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The Fleets
Donald Currie & Company / Currie's
Calcutta Castles / Castle Mail Packet Company
Formed in 1862 by Donald Currie as Donald Currie & Co. to run a regular
sailing ship service to India and familiarly known as "Currie's Calcutta
Castles". The first steamships entered service on the India route in 1872 and
the same year, a passenger and private mail service from the UK to South Africa
was inaugurated. In 1876 the company became Castle Mail Packet Co. Ltd. and a
joint mail contract was awarded together with the Union SS Co. Calls at Flushing
began
in 1889 resulting in the grant of a contract to carry Dutch mails to South Africa
and in 1900 Castle Line merged with the Union
SS Co. to form Union-Castle Mail
SS Co.
Many thanks to Ted Finch for his assistance in collecting this data.
The following list was extracted from various sources. This is not
an all inclusive list but should only be used as a guide. If you would
like to know more about a vessel, visit the Ship
Descriptions (onsite) or Immigrant
Ship web site.
Routes:
- 1863-1865 Sail, Liverpool - Calcutta.
- 1865-1889 London - Cape Town - Calcutta.
- 1873-1891 London - Dartmouth - Bordeaux / Lisbon or Madeira / Las Palmas / Tenerife -
Cape Town.
- 1873-1898 Cargo South African coastal services.
- 1879-1881 Cape Town - Durban - Mauritius - Galle,Ceylon(occasional)
- 1890-1900 Southampton - Antwerp - Bremen - Hamburg (cargo feeder service)
- 1891-1900 Southampton - Madeira - Cape Town - Port Elizabeth - Durban - Port
Elizabeth - Cape Town - St.Helena (occasional) - Ascension (occasional) - Las Palmas
(occasional) - Southampton.
- 1891-1900 Southampton - Cape Town - Port Elizabeth - East London - Durban.
- 1893-1900 Cargo service South Africa - USA (usually New York)
Funnel:
Red, black top.
Fleet:
Ships which transferred to Union Castle fleet after the merger in 1900
are
not shown again under that fleet. |
|
 |
Union 1872-1900
Union-Castle 1900-1979 |
| |
|
Sailing Ships |
|
| Vessel |
|
Years in Service |
Tons |
| Arundel Castle (1) |
1864 |
1883 sold to Charles Barrie, Dundee, renamed
Chittagong. |
1,042 |
| Carisbrooke Castle |
1868 |
1889 sold to Charles Barrie, Dundee, renamed
Errol. |
1,490 |
| Carnarvon Castle
(1) |
1867 |
1889 sold to Sinclair & Ellwood. |
1,200 |
| Cluny Castle |
1883 |
1889 sold to Edenmount Sailing Ship Co,
Greenock, renamed Rowena. |
1,986 |
| Kenilworth Castle
(1) |
1864 |
1871 wrecked. |
1,062 |
| Pembroke Castle
(1) |
1863 |
1883 sold to Charles Barrie, Dundee, renamed
Glasgow. |
1,171 |
| Roslin Castle (1) |
1863 |
1883 sold to Charles Barrie, Dundee, renamed
London. |
1,170 |
| Stirling Castle (1) |
1863 |
1875 sold. |
1,168 |
| Tantallon Castle
(1) |
1865 |
1883 sold to Charles Barrie, Dundee, renamed
Dacca. |
1,057 |
| Warwick Castle
(1) |
1863 |
1870 sold to James Chambers, Liverpool. |
1,171 |
| |
|
Steamships |
|
| Vessel |
Built |
Years in Service |
Tons |
| Arundel Castle
(3) |
1894 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1905
sold to East Asiatic Co, Copenhagen,
renamed Birma. |
4,588 |
| Avondale Castle |
1897 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1912
sold to Cie de Nav. Sud-Atlantique, Paris, renamed
Garonna. |
5,530 |
| Balmoral Castle
(1) |
1876 |
1882 sold to Cia Trasatlantica,
Spain, renamed San
Augustin. |
2,948 |
| Braemar Castle
(1) |
1898 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1924
scrapped. |
6.266 |
| Carisbrook Castle |
1898 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1922
scrapped. |
7,626 |
| Conway Castle |
1877 |
1893 ran ashore Madagascar - total loss. |
2,966 |
| Courland |
1872 |
chartered from Leith, Hull & Hamburg SP Co.,
1895 sold to Abdoola & Co., Durban. |
1,241 |
| Dolphin |
1883 |
tug at East London, 1900 sold to Clifford
E. Knight,
Capetown. |
49 |
| Doune Castle |
1890 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1904
sold to Barclay, Curle (shipbuilders) in part exchange for
new ship. |
4,046 |
| Dover Castle |
1872 |
chartered to Pacific Steam Nav.Co for maiden
voyage and burnt at sea off Chile. |
2,341 |
| Drummond Castle |
1881 |
1896 sank after striking reef off Ushant; loss of 240
lives. |
3,537 |
| Duart Castle |
1878 |
ex- Adjutant, 1879 purchased
from Seatter, White & Co, Leith, renamed Duart Castle, 1891 sold to
Furness, resold to Pickford
& Black, Halifax NS, later renamed Oruro. |
1,825 |
| Dublin Castle |
1877 |
1882 sold to Cia Trasatlantica, Spain, renamed Santo
Domingo. |
2,805 |
| Dunbar Castle
(1) |
1883 |
1895 sold to Fairfield Shipbuilding in part exchange
for new ship. |
2,682 |
| Dunkeld |
1878 |
SA coastal service, 1891 sold to Spain renamed
Alcirca. |
1,158 |
| Dunolly Castle |
1897 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1905
sold to East Asiatic Co, Copenhagen,
renamed Juliette. |
4,167 |
| Dunottar Castle |
1890 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1913
sold to
Royal Mail SP Co, renamed
Caribbean. |
5,625 |
| Dunrobin Castle |
1875 |
1893 sold to France, renamed Notre Dame De Salut. |
2,811 |
| Dunvegan Castle |
1896 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1923
scrapped. |
5,958 |
| Edinburgh Castle |
1872 |
1880 sold to Spain, renamed Espana. |
2,678 |
| Elizabeth Martin |
1872 |
1882 sold to Greece, renamed Athens. |
1,246 |
| Finland |
1886 |
ex- Cape Merchant, 1886 purchased from Cape & Natal
Merchants Line, renamed Finland, 1887 wrecked near Kowie River. |
1,363 |
| Florence |
1865 |
1873 transferred from Leith, Hull & Hamburg SP
Co., 1889 sold to Turkey, renamed Kriti, later renamed Crete. |
616 |
| Garth Castle |
1880 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1901
sold to Elder Dempster & Co. |
3,537 |
| Gothland |
1871 |
1871 chartered from Leith, Hull & Hamburg SP Co.,
1876 transferred to Liverpool Hamburg Line. |
1,482 |
| Grantully Castle
(1) |
1879 |
1896 sold to Booth Line,
renamed Augustine (2). |
3,489 |
| Harlech Castle |
1894 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1904
sold to Earl Fitzwilliam became private yacht renamed
Veronique. |
3,264 |
| Hawarden Castle |
1883 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co, 1904
sold to
Booth Line, renamed Cyril (2).
|
4,341 |
| Iceland |
1871 |
1871 chartered from Leith Hull & Hamburg SP Co,
1876 wrecked on Texel Island, North Sea. |
1,474 |
| Kildonan Castle |
1899 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1931
scrapped.
|
9,664 |
| Kinfauns Castle
(1) |
1879 |
1883 sold to Russian Volunteer
Fleet, renamed Moscva (Moskva). |
3,507 |
| Kinfauns Castle
(2) |
1899 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1927
scrapped.
|
9,664 |
| Koodoo (1) |
1875 |
Durban passenger tender, 1886 sold to Union
Boating Co. |
52 |
| Lapland |
1872 |
chartered from Leith, Hull & Hamburg SP Co.,
1882 returned to North Sea routes. |
1,269 |
| Lismore Castle |
1891 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1904
sold to Barclay, Curle (shipbuilders) in part exchange for new
ship, renamed
Westmount. |
2,606 |
| Melrose |
1877 |
S.A. coastal service, 1894 sold to Hough & Co.,
Liverpool, renamed Annie Hough. |
839 |
| Methven Castle |
1883 |
1897 sold to Scottish American Line, renamed
Columbia. |
2,681 |
| Norham Castle |
1883 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1903
sold to
French Line, renamed Martinique |
4,012 |
| Pembroke Castle
(2) |
1883 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1906
sold to Turkey, renamed Bezmi-Alem. |
3,936 |
| Penguin |
1899 |
East London passenger tender, 1900 transferred
to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1924 sold to African Wharfage Co.,
Mombasa, renamed Nyati. |
123 |
| Raglan Castle |
1897 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle Mail SS Co., 1905
sold to Russian Government, renamed Hanna, resold to East
Asiatic Co, Copenhagen, renamed St.Domingo. |
4.324 |
| Roslin Castle
(2) |
1883 |
1888 rebuilt to 4500 tons, 1900 transferred to Union-Castle
Mail SS Co., 1904 sold to Germany, renamed Regina. |
4,280 |
| Stettin |
1864 |
1876 transferred from Leith, Hull & Hamburg SP
Co., 1878 reverted to North Sea routes. |
759 |
| Tantallon Castle
(2) |
1894 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle
Mail SS Co., 1901 wrecked
Cape Town; no loss of life. |
5,636 |
| Taymouth Castle |
1877 |
1891 sold to Furness, resold to Pickford & Black,
Halifax NS. |
1,827 |
| Tintagel Castle
(1) |
1896 |
1900 transferred to Union-Castle
Mail SS Co., 1912 sold to
Cie de Nav. Sud-Atlantique, Paris, renamed Liger. |
5,531 |
| Venice |
1878 |
SA coastal service, 1888 sold to Donaldson &
Sievewright, London. |
511 |
| Walmer Castle
(1) |
1872 |
1880 sold to Spain, renamed Valencia. |
2,446 |
| Warwick Castle
(2) |
1877 |
1897 sold to Booth Line,
renamed Jerome (2). |
2,957 |
| Windsor Castle
(1) |
1872 |
1876 wrecked Cape Town; no loss of life. |
2,672 |
Note:— there are variations of spelling between different
Castle / Union-Castle ships ie. CARISBROOK and CARISBROOKE, DUNNOTTAR and DUNOTTAR.
These spellings
are correct.
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Last updated: July 14, 2009 and maintained by
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