Shipping editor Keith Hamilton takes a voyage back in time and recalls a liner from Southampton's past. Read about the ships that have contributed to Southampton's rich shipping heritage and the stories behind them.
Join the SHIPPING Forum - CLICK HERE

---

Union-Castle Line's Pretoria Castle, which entered the South Africa passenger-cargo service in 1948, was sold in 1965 to the Safmarine Corporation with the result that she was named SA Oranje for the second part of her career.

Built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, the 28,700-ton ship was one of the first vessels ordered by Union-Castle after the Second World War.

The launching ceremony on August 19, 1947, was unusual in that it was performed by radio by the South African Prime Minister's wife, Mrs Jan Smuts, who was at her home in Pretoria, 6,000 miles from Belfast.

At the appointed time she pressed a button, and the radio waves transmitted activated the launching system.

The maiden voyage was from Southampton on July 22, 1948. She was the first new mail ship to set off for the Cape since before the war, and she was the company's biggest ever liner at 718 feet in length with a beam of 84 feet.

When Pretoria Castle was sold she mainly kept her Union-Castle crew, although later Safmarine officers and ratings were introduced to gain experience.

SA Oranje was included in the fleet run-down of the 1970s, and was sold to Taiwan for breaking up.

Print   Email this