Their unique silhouettes inspired awe from even seasoned travelers. Social historians have suggested that emigrants, fearful of the sea, were more confident when a ship had more fimnels. None were more inspiring of confidence than those with four ftmnels and they were rare. There were only fourteen built, numbering some of the most famous, TITANIC, LUSITANIA, FRANCE, KAISER WILHELM DER GROSS, and.... ARUNDEL CASTLE. The last named ship, together with her sister WINDSOR CASTLE, was neither famous nor large nor fast. These two ships do however occupy a unique place in nautical history.

To the Union Castle Line goes the somewhat dubious honor of having ordered the last pair of four funneled liners. They were much smaller than their twelve near relatives, which were usually giants in their day, and fast. They were all North Atlantic greyhounds, built for speed and comfort. The two Union Castle ships were built for a different purpose and for a different ocean. They made their debut in 1920 but their story goes back to April 13, 1909. On that day, Sir Donald Currie, chairman of Union Castle, died. Sir Donald had been a powerful force in South African shipping, founding the Castle Line in 1872 and master-minding the merger with the Union Line twenty eight years later. With Union Castle, he created the premier steamship service between the United Kingdom and South Africa. With his death the company was in difficulty. About this time the giant Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was in the process of buying nearly every available steamship line and it came as no surprise to the shipping community when Royal Mail snapped up Union Castle. New management had some very ambitious plans.

Royal Mail, under Sir Owen Phillips, (later Lord Kylesant), set about a major rehabilitation program. Two new and large liners were ordered for the Cape Mail run. These were intended to make an impression on both shippers and travelers alike. The new vessels were ordered from the Belfast firm of Harland & Wolff. Marine architects began the design of the new ships, creating a type never seen on the Cape Run before. The two ships were turbine driven, 661 feet long, with a beam of 72 feet. The hull was traditional in form, introducing the cruiser stern to the Cape, but it was the profile that caused the most interest. They were designed with four funnels and this was controversial even before they were launched. This was still the era when a ship's size and power was commonly judged by the number of funnels. While the ships were larger than any previously on the Cape, they were quite small compared to the other four-pipers. Aesthetically, they also left something to be desired. In the opinion of many contemporary writers, the funnels looked too thin and tall for the hull. Had it not been for the visual impact intended two funnels would have done nicely.

ARUNDEL CASTLE was begun in 1915 but Harland and Wolff was so booked with war work they handed over the WINDSOR CASTLE to John Brown and Company, Clydebank. More than once consideration was given to the idea of completing the ARUNDEL CASTLE in an austerity form for war work as an armed merchant cruiser or transport but this was not done. All work on the WINDSOR CASTLE was held back until the war was over. ARUNDEL CASTLE was completed as planned -a passenger liner, launched on September 11, 1919, six years after being designed. The launch of WINDSOR CASTLE was not far behind, on March 9, 1921.

The delays in construction had the unfortunate effect of making the vessels outdated by the time they entered service. They were coal burners at a time when the crack liners were all going to oil fired boilers. Complaints were heard about their plan and handling. The ships both were difficult to steer and very uneconomical to operate. The four uptakes cut through almost every important public room, which was a source of annoyance aad spoiled the interior designs. The marine editor of the newspaper, The Cape Times, called them "abortions".

After the TITANIC disaster more attention was paid to the number of lifeboats on passenger liners. The original plan called for eight boats on the upper boat deck with four more on the next level down further aft. To allow for the increase in boats. a new design was tried which caused considerable comment. Twelve additional boats were nested, six across, on top of the aft deckhouse. An overhead gantry system was installed that was claimed to be able to launch all twelve in less than 20 minutes. Perhaps it was a good thing this was never put to the test. A former crew member wrote that in an emergency they would never have been launched because in practice attempts it took hours to get them out.

ARUNDEL CASTLE entered service, leaving on her maiden voyage on April 22, 1921. Both ships had somewhat uneventful careers throughout the 1920s, steaming routinely back and forth from Southampton to the Cape. Passengers liked them for the most part but they were not popular with harbor pilots. The turbines were slow to respond to power changes or reversals and they were considered difficult ships to handle. All went well into the early 1930s but trouble was brewing. Royal Mail had by now acquired over one sixth of the world's merchant tonnage, either though direct ownership or through controlling interests. Lord Kylesant had reached for a prestigious prize and acquired the White Star Line from the J.P. Morgan trust, the International Mercantile Marine. By doing so, Royal Mail did not acquire the "Jewel in the Crown" as they had hoped but rather a millstone that threatened to bring down the company. White Star had problems and the Royal Mail Group was now having difficulty paying off their government loans. Now in the depths of the great depression, the Royal Mail Group fell apart in 1931 with many member companies resuming independent operation under the approval of the receivers. Union Castle was one of these. Chairmanship of the company was assumed by Robertson Gibb, a long time employee. Interestingly, Lord Kylesant was actually prosecuted, (for fraud), and received a prison sentence for his mismanagement of Royal Mail, an event that is unique in shipping company history. Few agreed with this action, feeling that he was made a scapegoat to cover government embarrassment and that there was little he could have done to avert the collapse of the company.

Gibb had to meet a new challenge immediately upon assuming leadership. The South African government entered into a mail contract with an Italian firm. This unexpected subsidized service from Mediterranean ports shook Union Castle out of it's complacency. They had to DO something. Gibb negotiated a new mail contract requiring faster delivery time and ordered three new ships to meet the terms of the new service. The new 25,000 ton STERLING CASTLE and ATHLONE CASTLE could met the requirements but the older ships could not. ARUNDEL CASTLE and WINDSOR CASTLE were therefore taken out of service for rebuilding. For both ships it would be necessary to double their power in order to gain the extra three knots required. The engines and boilers were ripped out and replaced with newer and more efficient turbines, oil fired. They took up less space and only required two flues, which meant that the ships emerged with only two large funnels. The result was a much more graceful profile, what some said should have been done from the beginning. An official of John Browns wrote many years after that their firm had tried unsuccessfully to get Union Castle management to change the design in 1919 but they had refused. Upon completion of their reconstruction both ships reentered service in 1937-38 and exceeded the speed requirements by a comfortable margin. They were two of five older ships rebuilt and with three new vessels Union Castle now had a modern fleet and could look to the future with optimism, but the schedule was to begin in 1939. By then the future looked dark indeed.

Both ARUNDEL CASTLE and WINDSOR CASTLE were requisitioned as troopships, with contracts entered into as early as late 1938. When war began most of the Union Castle fleet was snatched up for war service, as armed merchant cruisers, troopships, or hospital ships. ARUNDEL CASTLE served on world wide convoy routes, including one of the first convoys to get through the Mediterranean. She saw service in convoys to Durban, Suez, and to U.S. ports. Although not damaged, she was attacked on two occasions by German torpedo bombers. She also participated in the North African and Sicilian landings. In 1944 she achieved some fame as a repatriation ship carrying prisoners to Gothemburg to exchange for allied P.O.W.s. A second diplomatic mission came in January, 1945. By the time it was completed, the war was over.

After the war, most of the Union Castle fleet returned to commercial service but not the ARUNDEL CASTLE. She was used for several years as an immigrant ship, transporting settlers to South Africa in what could only be described as austerity conditions. Three vessels were employed in this manner from 1947 thru 1949, carrying over 35,000 settlers to their new homes. The ship was then employed briefly in the troopship role agaln in 1949, this time to the Middle East She then returned to the builder's yard for a much needed refit.

When she returned to service in September, 1950 she was totally modernized and was now a two class ship. Although she was the oldest ship in the fleet she was very popular and was usually booked to capacity. During the 1950s a number of newer ships joined the fleet and the ownership of the company changed being taken over by the Clan Line. The ARUNDEL CASTLE was finally withdrawn from service in December, 1958 and was sold in the same month to a firm in Hong Kong for scrap.

While ARUNDEL CASTLE was in many important actions in the war she remained unscathed. Her sister ship WINDSOR CASTLE was not so fortunate. When approaching England on November 4, 1940 the ship was attacked by a 4-engined FW-200 Condor bomber. Four bombs were dropped near the ship, but the strong defense put up by the anti-aircraft gunners kept the Condor at a respectfull distance and reluctant to close for the kill. Hitler's propaganda machine claimed a fierce fight with the ship crippled by a direct hit. There was some truth in this for the ship was hit by a 500 pound bomb, which lodged amidships but did not explode. The ship sailed on into port where the bomb, very much "live", was disarmed. Unfortunately this harrowing episode was only a prelude to what was to come.

On March 23, 1943, WINDSOR CASTLE's luck ran out. While heading for Tunisia with over 2,000 troops aboard, she was attacked about 2:30 in the morning by a German torpedo bomber which scored a direct hit amidships. Two holds and the engine room were flooded and the order was given to abandon ship. The troop evauuation went smoothly and all but the captain and about 35 crewman were removed safely. The ship remained afloat and hope was high that they might be able to tow her to safety. She remained afloat all day and by 5:00 naval vessels had arrived to try to tow her to Gibraltar... but it was too late. She suddenly began to settle by the stern and at 5:30 her bow rose and she slid under the waves. Her captain remarked, "she was always a dignified ship and her end was dignified too". In the attack and evacuation, only three crewman were lost.

1/700 Scale Drawings