Edinburgh Castle - Union-Castle Line

Received this ship stamp on postcard from Ms. Sandy, South Africa.

Date of Issue: December 05, 2007
Printing Process: Offset Lithography
Printed by: Southern Colour Print limited, New Zealand
Design: Painting by Peter Bilas

Edinburgh Castle is one of the ships of the famous Union-Castle line. The Union-Castle Line, famed for it’s lavender hulled liners that ran on a clockwork timetable between Southampton and South Africa, began as two separate companies: Union Line and Castle Line. The two amalgamated in March 1900.

The Edinburgh Castle (III) was built in October 16, 1947, by Harland & Wolff at Belfast. for the Union-Castle Line in London, and was christened by Princess Margaret.

She was the second mail steamer built by the company after World War II, and she was a replacement for a vessel lost during the war.

She was built for the mail ship service between Southampton and Madeira, Cape Town, Port Elisabeth, East London and Durban with occasional calls at Las Palmas on the return voyage.

09 December 1948 she sailed for her maiden voyage from Southampton to Cape Town and Durban.

12 April 1976 she arrived for the last time in Southampton. After loading cargo and without any passengers she sailed from this port bound for Durban where she arrived on 10 May. After discharging there she sailed in ballast to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where she arrived on 03 June 1976 for breaking up.