CRUISE ABOARD A UNION CASTLE LINER TO SOUTH AFRICA IN THE EARLY 1960s…

Posted by: Michael Grace January 30, 2009

Youtube video on the Union Castle Lines from the early 1960s…

The Union-Castle Line was a prominent shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and freighters between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977.

The company originated as Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company, Ltd on 8 March 1900 with the merger of Union Line and Castle Shipping Line, with Castle Shipping Line taking over the fleet.

Union-Castle named most of their ships with the suffix “Castle” in their names. They were well known for the lavender hulled liners with black and red funnels, running on a rigid timetable between Southampton and Cape Town. Every Thursday at 4pm a Union-Castle Royal Mail Ship would leave Southampton bound for Cape Town. At the same time, a Union-Castle Royal Mail Ship would leave Cape Town bound for Southampton.