"A
Ship is Born" - RMS Transvaal Castle |
An Article taken from the Union-Castle Line's "Seafari" (1975 edition) on board courtesy magazine
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RETURN
TO
THE HOMEPAGE
RMS WINDSOR CASTLE 1960
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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.
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(c) Cruise Ship History Collection 2018 including www.thecunarders.co.uk A Edward Elliott |