RMS Transvaal Castle

History
SS Festivale docked in Barbados on the 26th of February, 1987.

Name:	1961—1966: RMS Transvaal Castle 1966—1969: RMS S.A. Vaal 1969—1977: TSS S.A. Vaal 1977—1996: TSS Festivale 1996—1998: TSS IslandBreeze 1998—2003: SS Big Red Boat III 2003: SS The Big Red Boat
Owner:	1961—1966: Union-Castle Line 1966—1977: Safmarine 1977—1996: Carnival Cruise Line 1996—1998: Dolphin Cruise Line 1998—2000: Premier Cruise Line 2000—2003: Unknown
Operator:	1961—1966: Union-Castle Line 1966—1977: Safmarine 1978—1996: Carnival Cruise Line 1996—1997: Dolphin Cruise Line 1997—1998 Thomson Cruises 1998—2000: Premier Cruise Line
Port of registry:	1961—1969: London, United Kingdom 1969—1977: Cape Town, South Africa 1977—1991: Panama City, Panama 1991—2003: Nassau, Bahamas
Route:	Southampton, Las Palmas, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban
Builder:	John Brown & Co., Clydebank, Scotland, United Kingdom
Yard number:	720
Launched:	17 January 1961
Completed:	December 1961
Maiden voyage:	18 January 1962
Out of service:	September 2000
Fate:	Broken up at Alang, India, 2003.
Status:	Scrapped
General characteristics as built, 1961
Type:	ocean liner
Tonnage:	32,697 GRT
Displacement:	16,604 t DWT
Length:	760ft 2in (231.7m)
Beam:	90ft 2in (27.5m)
Draught:	32 ft (9.8 m)
Decks:	8
Installed power:	44,000shp (32,800kW)
Propulsion:	Geared turbines, twin screw
Speed:	22.5 knots (41.67 km/h; 25.89 mph)
Capacity:	728 passengers one class
Crew:	426
General characteristics as rebuilt, 1978
Type:	cruise ship
Tonnage:	26,632 GRT (Panamanian rules, c.38,000 by UK rules)
Capacity:	1,432 passengers
Crew:	579
Notes:	Otherwise the same as built

RMS Transvaal Castle was a British ocean liner built by John Brown & Company at Clydebank for the Union-Castle Line for their mail service between Southampton and Durban. In 1966 she was sold to the South Africa-based Safmarine and renamed S.A. Vaal for further service on the same route. Following cessation of the service between the UK and South Africa in 1977 the ship was sold to Carnival Cruise Line and rebuilt in Japan as the cruise ship SS Festivale, re-entering service in 1978. In 1996 she was sold to Dolphin Cruise Line and renamed IslandBreeze. The vessel spent some of her time under Dolphin Cruise Line ownership on charter to Thomson Cruises. In 1998 the ship was sold to Premier Cruise Line and renamed SS Big Red Boat III. Following the bankruptcy of Premier Cruise Line 2000, Big Red Boat III was laid up until 2003 when she was sold to the scrappers in Alang, India. The ship became The Big Red Boat for her final voyage to the scrapyard.

RMS Transvaal Castle was the last in a series of three ships planned by the Union-Castle Line in the 1950s as replacements for the company's oldest ships RMS Arundel Castle, RMS Carnarvon Castle and RMS Winchester Castle. The Transvaal Castle was preceded by the RMS Pendennis Castle (delivered in 1958) and RMS Windsor Castle (delivered in 1960). Pendennis Castle was an enlarged Pretoria Castle from the same builder, Harland & Wolff, but after the Union-Castle/Clan Line merger of 1956, Clan Line management predominated and no further Union-Castle ships were ordered from the Belfast yard. Transvaal Castle was similar to but smaller than Windsor Castle, built by Cammell, Laird & Co. the previous year. At 32,697 GRT, she was the company's second-largest ship.

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