UNION (1) was built in 1854 by J. D'A
Samunda at Poplar in London with a tonnage of 336grt, a length
of 157ft 8in, a beam of 21ft and a service speed of 8 knots.
She was registered at Southampton for the Union Collier Co's
proposed South Wales to Southampton coal service but in July
1854 she was chartered by the British Government for use during
the Crimean War. She was alterd to accommodate 48 passengers
and 250 troops. On 5th December 1856 she came under the ownership
of the Union Steam Ship Co. Ltd but was laid up at Southampton.
In October 1857 she was deployed on the new speculative Southampton-
Pernambuco - Bahia - Rio de Janeiro service with passengers
and coal. She was sold to P & O in December 1858 for their
Mauritius - Reunion mail service and during 1861-62 acted as
a supply and accommodation ship at the building of lighthouses
at Ashrafi and Daedalus in the Gulf of Suez. On 20th February
1863 she was sold to Hong Kong Chinese interests for £2000
then sold on to Nagato Han (Chamber of Commerce) and renamed
Otuushi Maru. In 1865 she was sold Satsuma Han with the name
Sakurajima Maru and in 1871 came under the ownership of the
Japanese Government with the same name operating their inter
island mail service out of Tokyo which was highly unprofitable.
The service was taken over by Yubin Kisen Mitsubishi of Tokyo
in 1877 and became profitable. In 1880 she became a store ship
before being hulked and from then on there is no further trace
of her whereabouts or her final demise.
BRITON (1) was built in 1854 by J. D'A
Samunda at Poplar in London with a tonnage of 491grt, a length
of 174ft, a beam of 24ft 6in and a service speed of 9 knots.
Completed in July 1854 she was immediately chartered to the
French Government for use in the Crimean War and, as a result,
her maiden voyage was London - Smyrna - Constantinople - Malta,
where she was based. She then shuttled troops between Marseilles
and Varna before participating in the Crimea landings where
she remained on war service. Returning to Union S.S. Co. ownership
in 1856 she was initially laid up until deployed on a service
to the Spanish Atlantic ports. In 1857, whilst on charter, she
was lost at sea during a voyage to Seville.
SAXON (1) was built in 1854 by J. D'A
Samunda at Poplar in London with a tonnage of 491grt, a length
of 174ft, a beam of 24ft 6in and a service speed of 9 knots.
Sister of the Briton she made one voyage, Poplar - Smyrna -
Constantinople - Malta - Southampton, before being chartered
to the French Government for use in the Crimean War. In 1858,
because she was smaller than 530grt as required by the 4th September
mail contract, she was sold to Bremner, Bennett & Bremner
of London without a name change. Sold again in 1896 to J. Ballantyne
of Limerick she was converted into a grain elevator and was
still in service, without any motive power, until 1912 when
all trace of her was lost.
DANE (1) was built in 1854 by Charles
Lungley & Co. at Deptford Green in London with a tonnage
of 530grt, a length of 195ft, a beam of 25ft 1in and a service
speed of 9 knots. Sister of the Briton she was, on completion,
immediately chartered to the French Government for use in the
Crimean War. In 1856, due to a surplus of coal, she was laid
up at Southampton with the intention of using her for the November
sailing to South America but this voyage never materialised.
On December 1856 her owners were re-styled Union Steamship Company.
In 1857 she followed the Union and the Norman onto the Rio de
Janeiro service and on 15th September of the same year and under
the command of Capt Strutt she undertook the first voyage to
the Cape Colony with the mails. For this purpose she was given
a red funnel with a broad black top, a livery that was applied
to all the Cape Colony mail ships. In 1863 she was placed on
the new coastal service followed, in 1864, by the Mauritius
service. On 17th May 1865, whilst at anchor and during the 'Great
Gale', she was holed by a drifting sailing ship. In the same
year she was chartered by the British Government to carry troops
to Zanzibar where they were used to suppress slave trading.
On 28th November 1865 she went ashore whilst approaching Port
Elizabeth on a voyage from Simonstown and on 4th December became
a total loss.
NORMAN (1) was built in 1854 by Charles
Lungley & Co. at Deptford Green in London with a tonnage
of 530grt, a length of 195ft, a beam of 25ft 1in and a service
speed of 9 knots. Identical to the Dane she was immediately
chartered to the British Government for Crimean War service
and completed her maiden voyage from Southampton to Constantinople
and Balaklava with a cargo of wooden huts for troops wintering
in the freezing Crimea. In late 1855 she was laid up at Southampton
but on 29th September 1856 inaugurated the Union Steam Collier
Co's Southampton - Rio de Janeiro service quickly followed by
the Union and the Dane. On 21st January 1857, under Union Steam
Ship Co. ownership, she replaced the Celt on her ill-fated December
sailing and in the following November completed the run to the
Cape in 39 days. In 1863 she replaced the Roman on the South
African coastal service returning to Southampton in the following
year. She was sold to Charles Lungley in 1865 as part payment
for three new ships he was building for the company. Lungley
then sold the ship to Bremner, Bennett & Bremner of London
with the same name and for their Mediterranean trade and thereafter
all trace of her was lost.
CELT (1) was built in 1855 by Charles
Lungley & Co. at Deptford Green in London with a tonnage
of 531grt, a length of 176ft 4in, a beam of 25ft 1in and a service
speed of 9 knots. Built with the intention of replacing the
Union on the coal trade she was, on completion, requisitioned
for use during the Crimean War. On 24th December 1856 she sailed
from Southampton bound for Rio de Janeiro but was forced to
return to Cowes Roads with engine trouble. She set out again
on 31st December but had to return to Southampton on 3rd January
1857 when she sprang a leak and the voyage was consequently
cancelled. On 17th May she sailed from Liverpool, the new departure
port, for South America and made two round voyages before, in
the October, she made the second sailing to the Cape with the
mails, completing the voyage in 43 days. In 1862 she was sold
to Charles Lungley as part payment for the larger mail ships
he was building and subsequently sold to Balnerre of Rotterdam
and renamed Gothenburg. She was purchased by J. Meek of Newcastle
in 1875, reverted to her original name of Celt and had compound
engines and new boilers installed. In 1885 she was under the
ownership of Thames & Bristol Trading Co. Ltd of London
and in 1891 she was owned by McDowall & Barbour of Piraeus,
restyled Hellenic Steam Navigation Co. in 1908, with the name
Poseidon. Without a change of name she was acquired by J.Potomianos
of Istanbul in 1910 and in 1933 her name was deleted from the
Register of Shipping.
PHOEBE
was built in 1851 by one of the Denny shipyards at Dumbarton
with a tonnage of 613grt, a length of 172ft 8in, a beam of 25ft
5in and a service speed of 9.5 knots. She was built for Preston
& Co. of Glasgow and acquired by the company in 1857 to
replace the Union (1) on the Cape Colony mail service. A good
weather ship she was fast and a good schedule keeper with a
passage time of 37 days. In 1861 she was sold to the New Zealand
Steam Ship Co. and then to Union S.S. Co.of New Zealand. By
1865 she was owned by the Intercolonial Royal Mail Steam Navigation
Co. of London and deployed on their Sydney-Auckland service.
When, in 1866, the newly formed Australia Royal Mail Company
Ltd introduced the Kaikoura, Rakaia and the Ruahine on the Sydney-Wellington-
Panama service to connect with the Royal Mail ships the Pheobe
was transferred to the London-South America service. She was
sold in 1878 to J & A Brown of Newcastle, N.S.W, hulked
in 1901 and dismantled in 1904. The painting of the 19th century
mail ship was commissioned to commemorate Union Castle's centenary
in 1953. (A Crisp)
ATHENS was built in 1856 by Alexander
Denney at Dumbarton with a tonnage of 739grt, a length of 224ft
7in, a beam of 30ft 1in and a service speed of 10 knots. Built
for Schilizzi & Co. of Liverpool for their Liverpool - Greece
service she was acquired by the Union Steam Ship Co. in 1858
to replace the undersized Saxon on the mail run. In 1865 she
was on the Mauritius service and during the 'Great Gale' on
19th May she attempted to steam out to sea as a preference to
remaining at anchor in Table Bay. She succeeded in rounding
Mouille Point but huge waves doused her boilers and she was
blown onto the rocks where she broke up before daylight with
the loss of all 29 persons on board.
CAMBRIAN was built in 1860 by Charles
Lungley & Co. at Deptford Green with a tonnage of 1055grt,
a length of 245ft, a beam of 33ft 7in and a service speed of
8 knots. Costing £25,000 she was launched on 23rd April
1860 by Mrs Saxon the wife of Capt. Saxon of Anderson, Saxon
& Co, the Union Lines agent at Cape Town. She was the first
mail ship built for the company to exceed 1000grt. Sold to French
owners in 1872 her subsequent career is unknown.
BRITON (2) was built in 1861 by Charles
Lungley & Co. at Deptford Green with a tonnage of 1164grt,
a length of 264ft, a beam of 33ft 7in and a service speed of
9.5 knots. Due to her hull being subdivided both horizontally
and vertically she was described by her owners as being 'unsinkable
and unburnable', In 1873 she was sold to the Admiralty, converted
into a troopship and renamed HMS Dromedary. Placed in reserve
during 1880 she was finally disposed of in 1884.
SAXON
(2) was built in 1863 by Charles Lungley & Co. at Deptford
Green with a tonnage of 1142grt, a length of 290ft 10in, a beam
of 32ft 10in and a service speed of 10.5 knots. She commenced
service on the mail run on 13th February 1863 and reduced the
time to 31 days. In 1876 she was sold to Bailey & Leetham
of Hull who were known as the 'Tombstone Line' because of their
black funnel with a broad white vertical line and a rounded
top. She was sold on again in 1885 to Empreza Insulana de Navegaçao
of Ponte Delgado, Azores and renamed Benguella for their Lisbon-Azores
service. On 24th June 1890 she sprang a leak in the Atlantic
and abandoned with all the passengers and crew being rescued
by the Spanish barque Marianna. (The late P.A. Vicary)
ROMAN
(1) was built in 1863 by Charles Lungley & Co. at Deptford
Green with a tonnage of 1282grt, a length of 290ft 10in, a beam
of 32ft 10in and a service speed of 10.5 knots. She started
her career as a red funneled mail steamer in November 1863 but,
as larger ships were built and joined the fleet, was transferred
to the Intermediate service in 1869. She was lengthened and
re-engined in 1872 and, at the same time, was given a black
funnel. In 1880 she was deployed on the Zanzibar service until
1888 when she was transferred to the Southampton-Bremen-Hamburg
feeder service. She was sold ot Essayan Oondjian of Constantinople
(Istanbul) and renamed Adana in 1889 and was scrapped in 1910
at Smyrna after grounding. (Photo: WSS Library)
ANGLIAN (1) was built in 1864 by Charles
Lungley & Co. at Deptford Green with a tonnage of 661grt,
a length of 204ft 10in, a beam of 26ft 4in and a service speed
of 8 knots. Built with a shallow draft to facilitate the sand
bar at Durban she was delivered in March 1864 for the Intercolonial
service between Cape Town, Durban and Mauritius. When the Intercolonial
service was discontinued in 1868 she became surplus to requirements
and was sold to Palgrave, Murphy & Co. of Dublin in the
following year, retaining her name. In 1882 her owners renamed
her City of Lisbon so that all their ships bore a 'City of ...'
name. She ended her career in 1903 when she sank off New Brighton
in the River Mersey after being in collision with the Isle of
Man Steam Packet Co's Douglas.
MAURITIUS was built in 1865 by Charles
Lungley & Co. at Deptford Green with a tonnage of 587grt,
a length of 210ft, a beam of 26ft 5in and a service speed of
9 knots. Similar in design to the Anglian she joined her sister
on the Intercolonial service in 1865. When the service was discontinued
in 1868 she was put up for sale at Southampton and acquired
in the following year by Palgrave, Murphy & Co. of Dublin
but then sold on to J. P. Hutchinson of Glasgow. She had new
boilers fitted in 1872 and a compound engine in 1876. In 1901
she was sold to Sociadade 'La Mediterranea', of Barcelona with
T. Fernandez as manager and renamed Industria. She sank after
a collision in 1910.
NATAL (1) was built in 1865 by Day Summers
& Co. at Northam, Southampton with a tonnage of 618grt,
a length of 205ft 11in, a beam of 27ft 10in and a service speed
of 9 knots. She was built for the South African coastal service
where she remained until 1883 when she was sold to Trinder,
Anderson & Co. of London, retaining her name. In 1888 she
was sold to Goh Siam Swee of Bangkok who retained her name until
1890 when it was changed to Srie Bandjar. She was sold to G.
Urrutia & Co. of Manila in 1899 and renamed Alava. On 29th
September she was lost after grounding at Cavite in the Philippines.
PHOEBE
was built in 1851 by one of the Denny shipyards at Dumbarton
with a tonnage of 613grt, a length of 172ft 8in, a beam of 25ft
5in and a service speed of 9.5 knots. She was built for Preston
& Co. of Glasgow and acquired by the company in 1857 to
replace the Union (1) on the Cape Colony mail service. A good
weather ship she was fast and a good schedule keeper with a
passage time of 37 days. In 1861 she was sold to the New Zealand
Steam Ship Co. and then to Union S.S. Co.of New Zealand. By
1865 she was owned by the Intercolonial Royal Mail Steam Navigation
Co. of London and deployed on their Sydney-Auckland service.
When, in 1866, the newly formed Australia Royal Mail Company
Ltd introduced the Kaikoura, Rakaia and the Ruahine on the Sydney-Wellington-
Panama service to connect with the Royal Mail ships the Pheobe
was transferred to the London-South America service. She was
sold in 1878 to J & A Brown of Newcastle, N.S.W, hulked
in 1901 and dismantled in 1904. The painting of the 19th century
mail ship was commissioned to commemorate Union Castle's centenary
in 1953. (A Crisp) 
SAXON
(2) was built in 1863 by Charles Lungley & Co. at Deptford
Green with a tonnage of 1142grt, a length of 290ft 10in, a beam
of 32ft 10in and a service speed of 10.5 knots. She commenced
service on the mail run on 13th February 1863 and reduced the
time to 31 days. In 1876 she was sold to Bailey & Leetham
of Hull who were known as the 'Tombstone Line' because of their
black funnel with a broad white vertical line and a rounded
top. She was sold on again in 1885 to Empreza Insulana de Navegaçao
of Ponte Delgado, Azores and renamed Benguella for their Lisbon-Azores
service. On 24th June 1890 she sprang a leak in the Atlantic
and abandoned with all the passengers and crew being rescued
by the Spanish barque Marianna. (The late P.A. Vicary) 
ROMAN
(1) was built in 1863 by Charles Lungley & Co. at Deptford
Green with a tonnage of 1282grt, a length of 290ft 10in, a beam
of 32ft 10in and a service speed of 10.5 knots. She started
her career as a red funneled mail steamer in November 1863 but,
as larger ships were built and joined the fleet, was transferred
to the Intermediate service in 1869. She was lengthened and
re-engined in 1872 and, at the same time, was given a black
funnel. In 1880 she was deployed on the Zanzibar service until
1888 when she was transferred to the Southampton-Bremen-Hamburg
feeder service. She was sold ot Essayan Oondjian of Constantinople
(Istanbul) and renamed Adana in 1889 and was scrapped in 1910
at Smyrna after grounding. (Photo: WSS Library) 
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