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tions, of glorious deeds of valor, pluck and endurance, consummated by both officers and crews. Right at the beginning of its life, the company was involved in the Crimean war, its fleet being chartered by the British and French govern- ments for transport purposes. Render Notable War Service The Zulu war gave the Union line a further opportunity of distinguishing itself in the service of the Empire. It will be remembered how news of the disaster at Isandhlwana, together with an urgent request for reinforce- ments, was carried at full speed and thence forwarded by wire from the Cape Verde islands. Immediately on receipt of the news, troops were sent out from England and the situation in Zululand was saved. It would take too long to recount the adventures of every vessel belonging to the company which enlisted during the Great war. One fairly typical illustration will suffice to show the magnificent bravery displayed by the officers and crew under the most ter- rible circumstances. When the GALWAY CASTLE set out from Plymouth on Sept. 10, 1918, bound for the Cape of Good Hope, she was severely handicapped in several directions while making straight for the notorious danger zone at the Channel entrance. First of all, she carried not troops but passengers, in- cluding many women and children, quite unused to the discipline that warfare demands; and. second, there were on board some 400 invalided South African soldiers, ‘several totally blind, and others who were rendered helpless by severe wounds. Captain Dyer realized at the outset his great responsibilities with so mixed a com- pany of 1000 souls. Moreover, to add to the misfor- tunes that followed, the weather was particularly wild and the sea ex- tremely rough, so that often the gal- lant ship found it quite impossible to proceed at a speed of more than six to seven knots. All went well until the hour of 7 a. m. on Sept. 12, when the ship was struck violently by a torpedo, resulting in a mighty explo- sion which shook the vessel from end to end, knocking men completely off their feet, and injuring the captain on the bridge. The explosion was so devastating that all lights below were extinguished, the wireless was incapa- citated, and the engines were rendered useless. At once the vessel lost her way and groped about helplessly on the seething waters. The piercing shrieks of women and children made the ‘situation all the more terrible. The second engineer and the men in the stokehold were killed. Water was pouring in a deluge into the engine room, soon flooding the cylinders. Meanwhile, the damage to the GAL- WAY CASTLE was so serious that the ship was expected to sinks at any moment. The captain gave orders for all boats to be lowered, but the evacu- ation of the ship could only be accom- plished under the greatest difficulties, because the launching of boats in so heavy a sea was exceedingly perilous work. Eighteen out of the 21 boats were lowered, the other three were smashed to pieces. Even those suc- cessfully lowered were violently dashed against the ship’s side and _ badly strained. One boat broke in half when it reached the water, precipitat- ing women and children into the icy LATE SIR DONALD CURRIE Founder of Donald Currie & Co. and First Manager of the Castle Line cold water. By this time, quantities of wreckage were floating about in all directions, which killed and injured many of those in the water who were struggling most pitifully against a raging sea. Fine Record of Seamanship Throughout this awful ordeal, the officers and crew behaved in accord- ance with the very highest traditions of their calling. Due to their staunch determination to place duty before all else, of the 1000 souls, only 150 were ultimately missing, a small num- ber considering the herculean difficul- ties against which the valiant captain had to struggle. The Union-Castle Co. has now served South Africa for more than 70 years. It is not surprising, there- MARINE REVIEW—March, 1929 fore, that the rapidly increasing prog- ress achieved in commerce and in- dustry in this country received an early impetus in several instances from the company. For ‘ten years, South African fruit was carried at a very small rate in the Union-Castle boats in order to encourage the trade. Anxious to encourage every form of in- dustry in the colony, especially agri- culture, farmers were granted the privilege of sending pedigree stock free of freight. Under these generous conditions, stock to the value of over £150,000 has been conveyed. Simi- larly, the first 2000 tons of Union grown cotton were carried without charge. Co-operation With Shippers An enormous amount of care and trouble was expended to make the farmers’ tour an unqualified success. These farmers, drawn from all parts of South Africa, were the guests of the company throughout their itiner- aries to and from the United Kingdom. Throughout their extended tour, they were received at the principal well- known large farms in England and Scotland. In conclusion, it must be emphasized that the prosperity of a nation, more especially one situated geographically like South Africa, depends greatly on its transport, and in this matter it is true to say that this colony is particu- larly fortunate in being served by a fleet of imposing ships, remarkably efficient in every direction. It is the general conviction that for the people of both countries, the Union-Castle Co. provides a link with home, whichever home it may chance to be. Laid-up Steamer Is Sold Sale of the S. S. KoscruszKo to A. H. Bull & Co., New York, for the sum of $49,319 cash, was approved by the shipping board Feb. 21. Sale was authorized subject to an agree- ment that the purchasers will spend not less than $150,000 in recondition- ing and bettering the vessel for ocean service. The betterments include the substitution of oil burning boilers for the present coal burners and the in- stallation of accommodations for eight passengers. The vessel, which is now laid up at New York, is a steel cargo ship of 7371 deadweight tons, equipped with reciprocating engines and scotch coal-burning boilers. She is designed to steam at 10 knots under ordinary weather conditions. The ship has been in lay-up since July, 1921. 23