325:. She was built to run the mail route from Southampton, England to Cape Town, South Africa starting in 1900. However, she began her life early, in December 1899, being requisitioned by the government to carry 3,000 troops to Cape Town at the start of the Boer War, and was temporarily used in South Africa to house POW's. She returned to England in 1901 for an outfitting to carry passengers and mail. She was one of nine ships on the England-South Africa run. At the outbreak of World War I, she replenished the South African Army with arms and ammunition. She also served as a hospital ship during the Dardanelles Campaign, outfitted with 603 beds, and converted in March 1916 to an armed merchant cruiser. In January 1917, she took
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and 51 VIP delegates from
England, France and Italy to Murmansk, Russia, on the Petrograd Mission. She then undertook convoy duties in the North Atlantic, returning to her normal South African mail run after the war.
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During the
Roaring 20's, the Kildonan Castle was one of 38 ships in the Union-Castle Line fleet. She was retired in 1930.
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and passenger liner that went into service with Castle Line, and its successor, the
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The Race to the Cape: A Story of the Union Castle-Line, 1857-1977
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To End All Wars: A Story of
Loyalty and Rebellion: 1914-1918
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2 × Steam 4 cylinder (28, 39.75, 57.5, 82 x 60in), 2-Screw
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486:History as an armed merchant cruiser (AMC):
460:War Memoirs of David Lloyd George, Vol. III
443:Alfred Lord Milner: The Man of No Illusions
261:Max: 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
349:Hodson, Norman, "The Race to The Cape",
446:, London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1958
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302:8 × 4.7-inch guns (later 8 6-inch guns)
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504:The Castle Line Atlas of South Africa
363:Hochschild, Adam, "To End All Wars",
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201:59 ft 2 in (18.03 m)
395:Lloyd George, Vol III, pgs.452-473
143:H. M. Transport 44 / Pennant MI 74
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468:, Boston: Little Brown, 1934–36
455:, London: Hamish Hamilton, 1976
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239:2 Stroke Double Acting engine
428:, Hampshire: Navigator, 1995
282:unk. second class passengers
285:unk. third class passengers
279:unk. first class passengers
258:(31 km/h; 20 mph)
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452:Milner: Apostle of Empire
298:As armed merchant cruiser
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159:Requisitioned in two wars
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437:, Boston: Houghton, 2011
164:General characteristics
507:, London: Currie, 1895
478:History of the ship:
440:Wrench, John Evelyn,
151:Broken up 18 May 1931
236:Steel Screw Steamer
431:Hochschild, Adam,
254:Cruising: 17
323:Union-Castle Line
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80:Union-Castle Line
18:Union-Castle Line
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319:Royal Mail Ship
314:Kildonan Castle
214:Installed power
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124:Commissioned
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327:Lord Milner
100:Yard number
526:Ship names
521:1899 ships
515:Categories
417:References
407:pgs. 41-43
225:Propulsion
16:See also:
337:Footnotes
116:Completed
404:Hodson,
292:Armament
274:As built
268:Capacity
231:As built
209:34.7 ft.
108:Launched
366:pg. 254
169:Tonnage
140:Renamed
94:Glasgow
86:Builder
42:History
352:pg. 29
317:was a
217:1,663
190:Length
180:5,105
174:9,652
249:Speed
206:Depth
156:Notes
71:Owner
497:Link
489:Link
481:Link
312:RMS
310:The
198:Beam
148:Fate
135:1931
119:1899
61:Name
33:RMS
465:III
219:nhp
182:NRT
176:GRT
103:408
517::
462:,
256:kn
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233::
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