SS Balmoral Castle

SS Balmoral Castle

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	570.0 ft
Beam	64.5 ft
Depth	38.9 ft
Propulsion	twin screw
Speed	14 knots (25.93 km/h)

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. As part of Convoy 39 she departed Sydney on 13 Apr 1918 with 7 AIF personnel and 73 Munitions workers. It is likely that Convoy 39 commenced as a fleet at Albany Western Australia on 8th May 1918. She had also embarked Medical Corps General Reinforcements and One Chaplain. On 2 May 1918 she departed New Zealand (Auckland or Wellington) with 437 military personnel.

Following the Armistice in 1918 she repatriated US and Australian troops. In 1919 she made to 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.

Also served during WW2 as a troop transport, until scraped in 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

Liverpool to Fremantle 27 February - 7 April 1919

• George Edward Binns