RMS Windsor Castle

[Doc Vernon]

Funny thing i was just lying in my bunk thinking of all the UCL Mail Ships and their Sailings from various Ports .
I thought that each two Months one would do a complete Round trip (8 weeks) Starting at Southampton, stopping at one or more of the Canary Islands,then on to Cape Town, East Lobdon ,Port Elizabeth and then Durban,then turn around and do the same back with possibly a different Port on was back at the Canary Islands.
Why i was thinking of this is that i was trying to visualise how many Ships in all at one time were in different places during the 8 Week period!
EG Say the Stirling was in Cape Town, the Winchester in Southampton, the Cape Town Castle in say one of the Canary Islands etc
So in all there would be quite a few at Sea together.
There would also be one or two in Southampton for the two Week period of maintenance etc.

Cheers

[happy daze john in oz]

It is now Friday, 1615 hours.
The tugs are just pulling her off the berth, crowds ashore waving to friends on board, the deck hands busy pulling in the lines.
Slowly she turns to the harbor mouth and out into Table Bay and then the open sea.
The ships whistle gives two blasts, we are homeward bound again.

[Colin Watson]

i had to polish the board they put the body on and ring the bell as the body was dropped into the sea on the S A ORANJE ex Pretoria castle

Hi Keith,
do you remember when that was?I was a passenger of the SA Oranje April 66 and witnessed a burial at sea?Might have been the one you are remembering?As a young man it had quite a profound effect on me,as the whole process seemed an inconvenience ,delaying the vessel by 1 hour.
Cheers
Colin

[vic mcclymont]

It is now Friday, 1615 hours.
The tugs are just pulling her off the berth, crowds ashore waving to friends on board, the deck hands busy pulling in the lines.
Slowly she turns to the harbor mouth and out into Table Bay and then the open sea.
The ships whistle gives two blasts, we are homeward bound again.

Hi John, think you are getting mixed up.
They Mail Ships sailed every Thursday at 16:00 hours.
When the service was speeded up. The departure from Soton was moved to Friday at 13:00 hours.
Vic

[happy daze john in oz]

Hi John, think you are getting mixed up.
They Mail Ships sailed every Thursday at 16:00 hours.
When the service was speeded up. The departure from Soton was moved to Friday at 13:00 hours.
Vic

No Vic, back in the 60's when we were on them that was the times.
I know when it went to five, not eight ships, the times were changed.

[Tony Millen]

I did one voyage on her in the late sixties as a DHU. I cannot recall the job-title of the petty officer who used to give out ship’s cleaning/ painting gear to the deck-ratings from his locker below deck. It wasn’t the bosun or the bosun’s mates. He might have been the sailmaker or lamp-trimmer or store-keeper, or perhaps a combination of some of these. Can anybody help? (I am writing an article about a sea-burial that took place on this voyage, and would like to get the facts that I can remember as accurate as possible.)

Brett Hayes
(R863743)

I started of as Deck Boy and ended up as an AB in the sixties. I went to T.S. Warfleet and came out in 1960 where I was put down to join the Winsor Castle on her maiden voyage but instead I joined the New Zealand Shipping Co. and to answer your question the person you inquired about is indeed the Lamp trimmer which is a P.O. Hope this is what you require.Cheers Tony Millen R727063

[Norm Anderson]

Hi Des
' Cargo boats ' ? ... and there's me pulling-shore siders-up for not calling them ships , sure it was a slip of the memory / tongue on your part

[happy daze john in oz]

Rob, correct mate they were indeed known as the mail boats though when I speak with a couple of South African friends I have here they always call them the mail ships.
Might just be a regional thing.

But to call them fruit boats was indeed correct in more ways than one. LOL

[vic mcclymont]

It depended who you spoke to. Mail ships allways described as Mail ship. Castle R reefers described as fruit boats. Clan R reefers fruit ships.
Vic.

[Doc Vernon]

Not forgetting the Round Africa Ships called the "Intermediates"! Those were some of the best in my View anyway,much more Fun to work on and many good Ports to visit!
Cheers