Voici la vie du Llanstephan castle. Confirmation de sa participation au premier convoi vers l'URSS. puis il a participé à la campagne de Birmanie.
JeanMi LLANSTEPHAN CASTLE
Built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding Co, Glasgow in 1913 for the Union-Castle
Mail SS Co, this was a 11,346 gross ton ship, length 500.5ft x beam 63.3ft,
one funnel, two masts, twin screw and a speed of 14 knots. There was
accommodation for 195-1st, 165-2nd and 100-3rd class passengers.
Launched on 29th Aug.1913 she made her maiden voyage to East and South
Africa shortly before the outbreak of the Great War. On her second voyage
she reached Zanzibar on the homeward voyage, but on hearing reports that the
German cruiser "Konigsberg" was in the vicinity, she returned to Durban and
was then transferred to the UK - West coast - South Africa mail service. She
remained on this service until 1917 when she was taken up by the liner
requisition scheme and used for North Atlantic trooping work. After the war
she returned to the Capetown service until 1920 when she resumed the East
African service. In 1922 she was transferred to the "Round Africa" route
making calls at Naples or Genoa, Suez, Aden, Mombasa, Tanga, Dar-es-Salaam,
Beira, Lourenco Marques, Durban and East London, Capetown and home via West
Africa. In 1938 she was converted from coal to oil fuel and continued in
commercial service after the start of WWII. In Aug.1940 she carried 300
children evacuees from Liverpool to Capetown and in August 1941 sailed from
Liverpool as commodore ship of the first of the Russian convoys, returning
with 200 released Polish airmen. She was then sent to the Far East to
operate as a transport in the Burma campaign and was later taken over as a
unit of the Royal Indian Navy. After refit after the end of the war, and
with accommodation for 231-1st and 198-torist class passengers, she rejoined
the round Africa service. After the introduction of more modern ships, she
was withdrawn from service in 1952 and scrapped at Newport, Wales.[Steamers
of the Past by J.H.Isherwood, Sea Breezes magazine, Sept.1974][The Cape Run
by W.H.Mitchell and L.A.Sawyer]