RMS ''Arundel Castle'' was a British

ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...

and

Royal Mail Ship Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship or Steamer), usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract to the British Royal Mail. The designation dates back to 1840. Any vessel de ...

which entered service in 1921 for the

Union-Castle Line The Union-Castle Line was a British shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and cargo ships between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977. It was formed from the merger of the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line. It merged with ...

. A previous vessel of the same name was built in 1864 by Donald Currie & Co. (a predecessor to Union-Castle) and sold in 1883, whereupon it was renamed ''Chittagong''. Originally laid down as the ''Amroth Castle'' in 1915, building was delayed by the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. She was eventually launched on 11 September 1919. She was completed on 8 April 1921 and in 22 April 1921 the ship departed from Southampton on her maiden voyage to

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

she was requisitioned by the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

to serve as a troopship. After the war she resumed passenger service, eventually being scrapped in 1959.

History

Construction

Originally designed for the Union Castle Line in 1913, her keel was laid down at Harland & Wolff shipyard. She should have been completed in 1916, under the name ''Amroth Castle'', but with the advent of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, construction on the ship was put on hold until November 1918. With the shortage of materials in the following years, the Union Castle Line had to wait until 1921 for the delivery of their ship. By that time, they had taken the decision to rename her ''Arundel Castle''. Her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...

was and they were the only four-funneled liners not built for transatlantic service.

Early career

On 22 April 1921 she set out on her maiden voyage from

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. As the route took her across the Equator, she was one of the first liners to be fitted with air conditioning and a pool. She received a refit in 1937, with her four funnels being reconfigured into two, with new Babcock-Johnson boilers, her hull lengthened, and her bow remodelled from a straight stem to a more modern, angular design. She served in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a transport in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

World War 2

On the outbreak of war in 1939, she was requisitioned by the

to serve as a troopship. She survived the war unscathed.

Post-war career

After being released by the Admiralty, she was converted back to a passenger liner to provide a service for emigrants traveling to South Africa. The end of that role in 1949 led to the ship being returned to her normal service between Southampton and Cape Town. ''Arundel Castle'' made her 211th and final voyage in 1958, leaving

on 5 December and arriving in Southampton on 19 December. On 30 December she left for Kowloon on her way to Chiap Hua, the

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

ship breakers. When the ship arrived in Hong Kong harbour, Chiap Hua organised a lavish

cocktail party A cocktail party is a party at which cocktails are served. It is sometimes called a cocktail reception. A cocktail party organized for purposes of social or business networking is called a mixer. Some events, such as wedding receptions, are ...

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. Colour film of ''Arundel Castle'' in Hong Kong can be seen in the '' Look at Life'' film, "Ticket to Tokyo," released in April 1959.Look at Life – Ticket to Tokyo 1959
" ''YouTube'', starting at 8:02 in the film .

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arundel Castle Ocean liners Four funnel liners Ships of the Union-Castle Line 1919 ships Ships built in Belfast Ships built by Harland and Wolff