Built by Harland & Wolff of Belfast for Union-Castle's mail service to
South Africa, Edinburgh Castle was launched in January 1910. She made
her maiden voyage in May of that year, arriving in Cape Town for the
first time on 7 June.
En route from Cape Town to Southampton when World War I began, Edinburgh
Castle was diverted to Gibraltar to embark the British garrison
stationed there, and was escorted home by H.M.S. Minerva. She was
then requisitioned as an auxiliary cruiser, and as various times during
the war she patrolled the South Atlantic and served in North Atlantic
convoys. She returned to Union-Castle's commercial service in July
1919.
In 1938, Edinburgh Castle was withdrawn from service and laid up at
Netley. In August 1939 she was requisitioned by the Admiralty to
prevent her being scrapped. In January 1940, she was purchased by the
Admiralty and stationed at Freetown, Sierra Leone, as an accommodation
ship for sailors and survivors of sunken ships. She was one of a
relatively small number of merchant vessels to serve in both world
wars.
She was released from service in September 1945, but by then so much
growth had accumulated on her hull during her years at Freetown that she
could not be economically returned to Britain for refitting. So, towed
60 miles out to sea, she was sunk by the Royal Navy in a target practice
exercise.
