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Motto:

None

Pennant Numbers:

F61

Battle Honours:

ATLANTIC 1940-42

Specifications

Builder: Harland & Wolff Belfast, Northern Ireland

Converted by: Swan Hunter

Displacement: 23,450 tons

Length (Overall): 594ft 7in

Beam: 76ft 6in

Flight deck: 550ft x 76ft mild steel plate

Propulsion: 2 Burmeister & Wain diesels driving 2 shafts

Speed: 18 knots

A/C Capacity: 10

Hangar: 354ft x 46ft x 17ft

A/C lifts: 1, forward 45ft long x 39ft wide

Arrestor wires: 6 with 2 barriers

Catapult: 1 CII cordite;

Armament: 2 twin 4in QF Mk XVI HA, 10 twin 20mm Oerlikon, 2 quadruple 2 pounder "pom-pom"

Crew Complement: 580

Commanding Officers:

Capt. A.V. Hemming RN

Mar 41 - Mar 43

Capt. R. Bell-Davies, RN,VC, CB, DSO, AFC,

Mar 43 - Jun 44

Capt. G.C. Dickins RN

May 45 - Dec 45

Squadrons:

778

Service Trials Unit

Listen to this section

A History of HMS PRETORIA CASTLE

HMS PRETORIA CASTLE arriving at Rosyth to complete post conversion trials March 12th 1943

Built by Harland & Wolff. Belfast, Northern Ireland; Launched 12 Oct 1938, completed 1939 as a passenger liner. Requisitioned as armed merchant cruiser 10/1939, commissioned 28 November 1939. Purchased by RN 16 July 1942 and converted to a carrier at Swan Hunter. Commissioned 29 July 1943, conversion completed 9 August 1943.

Used only as a trials and training carrier. She was paid off December 1945, sold 26 January 1946 for merchant service but not immediately decommissioned; delivered to new owners 21 March 1946 for conversion to cargo liner. Entered service as 'Warwick Castle' 1947. Scrapped in Spain starting 9/1962.

A fuller account of this ships history will be added at some time in the future.

Content revised: 01 December 2018

Sources used in compiling this account:

Click here for a list of Primary sources

Additional sources:

Fold3.com various documents including;

Admiralty War Diaries

Norfolk Navy Yard War Diaries

Mew York Navy Yard War Diaries

Miscellaneous documents

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Comments (3)

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Stephen Wood (Gloucestershire, UK) says...

My Father in law served on Pretoria Castle from July 1943 to March 1946. I was discussing this web site with him this weeend 4/11/17. He remembers the convoy to Iceland and return and then the trials with various aircraft in home waters including the first landing by a jet aircraft. He has some interesting photo's of Pretoria Castle in home waters and in the waters off Iceland. As well as his previous ship HMS Anson. He also has a photo of the crew of Pretoria Castle from about 1943. Please ... Read More

7th November 2017 11:09am

Bill Pearson (Uttoxeter, UK) says...

Hi
My father Cliff Pearson from Connah's Quay Flintshire was also on Pretoria Castle. He was on board from 29/07/1943 to 21/03/1946. The date it sailed until it was decommissioned.
Perhaps they knew each other. Dad died in 1989 but would have been 94 now.

I would love to see the photo of the crew. I have a Xmas card showing the ship with ana aeroplane flying above it.
Hope to hear from you
Bill Pearson

15th August 2018 9:29pm

CHRIS LARKIN (LONDON, UK) says...

My father, Francis Alan Larkin, made a couple of Russia convoys trips on HMS Pretoria Castle. He had to do with aircraft radio maintenance and, although RNVR when he joined the Navy in 1942, he ended as a Lieutenant RN. Any details of his wartime career would be welcome.

25th November 2014 7:13pm