SS Balmoral Castle
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SS Balmoral Castle |
| Owner | Union-Castle Mail Steam Ship Co. Ltd., London |
| Builder | Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd., Govan |
| Yard number | 468 |
| Launched | 13 Nov 1909 |
| Completed | 17 Feb 1910 |
| In service | 1910 |
| Out of service | 1939 |
| Fate | broken up 19 Jun 1939 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger ship |
| Tonnage | 13,361 tons |
| Length | 591.0 ft (180.1m) |
| Beam | 64.5 ft (19.7m) |
| Depth | 31 ft (9.6m) |
| Propulsion | twin screw |
| Speed | 16 knots (29.63 km/h) |
Contents
Remarks
Owned by Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company and used on the South African Mail Service run. In October 1910 she was temporarily commissioned into the Royal Navy and manned by navy personnel to carry the Duke and Duchess of Connaught to South Africa for the opening of Parliament.
In Durban at the outbreak of WW1, she was chartered as a troopship, carrying mail on the southern leg and troops on the northern leg of her UK - South Africa route. Between March and May 1915 she trooped to Gallipoli landing troops. On 2 May 1918 she departed New Zealand (Auckland or Wellington) with 437 military personnel and became part of Convoy 39 that departed Sydney on 13 Apr 1918. with 7 AIF personnel and 73 Munitions workers ABOARD, it is likely that Convoy 39 cdeparted as a fleet at Albany in Western Australia on 8th May 1918. She had also embarked Medical Corps general reinforcements and one Chaplain.
Following the Armistice in 1918 she repatriated US and Australian troops. In 1919 she made two voyages between Liverpool and New York for Cunard before returning to service with Union-Castle. She was broken up at Newport, Monmouthshire in June 1939.
Soldiers carried
England to Fremantle 1 February - 18 March 1918
- Albert Edgar Bishop
- Albert Edward Victor Byfield
- Benjamin Jones
- Edward Joseph King
- Benjamin Arthur McEvoy
- William Edward McKenna
- Alfred Slee
- Frederick White