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TSS Castel Felice
(Sitmar Lines)

• Length: 150,3 m
• Beam: 19,6 m
• GRT: 12,150 t
• Built: 1930 A. Stephen & Sons., Glasgow, Scotland
• Operator: Sitmar Line
• Speed: 16 kn
• Passengers: 1,400
• Former names: Kenya (1930), Hydra (1941), Keren (1941), Kenya (1949), Keren (1949), Kenya (1949), Fairstone (1950), Kenya (1950), Keren (1951-52)

See: International Refugee Organization - Group Resettlement to Australia

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. At just 12,150 GRT, she might have been a relatively small ship, compared to other migrant ships, but she felt and looked bigger than she really was. Thousands of Italian, Dutch, Germans, and other nationalities, sailed on her heading for a new home in Australia.

Her history:

Originally built in 1930 for the British-India Steam Navigation Co. as the 9,900 ton Kenya. She operated initially between Indian and African ports (Bombay - Durban run), carrying passengers (mainly Indian emigrants) and general cargo, and departed on her maiden voyage to Bombay on 18 December 1931. As built, she was equipped for 66 first-class, 125 second-class, 1,700 third-class passengers, 448,000 cubic feet of general cargo and 13,800 cubic feet of refrigerated cargo. As her service was mostly in tropics, she was purposely built with two open promenade decks.

During the war, she was transferred to the Royal British Navy and in 1941 became the troopship Keren. 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.

After the war, British India Line did not require her services, so she was sold in 1946 (or 1947?) to Ministry of Transport, and in 1948 was laid up in Holy Loch, Scotland. There were a number of incidents, including her breaking loose from her moorings during a storm in February 1949. She stranded, was refloated and repaired at Glasgow and sold to Alva Steam Ship Co. (or Vlasof Group?)  in 1949 and renamed Fairstone, after several short-lived previous name changes.

Finally, in October 1950, she was transferred to Sitmar Line. After repairs in various yards, in March 1951 she went to Antwerpen for conversion into a passenger ship and in August 1951 towed to Genoa for further rebuilding. 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.

In September 1952 with all repairs and refurbishments completed, 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. She was put on the Genoa - South America service, later Bremerhaven - Quebec, later Southampton - Sydney. On 6 October 1952, a gleaming white Castel Felice departed Genoa for her maiden voyage to Australia. 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 first-class and 1,100 tourist-class passengers, all in cabins. [Note: Passenger List for voyage arriving Oct 1960 gives registered tonnage as 12,478 tons (gross?) or 7,372 tons (net?).]

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. [Click here for links to passenger lists to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from Genova (November 1952) and from Bremerhaven (November 1954 to February 1958).]

In 1970, having had a long career with Sitmar, she was finally sold to the shipbreakers in Taiwan. She arrived in Sydney 26 September 1970, and remained there for eleven days. During this time all her crockery and linen was removed and forwarded to Italy, to be used on the recently purchased Cunard Liners, which had been renamed, Fairsea and Fairwind. A fine little ship, Castel Felice Departed Sydney on October 7, 1970 and headed for the shipbreakers in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where she arrived on October 21 ready for demolition.

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.

International Refugee Organization - Group Resettlement to Australia:

Crossing the Equator Certificate. From papers of Joachim Wangerek relating to his assisted immigration passage on the "Castel Felice", 1960.

Sources:

• http://www.colognetosydney.1afm.com/CastelFelice.htm

• http://www.cybamall.com/shiplover4/Italy/CastelFelice.html

• http://shippinglists.museum.vic.gov.au/ship.asp?ID=1

• Immigrant Ships Transcriber's Guild

• Ships and Ships, Italian Ships - Castel Felice

• Castel Felice, Crossing the Equator Certificate, Joachim Wangerek (copyright), Australian Historic Records Register, no. 3256, Robertson, Thomas ca. 1819-1875? artist Reproduction rights owned by the State Library of Victoria Library Record Number: 77

External links:

• Passenger lists to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (from Genova, Italy in November 1952 and from Bremerhaven, Germany, November 1954 to February 1958)