Voyages to Victoria
Oct 1952 - Oct 1970 Era
Postwar Liners
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No Of Passengers
596 cabin-class & 944 dorms (1952); 28 1st-class & 1100 tourist-class (1955); 1200 one-class (1961)
Shipping Line
Sitmar Line (Società Italiana Transporti Marittima)
Sister Ships
Castel Bianco & Castel Verde
Engines
11,000 s.h.p. six single-reduction-geared steam turbines
Rigging
1 tripod style communications mast (originlly 2 masts, with cargo cranes)
Service Speed
15 knots, later 16 k Length
493 ft. (150.3 m)
Breadth
64 ft. (19.5 m)
Depth
25 ft. (7.6 m) draught
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Comments
"Castel Felice" was one of the most popular postwar immigrant ships in Australian service, carrying over 100,000 emigrants to Australia and New Zealand over 101 voyages between 1952 and 1970.
Originally built for the British-India Steam Navigation Co. as the 9,900 ton "Kenya". She operated initially between Indian and African ports, carrying passengers (mainly Indian emigrants) and general cargo. As built she was equipped for 66 1st-class, 125 2nd-class, 1,700 3rd-class passengers, 448,000 cubic feet of general cargo and 13,800 cubic feet of refrigerated cargo.
Commissioned as a British troop ship following the outbreak of the Second World War, she returned to the United Kingdom, via the Suez, to be converted to an armed infantry landing ship. Renamed HMS Hydra, then HMS Keren, she participated in several important landings including those of Madagascar, Sicily and North Africa. In 1947, she was purchased outright from her original owners by the Royal Navy and laid up at Holy Loch, Scotland. Three years later she was sold to Alva Steam Ship Co. and renamed "Fairstone" in 1949, after several short-lived previous name changes. In 1951 she was towed to Antwerp, then Genoa, where she was refitted for the Sitmar Line. The changes included a completely remodelled superstructure, with cabin-class accommodation for 596, while the aft holds were fitted out with dormitory style accommodation for another 944. Other changes in appearance included an extended more raked stem, a single small tripod mast (in place of the original 2 masts), two open P&O style promenade decks around the stern, and a large distinctive "V" on a remodelled funnel.
Before departing Genoa for her inaugural Australian voyage on 6 October 1952, she was renamed "Castel Felice". Following just one round voyage, the "Castel Felice" was transferred to the Genoa-Venezuela-Brazil-Argentina emigrant service for two years, and then pioneered the Bremerhaven-Quebec service, before returning to Australia on the Bremerhaven-Melbourne-Sydney route in October 1954. After just three further voyages, "Castel Felice" underwent another extensive overhaul at Genoa in mid 1955, including fitting full air conditioning, an external swimming pool, enlarged public rooms and the enclosing and glazing of the promenade deck forward end. Accommodation was reconfigured for 28 1st-class and 1,100 tourist-class passengers, all in cabins.
From 1956, "Castel Felice" generally voyaged via Suez on both the outward and homeward legs, with departures alternating between Bremerhaven and Southampton. Fremantle was added as a regular call at the Australian end. Then in 1957, she inaugurated a regular round the world service for Sitmar in conjunction with the "Fairsea". Voyaging out via the Suez, she returned via Auckland, Panama, the Carribean and Lisbon. Later in her career, she also undertook occasional Pacific cruises out of Sydney. During this period, she was very popular with young Australian and New Zealand tourists looking for an affordable passage to Europe.
In October 1970, she left Sydney for the last time, bound for the shipbreakers in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Note: Passenger List for voyage arriving Oct 1960 gives registered tonnage as 12,478 tons (gross?) or 7,372 tons (net?).
References
John M. Maber, "North Star to Southern Cross", 1967, pp.291-3; Scot Baty, "Ships That Passed - The Glorious Era of Travel to Australia and New Zealand", pp.301-302.