Publisher's Synopsis
In their 120-year operation between Britain and South Africa, mailships of the Union-Castle Line and its forebears earned a reputation for punctilious adherence to schedule unequalled by any other shipping line. Preferential treatment in port became their right, and even ships of the Royal Navy were known to part ranks in deference to His Majesty's South African mail. Here is a superbly designed and produced book presenting the story of that mail service and its cargo and passenger trade.;This illustrated large format book - with 100 colour pictures - traces the fierce competition between the Union and Castle lines for the coveted Ocean Mail contract, their amalgamation in 1900 to become the legendary Union-Castle Line, and their fluctuating fortunes.;Looks nostalgically at an era of magnificent ships and leisurely travel, when the "Scot", "Arundel Castle" and "Windsor Castle" were household names. Captures the excitement that greeted record passages, the launch of a new flagship, sailing day at Southampton and Cape Town, and the memorable final voyages.;Weaves into the text portraits of key figures in the company's history, accounts of life on board, tales of heroism and disasters, accidents and war. Features four scrupulously researched appendices on the chronology of shipping developments in South Africa; the mailships of the Union, Castle, and Union-Castle lines, and comparative statistics of the lengths and tonnages; and passenger complements.
