The Carnarvon Castle was built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast and launched on 14 January 1926. She was a twin screwed motor vessel of 20 063 tons, with a length of 192.25m, (630 ft 8 inches). She could carry 310 1st, 275 2nd, and 266 3rd class passengers with a crew 350. She also has the distinction of being the first Union-Castle motorship. She was extensively modernised in 1938 and given a new bow and her twin funnels were replaced by a single funnel with her tonnage revised to 20 133 tons and overall length to 661 ft. There is no doubt that the refit improved her lines.

When war broke out she was converted to an Armed Merchant Cruiser in Simonstown in September 1939. Her armament consisted of 8 x 6 inch guns, 2 x 3 inch anti-aircraft guns and 6 machines guns, and was manned by RN and RNVR personel under Capt. HWM Hardy.

HMS Carnarvon Castle was stationed in the South Atlantic, partly to counter the threat from German commerce raiders that had been active in the area. On 5 December, roughly 700 miles from Montevideo she sighted an unidentified vessel which was later identified as the commerce raider Thor. The raider did not answer Carnarvons challenges and the range was closed, with Carnarvon putting a shot across the raiders bows. The raider opened fire and brought her fire to bear on the undergunned Carnarvon. By 0930 the battle was over and the Thor disengaged and sailed off trailing smoke.
In the action the Carnarvon had fired over 600 shells and sustained 38 hits and fires but she had survived only looking somewhat the worse for wear. She sailed for Montevideo where she put in for repairs (apparently some of the plating came from the Graf Spee) and then back to Cape Town for permanent repairs. She served mostly as an AMC during the war, being refitted briefly in the USA and fitted with radar. In 1944 she was fitted out as a troopship and spent the rest of the war on the trooping shuttle between America and the United Kingdom.

After the war she was used as an immigrant carrier with 1283 berths and was modernised again in 1949-50, her tonnage rising to 20 141 tons. She was put back on the mail service until 1962 when she was withdrawn and finally sent to the breakers. One odd reference to the ships wartime service can be found at Portsmouth (Evergreen) Memorial Park in Virgina in the USA where one of her wartime crew, Able Seaman S.H. Becker of East London has found his rest.

With thanks to www.allatsea.co.za