Union-Castle Line : sailing like clockwork /Mike Roussel and Sam Warwick.

A history of the Union-Castle line from its origins as the Union Steam Collier Company formed in 1853 by Arthur Anderson until the company's termination in 1977. The company changed its name to the Union Steam Ship Company Limited in 1856, and to the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company Limited following its merger with rival Donald Currie's Castle Line in 1900. The company went on to acquire the King Line in 1949 and merged with the Clan Line in 1956 to come under the control of the Cayzer family's British & Commonwealth Shipping Company. Primarily providing mail services between Britain and South Africa, the line carried passengers including prospectors to the South African goldfields and troops to the Boer War and First and Second World Wars. Several vessels operated as hospital ships and supply vessels. Covering the development of the line's business operations, the narrative includes details of wrecks and losses, life on board based on travellers' diaries and the personal recollections of serving crew and passengers. Illustrated throughout with photographs of ships, their interiors, crew members and advertising material. Fleet lists of the Union, Castle and Union-Castle Lines are provided.