# SS Greystoke Castle



## picktish bull (Jul 27, 2011)

Greetings all,

I'm looking for some help please. During the 1930s my mother was, as a school girl then, the official school pen pal with the Greystoke Castle. I think schools adopting a ship was a regular practice at the time. She would write to the ship, presumably the most junior officer had to reply, and so the school could follow the progress of the ship around the world. I believe the letters are still in the school library to this day.

It is my mother's funeral on Friday and i wanted to include a reference to the Greystoke Castle. Can anyone help me with some information about the ship in the 1930s, please.
Many thanks,


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## A.D.FROST (Sep 1, 2008)

GREYSTOKE CASTLE(J.Chambers,Liverpool)Bt.1928.r/n FREETOWN (Elder Dempster) b/u Hamburg 22.8.58
http://www.photoship.co.uk/JAlbum Ships/Old Ships G/slides/Greystoke Castle-01.jpg


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## picktish bull (Jul 27, 2011)

Many thanks for the photograph and the other details. That's very helpful. Glad she survived the war.


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## eldersuk (Oct 24, 2005)

*Greystoke Castle/Freetown*

*Greystoke Castle, *built 1928 for J. Chambers & Co. by Cammell Laird, Birkenhead.
2 X 6 cyl Werkspoor oil engines (blast injection) 13.5 knots.
Accommodation for 12 passengers

Acquired 1943 by Elder Dempster. Renamed _*Freetown.*_ (One of three acquired at the same time,_ *Penrith Castle = Fantee; Thurland Castle = Fulani; Greystoke Castle = Freetown*_)
Picture of vessel as *Freetown*.
I would suggest that pic loaded by A.D. Frost may be earlier vessel of the same name.

Derek


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## picktish bull (Jul 27, 2011)

Hello Derek,
Many thanks for the further information and photo of Greystoke Castle/Freetown. That is very useful. Why did these companies rename so many ships? I know it happened a lot during the war. Was it a security thing or a company identity thing? Am i right in thinking the GC was used for North Atlantic convoy duty during the war?

Thanks a lot, 
Kenny


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## A.D.FROST (Sep 1, 2008)

Sorry for posting he wrong photo.of GC.But you will find that most ships sold/taken over during the War could not change their names and did not carry any company funnel colours which would identify them as to what they were carring etc., in the case of GC and her sister-ships they were sold to another company ie.Eder Dempster and so they re-named them after West African place names in line with the rest of their fleet.


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## picktish bull (Jul 27, 2011)

*Greystoke castle*

Many thanks for that explanation. It seems then that ships only changed their name when taken over by a new company or relieved from the enemy - thinking of the Calabria which was sunk in 1941 and of course the Lancastria sunk in 1940.

Thanks to all for your help. That's very kind.
Kenny


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## eldersuk (Oct 24, 2005)

These three ships ( and others ) were bought by ED in order to replace ships of their own fleet which had been lost earlier in the war.
I doubt if they were ever used on North Atlantic convoys but rather convoys to Freetown and then ED's usual trading pattern in West Africa.
The ship could, of course, been used for the N. Atlantic before its sale.

Derek


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## jfairbai (May 24, 2013)

*Greystoke Castle Info & Pic's*

My father went to sea on the Greystoke Castle's maiden voyage in 1928 as a 16 year old cadet, (equivalent of an apprentice). I am not sure how many years he sailed on her, but it was at least 4-5.

I obtained the pictures from a museum in Cape Town, South Africa where a hobbyist took pictures of ships in Cape Town harbor. If interested, you can request copies at a higher resolution at:

Librarian : Attention Annemarie Greyling
S A Cultural History Museum
P O Box 645
CAPE TOWN
8000
South Africa.


I would be interested to know more about the school that the letters you refer to may still be held by.


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## JoeQ (Jan 8, 2009)

Greystoke Castle was involved in a collision with Cheldale on the night of 17th February 1940 off South Africa. Cheldale sank with a loss of 16 lives.

See the law report at:



[1940] Vol. 68 Lloyds Law Rep page 85


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## picktish bull (Jul 27, 2011)

*Greystoke Castle*

Joe, many thanks for that information.

jfairbai, many thanks too for the information about the photographs. The school was Bolton School and the school archivist is digging through the records to see if he can find the copies of my mother's letters and the replies from the correspondent on the Greystoke Castle.  I'll let you know what I hear back from the school.

Apologies to you both for my late replies,
Kenny


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## picktish bull (Jul 27, 2011)

Hello jfairbai,

I have been in touch again with the school archivist. Unfortunately, the letters do not seem to have survived the war. i don't know whether the school held them or my mother, but either way, the school does not have them. I know from post-war letters that my mother wrote to the school, that this was a source of great disappointment to her because she believes that her own mother was responsible for discarding the letters during the war years. The great loss of course is the historical day to day news which they would have contained of Greystoke's voyages. The Greystoke officer with whom my mother corresponded was senior Apprentice Officer JR Blake. Was he your father or do you know of him? Hope this is of interest. If I uncover any more, I'll let you know.


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## jfairbai (May 24, 2013)

Hello picktish bull!

Sorry to hear about the letters! They would have been fascinating to read! My dad was Charles Fairbairn and I am sure JR Blake was a colleague as my dad was also an apprentice officer. I am in the process of cataloging my dad's papers, communications, pictures, etc. and will let you know if I run into anything relating to the Greystoke Castle.


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## ronmortimer (Oct 10, 2009)

I joined The Greystoke Castle in May 53 and stay with her until July 56 when she was renamed Gallic as she was on a 4 yr charter to Shaw Saville trading to Aussie/NZ from UK I seemed to remember that it was the Captain 'George Anderson' that wrote to the girls school. ronmortimer


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## picktish bull (Jul 27, 2011)

Ron,
Many thanks for your reply and information. Sorry for the late reply. I have found some more Greystoke Castle material amongst my mother's papers, so i hope to update this post in due course. Vale, Kenny


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