Statistics

RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE RMS WINDSOR CASTLE 1960

Statistics

Historical Statistics:


Builder:	Cammell Laird Shipbuilders Ltd, Birkenhead, England, UK
Order of Build:	1290
Vessel Number:	V1287
Date of Build:	1959
Vessel Name:	RMS Windsor Castle (1959 – 1977)
Other Names:	Margarita L (1977 – 2005) Rita (2005)
Type of Vessel:	Passenger / Cargo ocean liner
Date Launched:	23^rd June 1959
Launched by:	HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Shakedown Voyage:	14^th July 1960: Liverpool to Southampton. Via: Edinburgh and Rotterdam.
Maiden Voyage:	18^th August 1960: Southampton to Durban and return. Via: Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London and finally Durban and return.
Final Commercial Voyage:	12^th August 1977: Southampton to Durban and return. Via: Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London and finally Durban and return.
Final Voyage:	14^th April 2005: Piraeus / Athens, Greece to Alang, India Via: Port Said, Suez Canal and Aden.

Location Scrapped:	Alang, Bhavnagar, India
Date Anchored:	20^th July 2005
Date Beached:	20^th July 2005
Date Scrapped:	Summer 2005

Flag:	British
Port of Registry:	London, England, UK
Original Owners / Operators:	Union Castle Mail Steamship Company Ltd (Union-Castle Line), London

Technical Statistics:


Length:	783 ft
Breadth:	93 ft
Draft:	32 ft
Gross Registered Tonnage:	38,000 tonnes (as built)
Power:	Parson’s (Pametrada) geared steam turbines driving twin screws, producing 49,000 shaft horsepower.
Maximum Speed:	23 knots
Service Speed:	19 knots
Passengers & Crew:	191 first class, 591 tourist class, 475 crew

Interesting Facts:

Definition of R.M.S. when used in front of ship names:

"R.M.S., the prefix, short for Royal Mail Ship, placed before the name of a British merchant ship with a licence to carry the Royal Mails. It was the granting of mail licences to commercial shipowners during the 19th century which gave so great a fillip to British shipbuilding and made possible the formation of the big steamship lines, Cunard, P&O, etc. Until that time the oversea mails had been carried in sailing packets owned and operated by the Post Office, but with the introduction of steam propulsion it proved too great a financial burden on the Post Office to build new steamships, and thus the carriage of the mails was farmed out to commercial shipowners. Only the fastest ships, which were normally passenger liners, received the licence and thus the right to use the prefix R.M.S."

However some alternative interpretations of the definition of R.M.S. have its meaning as Royal Mail Steamship and motor ships had the prefix R.M.M.V. with this meaning Royal Mail Motor Vessel. There are very few true R.M.S. ships today as they tended to stop carrying the Royal Mails in the 1970s after Royal Mail began to use aeroplanes. However some remote British overseas territories are still served by R.M.S. vessels for example the RMS St Helena which sails from Portland to Ascension Island and St Helena continuing on to Cape Town. Notably this ship's route is the direct replacement for the Union-Castle Line route.

Definition of H.M.S. when used in front of ship names:

H.M.S., the prefix, short for Her/His Majesty's Ship, placed before the name of a Royal Navy warship which is in commission in the British Royal Navy.

Technical Facts:

Signal Letters:

IMO Number:

Cost: £10 million

Engines:

The Windsor Castle was powered by two Parsons (Pametrada) double reduction geared steam turbines driving twin screws and developing 49,000 shaft horsepower. She was built and engined by Messrs. Cammell Laird & Co. (Shipbuilders and Engineers) Ltd. The electro-hydraulic steering gear on board her was installed by Brown Bros. & Co. Ltd. Also the engines, and propulsion systems and steering gear onboard the RMS Windsor Castle were Navy standard, and held a secret high horsepower rating so she could be used as a ultra fast troopship, in the event of war.

Rolls-Royce PLC (acquired Brown Brothers in 1999)
www.rolls-royce.com

Propellers:

The Windsor Castle had two huge propellers.

Speed:

The Windsor Castle's normal cruising speed was 19 knots and her maximum speed was 23 knots.

Strength:

The ship has an extra thick steel hull for strength and stability for ocean voyages.

The Bridge:

The Bridge of the RMS Windsor Castle housed her magnificent helm equipment, comprising of pedestal, compass binnacle and wheel. The bronze 3ft ships wheel was embossed with company details and the heavy bronze hydraulic steering pedestal was made by the famous British company, Brown Brothers & Co. of Edinburgh. The binnacle that houses the compass was made by Kelvin Hughes Ltd and unusually this relatively modern binnacle, as with the other two on board, had a dry-card Kelvin Hughes compass. The steering indicator was also made by Kelvin Hughes Ltd. The binnacle also features a Royal Navy pattern of electric coil compensators which are beneath the regular iron sphere compensators. The electric walkers log meter was made by Thos. Walker & Sons Ltd, Birmingham. While the clinometer was made by Lilley & Gillie, North Shields. Finally the rudder indicator was made out of aluminium and was made by the famous British ship instruments company Siemens Bros. & Co. Ltd of London. They also made the ship's telegraphs on the Bridge and Engine Room. All the controls on the Bridge and the engine room are Navy specification thus confirming the RMS Windsor Castle's emergency role as a wartime troopship.

Rolls-Royce PLC (acquired Brown Brothers in 1999)
www.rolls-royce.com

Kelvin Hughes Ltd
www.kelvinhughes.com

Lilley & Gillie Ltd (also acquired Thomas Walker & Son Ltd in 2002)
www.lilleyandgillie.co.uk

Whistles:

The Windsor Castle has two "Tyfon" whistles, manufactured by Kockums of Malmo, Sweden. One was for steam and one was for air and they were mounted on the ship's funnel. The whistle control system on the Bridge was made by Chadburns (Liverpool) Ltd.

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Kockum Sonics
www.kockumsonics.com

Bloctube Marine Services (formerly known as Chadburn Ltd)
www.bloctube.co.uk