Ship Memories

[robpage]

GOOD HOPE CASTLE (Union Castle Line)
Fast standard dry cargo ship built by Caledon Shipbuilding, Dundee, in 1945 as Empire Life for the Ministry Of War Transport, managed by T&J Harrison. She originally had accommodation for 54 passengers. Sold in 1946 to Union Castle Line and renamed Good Hope Castle, with her funnel heightened in 1950 and passenger number reduced to 12 in 1952 and removed in 1957. In 1959 following a charter to Springbok Line she was sold to Hong Kong ship breakers , 1st CL Ship put on the South African registry in 1947

[Captain Kong]

Exactly correct, Rob

[Ivan Cloherty]

Exactly correct, Rob

I stand corrected

[j.sabourn]

#30 That’s because if your at sea for more than 8 hours Ivan you can afford a beer next time in port as get 2 days pay for 1 plus 3/9 d subsistence. Think that’s where Cappy gets mixed up with his missing 3/9d the shipping master forgot to pay him. The 3 cylinder doxford built in Sunderland in 1944 the Avonmoor, I was told she was built on the Empire boat design, she also was a closed shelter deck design with a flush main deck. JWS

[j.sabourn]

#28... Foremast, mainmast, mizzenmast mast, after Mizzenmast. Know what the fifth and sixth are called Louis ?? I don’t either can’t remember.
JWS.

[j.sabourn]

Good memories and bad memories at sea , the good on getting a cable after just coming out of the Suez canal in August 1963 bound for the uk that wife had delivered a baby daughter and both doing well, the bad conscience of not being there, and the vowing would be there in the future and made sure I was for the next one. The bad memories was listening to the Tharus”s radio operator asking all the ships in the area how many survivors they had and all the answers of none, lowest point in life I have ever or likely to see they say that life is at its lowest ebb in the early hours of the morning, it was at its nadir in that instance.. The father of the murdered family and suicide at Margaret River the other day according to the front page media is that he holds no anger, which I find hard to believe, he could of had some of mine after listening to the replies from ships reporting in. I find it hard to believe that no anger is exhibited to any unnecessary deaths. JWS.

[happy daze john in oz]

#28... Foremast, mainmast, mizzenmast mast, after Mizzenmast. Know what the fifth and sixth are called Louis ?? I don’t either can’t remember.
JWS.

The fifth and six are the pints that give you the hang over next morning.

But as to why can we remember then but not last week.
Last week is part of normal day to day shore life.

back then we were living an adventure the likes of which no one will see again, we were the lucky last.

[Doc Vernon]

The Good Hope Castle in Table Bay in 1945

Good Hope Castle in Cape Town 1945.JPG

[Louis the fly]

Do you happen to have a photo of the Brighton in your collection Doc ?

[Doc Vernon]

Will have to have a look Louis
Was she a Cargo .Tanker,Pasenger please ??
Who owned her and do you know what Year she was Built all will assist me
Cheers