Union Castle Liner RMS Durban Castle at Gallions Reach, London

The “Lavender Ladies” of Union Castle Line were always popular sights at any of their stops on the route from the U.K to the Cape.

Here we have the mail ship RMS Durban Castle that was launched in 1938 at Harland & Wolff but was taken over by the Admiralty at the start of WWII. Used as a Landing Ship Infantry (LSI) in the invasions of North Africa, Europe and Italy before being returned to her owners in 1946. She became famous in 1947 when, on a trip to South Africa, the film star Gay Gibson was murdered by James Camb. The ship was finally taken out of service and scrapped in 1962.

Marine Artist, Robert G. Lloyd shows the ship in around 1950 leaving with a mail run to South Africa. Escorted by tugs, the tall ship Pembroke can be seen on the left with a tanker on the right