Edinburgh Castle
History
United Kingdom
NameEdinburgh Castle
Owner Union-Castle Line
Operator Union-Castle Line
BuilderHarland and Wolff, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Launched16 October 1947
Completed1948
Maiden voyageNovember 1948
FateScrapped 1976
General characteristics
Tonnage28,705 GRT
Length747 ft (228 m)
Beam74 ft (23 m)
PropulsionSteam turbines
Speed22 knots (41 km/h) (service speed)
Capacity755
Crew400

Edinburgh Castle was an ocean liner operated by the Union-Castle Line in service between Britain and South Africa during the mid 20th century. She and her sister ship the RMS Pretoria Castle were built to replace the first Edinburgh Castle (1910 ship) and Warwick Castle (1931) which were lost during World War 2.[1]

She was built by Harland and Wolff of Belfast at a cost of £2.5 million, and was launched on 16 October 1947,[2][3][4] by Princess Margaret.[5] She made her maiden voyage in November 1948.[3] She was refitted twice in the mid 1960s, with modifications externally to her masts and internally with the addition of air conditioning and added private bathrooms.[3][4] She was taken out of service in 1976 after fuel oil prices rose sharply in the preceding years, and sailed from Southampton for scrapping in Taiwan in April.[2]

Edinburgh Castle measured 28,705 gross register tons, and was 747 feet (228 m) long with a beam of 84 feet (26 m).[2] She was powered by steam turbines, which drove twin propellers that gave her a service speed of 22 knots (25 mph).[2] She had a passenger capacity of 755—214 in first class and 541 in tourist class—and a crew of 400.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ "Edinburgh Castle (3)". The British & Commonwealth Register.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Miller Jr., William H. (2001). Picture History of British Ocean Liners 1900 to the Present. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications. pp. 68. ISBN 0-486-41532-5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Middlemiss, Norman (9 August 2016). "Union-Castle Line". Shipping: Yesterday & Today. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  4. 1 2 Miller Jr., William H. (2013). Union-Castle Liners: From Great Britain to Africa 1946-1977. Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445624303.
  5. ↑ "Princess Margaret and Northern Ireland". BBC. 9 February 2002. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
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