Editing Union-Castle Line (section)

==British & Commonwealth, and International Liner Services==
[[File:StateLibQld 1 147971 Edinburgh Castle III (ship).jpg|thumb|RMS ''Edinburgh Castle'', built in 1947]]
[[File:London Tilbury Union Castle's 'Bloemfontein Castle' geograph-3080502-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|thumb|{{MV|Bloemfontein Castle||2}}, built in 1950]]
The company took over the [[King Line]] in 1949, and merged with [[Bullard King]] and [[Clan Line]] in 1956 to form [[British & Commonwealth Shipping]]. It merged with [[South African Marine Corporation]] in 1973 to create International Liner Services, but competition with air travel adversely affected its shipping activities, and cargo shipping rapidly became [[Containerization|containerised]]. The final South African mail service arrived in Southampton on 24 October 1977, and International Liner Services withdrew from shipping in 1982. [[British & Commonwealth]] continued in other fields, and acquired [[Atlantic Computers]] in 1989, but accounting problems soon became apparent and British & Commonwealth was liquidated in 1990.

In the 1950s and 60s the line operated a fleet of fifteen ships, eight on the principal weekly mail run from Southampton to Cape Town. Each ship could carry an average of two hundred First Class passengers and four hundred and fifty in Tourist Class. Six of the remaining ships operated the monthly Round Africa service, sailing both clockwise and anti-clockwise round the continent. The remaining ship operated a service carrying up to 750 Tourist Class passengers to [[Beira, Mozambique|Beira]] and back via the West Coast route every three months.<ref name=Damant />

In December 1999 the Union-Castle name was revived for a [[millennium cruise]]; the [[P&O (company)|P&O]] ship {{MS|Victoria||2}} was chartered for a 60-day cruise around Africa, and had its funnel repainted for the occasion.

The last few surviving Union-Castle Line ships were scrapped in the early 21st century, the former ''[[SS Amerikanis|Kenya Castle]]'' in 2001, the former {{RMS|Transvaal Castle||2}} in 2003, the former ''Dunnottar Castle'' in 2004, and finally {{RMS|Windsor Castle|1959|2}} in 2005.