"A Ship is Born" - RMS Transvaal Castle

An Article taken from the Union-Castle Line's "Seafari" (1975 edition) on board courtesy magazine

The story of a ship begins long before she starts to take shape in the builders yard. A ship is a town-in-miniature, complete with every service which the ordinary citizen each day takes for granted. Every ship has its own personality, is designed to meet a particular need. A great deal of planning and designing must be done very far in advance of the very first step in the shipyard.

So it is with the Transvaal Castle (now S.A. Vaal). She was the third of three fine passenger ships whidch over a period of three years were brought into the South African service by the Union-Castle Line. The first, Pendennis Castle, was a two-class ship about the same size as her predecessors. The second, Windsor Castle, was the largest passenger ship to be built by Union-Castle. The third, Transvaal Castle, was to introduce a new concept into passenger shipping. There were to be no class barriers. But there had been many one-class ships before an indeed there were some in the Union-Castle fleet. Transvaal Castle was to be different. She was to have as wide a range of accommodation as any two or three class ship. There was to be a suite and every type of accommodation down to a berth in a four-berth cabin. Passengers paid according to the type of cabin they chose, but after that everyone had full use of all the amenities the ship offered. So a word was coined for Transvaal Castle - a hotel ship, the first of her kind and unique to this day.

But an idea has to be transferred into reality, through many hard stages. From the drawing board work moves to the shipyard, but all the time progress has to be watched, to see the ship being created on the slipway is indeed the ship the planners envisaged.

It was John Browns on Clydebank, the builders of the mightly Queens, who were given the contract to build this hotel ship. But the creation of a great ship requires the skills of many; soon work was going ahead not just on Clydebank, but in workshops and factories throughout the land, all playing their part to bring about the creation of a fine ship. From Dartford in Kent refrigerating plant was being manufactured, so essential to both for keeping fresh the food for passengers and for bringing from South Africa perishable products in the holds of the ship. From nearby Glasgow came echo sounding machines and lifeboats. From the north at Whitley Bay came the mechanical hatch covers which were to play such an important part in speeding up the cargo operations of the ship, while down in the south at Sandwich the generators were being made. From Liverpool came kitchen equipment, while upholstery for the furnishings was being woven in Dundee. The propeller blades which were to send the ship across the oceans were being made in Birkenhead, while electric cable was being prepared at Leigh in Lancashire. In Durham carpets were being woven while in London and Bridgend in South Wales furniture for the comfort of passengers was being made.

But much still had to be done. In London a team of designers were at work. Under the chairmanship of Mr. Bernard Cayzer, Jean Munro and Tom Parr were each given their own area of the ship where they would have responsibility for the decor. Artists were brought in for the painting of murals; Felix Kelly for the dining room, Sidney Smith for the assembly room, which was to be the ship's main centre for entertainment. Jon Bannenberg was to design the golden room.

Every building must have its problems, a ship perhaps more than most. Cargo hatches and engine room casings break up the very centre of the ship. The dining room area presented a major problem, for right through the centre of the room were hatch trunks, splitting up the available space. To overcome this problem the designers decided to put to their use the obstacle which presented itself. The obstruction in the centre of the room was transformed into the verisimilitude of a South African homestead. Doors and windows ran down the sides of the building, while at each end was a mural of a South African scene, giving depth to the impression of a homestead. Now the dining area could be made to resemble a garden; diners were eating out in the garden of their home.

The Golden Room presented another problem. At sea the area was undivided, but in port a cargo hatch had to be opened up in the centre of the room. The remaining space had still to look complete, so that its use by passengers was undisturbed.

In the attractive Orangery a bar had to be created which must not look just like a closed bar whenit was not in use. So a very elegant curved table was designed, to form part of the normal furnishings of the room when not in use as a bar.

So as each problem presented itself a solution had to be found.

A new ship, a new concept in passenger shipping; with this must go a new idea for staffing the dining room. Waitresses were to provide the main complement for the room - the first on a British ocean going vessel. For them a new name was created - "Stewardettes". They were not to be confused with stewardesses, who had been carried on ships for many years; they were a new race and a specially designed uniform by Hardy Amies set the seal on them.

The ship finished, Transvaal Castle left the familiar waters of the Clyde for the south of England. Southampton was to be her port in the United Kingdom. Before she finally sailed on her maiden voyage there were many who came to visit her, VIPs in differing spheres of life. But perhaps among all these visitors there were none more interested or interesting than a party which arrived on board a week before she sailed. These were men - and women - who had all helped in making many of the parts which came together to form the whole that was Transvaal Castle. They came to see that for which their craft had been destined, and to see the great ship in whose completion they had played a worthy part.

On the 18th January 1962 she sailed for the first time on the voyage with which she is now so familiar. Las Palmas, Cape Town, Port Elziabeth, East London and Durban; discharging cargo, loading cargo, changing passengers. Then back on the same route, back to Southampton to disembark passengers, to discharge cargo, take on new stores, to fill her hold with cargo; so the familiar routine goes on.

It was late in 1965 when an important announcement was made. The South African Marine Corporation were to have a share in the mail service. Transvaal Castle (and also Pretoria Castle) had been bought by that company. Before she sailed in December was given her new Safmarine livery - a while hull, grey funnel with orange, white and blue bands. She still carried a plate showing the name Transvaal Castle, but this was to conceal that already she had been painted with her name that was to be - S.A. Vaal. In January 1966 the ship was given her new name by Mrs. C.R. Swart, wife of the first State President of the Republic of South Africa. Three years later the port of registry was changed to Cape Town and the South African flag was hoisted, the State President performing the ceremony.

S.A. Vaal has continued to follow her well known route and many thousands of passengers have come to know and love her, for she has something to give to all. Her suite and deluxe cabins offer luxury to those who seek it, but for those who choose even the most humble cabin there remains the spaciousness of a great ship for all to enjoy.