 cruiser, 30 destroyers and 44 support ships, undertook Operation Torch, the North African landings. She was hit with an 8" shell from a shore battery which killed one person.

1943

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Gibraltar		02-Jan	Repairs to collision damage, temporary bow and stern structure repairs, drydocked
Ponta Delgada		07-Jan
Liverpool	13-Jan	04-May	Permanent repairs to collision damage. New bow fitted and extensive replating to stern. Drydocked
Clyde	05-May	28-Jun
Malta		11-Jul
Algiers	13-Jul	14-Jul
Oran	15-Jul	15-Jul
Gibraltar	16-Jul	17-Jul
Liverpool	24-Jul	11-Aug	Machinery alterations to improve speed. Drydocked and painted
Greenock	11-Aug	15-Sep
Port Said	28-Sep	29-Sep
Suez	29-Sep	11-Oct
Port Said	11-Oct	12-Oct
Alexandria		18-Oct
Taranto	22-Oct	23-Oct
Augusta	24-Oct	27-Oct
Alexandria	30-Oct	08-Nov
Algiers	15-Nov	21-Nov
Oran	22-Nov	28-Nov
Naples	01-Dec	02-Dec
Bizerta	04-Dec	05-Dec
Taranto	07-Dec	09-Dec
Augusta	09-Dec	10-Dec
Algiers	13-Dec	17-Dec
Port Said	22-Dec

In 1943 she had to return to the United Kingdom for repairs to her bow which had been damaged at Gibraltar during the preparations for the Italian landings and, at the same time, was converted into a Landing Ship Infantry with 18 landing craft.

She rehearsed her landing techniques at Loch Fyne and then spent six months ferrying troops in the Mediterranean painted in two shades of blue.

1944

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Port Said		20-Jan
Taranto	25-Jan	27-Jan
Oran	31-Jan	04-Feb
Philippeville	16-Feb	18-Feb
Naples		21-Feb
Oran	24-Feb	29-Feb
Naples	03-Mar	05-Mar
Greenock	16-Mar
Operation Overlord

In 1944 she was allotted to Force J3 (Juno beach), painted in camouflage paint and embarked Royal Marine Flotilla 557 to man her landing craft for 1590 troops. Based at Southampton she practised her D-Day landings at Bracklesham Bay and on 6th June joined Juno Force and landed the first wave of 750 Canadian troops at Coirseilles.

Returning to the ship ten of her LSI's were swamped with the loss of 12 lives. The second wave of 750 men were taken ashore by the remaining LSI's which made two trips to the beach.

In all she remained at the beach head for nine hours. She later landed troops at the Omaha and Utah beaches and also at Le Havre.

1945

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Operation Overlord
Southampton	28-Mar	16-Oct	Major collision damage Superstructure damage Large hole in side Enginer, Deck and electrical repairs. Drydocked
Port Said	27-Oct	27-Oct
Bombay	06-Nov	20-Nov	Fitting cabin accommodation
Visagapatnam	26-Nov	02-Dec
Madras	05-Dec	06-Dec
Cochin	09-Dec	09-Dec
Suez	19-Dec	19-Dec
Southampton	29-Dec

1946

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Southampton		14-Jan	Voyage repairs
Port Said	24-Jan	25-Jan
Bombay	04-Feb	07-Feb
Cochin	09-Feb	10-Feb
Port Said		20-Feb
Freetown
Takoradi	06-Mar	07-Mar
Lagos	08-Mar	10-Mar
Freetown	13-Mar	14-Mar
Port Said	26-Mar	26-Mar
Aden	31-Mar	31-Mar
Cochin	06-Apr	08-Apr	Minor engine repairs
Rangoon	12-Apr	14-Apr
Colombo	18-Apr	18-Apr
Aden	24-Apr	24-Apr
Suez	28-Apr	28-Apr
Port Said	28-Apr	29-Apr
Takoradi	13-May	15-May
Freetown	20-May	21-May
Freetown	24-May	24-May
Port Said	05-Jun	05-Jun
Cochin	16-Jun	18-Jun
Port Said	29-Jun	30-Jun
Takoradi	14-Jul	15-Jul
Lagos	16-Jul	18-Jul
Takoradi	19-Jul	19-Jul
Freetown	22-Jul	22-Jul

She was returned to Union-Castle in January 1947, after having sailed 300,256 miles and carrying 156,134 troops, and underwent a refit before resuming her Round Africa service.

In 1949 she missed a voyage after suffering a fire in the cargo space and on 29th June 1954 she sailed from Tilbury to Newport in Monmouthshire where she was broken up by J. Cashmore.

Resumption of Commercial Service after WW2 - 1947

Officers’ Menu served on board the “Llangibby Castle” during the English Channel crossing July 29, 1944.

The 58th General Hospital landed on Utah Beach, July 30, 1944.

This article was first published in “The Union-Castle Chronicle”

by Marischal Murray

Canadian troops landing at Juno Beach

Llangibby Castle at Juno Beach

During the operation she made over seventy crossings and carried over 100,000 men. At the cessation of hostilities in Europe she was transferred to the Far East where she carried out more trooping duties.

In January 1946 she made three voyages repatriating some 6000 West African troops from Burma and India including the total internees of a military prison.

During the 12 month period she sailed 55,732 miles and her longest stay in port was 2 days 20 hrs.

The company recorded the tour of duty as the longest Southampton to Southampton voyage undertaken in peace time.

1946 - Continued

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Southampton	01-Aug	30-Aug	Both tailshafts drawn for survey Deck, Engine and Accommodation repairs Drydocked
Port Said	08-Sep	10-Sep
Freetown	21-Sep	22-Sep
Takoradi	25-Sep	25-Sep
Lagos	26-Sep	28-Sep
Freetown	01-Oct	01-Oct
Dakar	03-Oct	03-Oct
Port Said	13-Oct	14-Oct
Aden	18-Oct	19-Oct
Madras	27-Oct	30-Oct
Aden	07-Nov	08-Nov
Suez	13-Nov	13-Nov
Port Said	13-Nov	18-Nov
Freetown	29-Nov	30-Nov
Takoradi	03-Dec	03-Dec
Lagos	04-Dec	06-Dec
Takoradi	07-Dec	08-dec
Freetown	11-Dec	11-Dec
Southampton	20-Dec

1947

Port	Arrived	Sailed	Comments
Southampton		05-Jan
Glasgow	06-Jan

D Day - The Master’s Story

Captain T W McAllen

Vessel

Built

Service

Tonnage

Llangibby Castle

1929

1930 Deployed to The Round Africa Service

1940 Requisitioned for Trooping duties

1940 Damaged in an air raid at Liverpool

1942 Rudder and stern blown away by torpedo returned to UK after epic voyage

1942 At North African Invasion hit by shell in Engineer’s quarters

1944 At D-Day Landings with Assault Landing Craft

1945 In collision with Blue Funnel’s Antenor in Solent

1947 Returned to The Round Africa Service

1954 Scrapped at Newport

11951

Official Number

Ship Builder

Engine Builder

Engine Type

Screws

161329

Harland & Wolff

Govan

Harland & Wolff

Govan

2 x Motor 8 Cyl

Burmeister & Wain

8500 BHP

Master	From	To
A Barron	11/1929	5/1930
H B Harvey	6/1930	4/1931
D Nicoll	4/1931	6/1932
H Linklater	7/1932	1/1934
H R Northwood	2/1934	7/1936
R W Goodacre	8/1936	9/1937
E H Thornton	9/1937	12/1937
J C Simpson	12/1937	6/1938
E E Spradbrow	6/1938	12/1938
F A Smyth	1/1939	10/1939
E E Spradbrow	10/1939	4/1940
A Alderson	4/1940	7/1940
J Lecky	7/1940	7/1941
G H Mayhew Ch Officer in Command	11/1940	12/1940
W D Roach	11/1941	12/1941
R F Bayer	1/1942
Torpedoed
R F Bayer		4/1942
R C Harris	6/1942	8/1942
C Harvey	8/1942	1/1943
J F Oakley	3/1943	4/1943
M H Williams	4/1943	5/1944
T W McAllen	5/1944	5/1945
M H Williams	8/1944	11/1944
Repairs
T W McAllen	10/1945	12/1946
J B McReynolds	6/1946	8/1946
Refit
J B McReynolds	7/1947	1/1948
C C Page	9/1948	11/1948
D D MacKenzie	5/1950	8/1950
F R Pope	12/1951	6/1954
T W McAllen	6/1954	6/1954

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