Castel Felice was a SITMAR (Società Italiana Trasporti Marittima) Line liner.
History
The Castel Felice, as she was eventually named, was built in Glasgow by Alexander Stephen & Sons in 1930 for the British India Company as the Kenya, commencing her maiden voyage to Bombay on 18 December 1931, then operated between India and Africa carrying passengers (mainly Indian immigrants) and cargo.
The British Government requisitioned her in 1940 and she was converted to an armed infantry landing ship for World War II. Renamed first HMS Hydra, then HMS Keren, she was used to land troops for action in Madagascar, Sicily and North Africa.
The British India Line refused an option to resume ownership after the war in 1946 and consequently she was purchased by the British Ministry of Transport. Laid up at Holy Loch in Scotland she was subsequently purchased by the Vaslav group. In 1949 the vessel broke moorings and was swept ashore in a heavy storm, refloated and towed to Glasgow for repairs where name reverted to Kenya. Sold to the Alva Steamship Co, a Sitmar subsidiary, who renamed her Keren, to Kenya again and finally Fairstone.
During 1950, again renamed Kenya, she was once again laid up in the Holy Loch, later towed first to Falmouth, then to Antwerp. Ownership was transferred to the Sitmar Line which re-modelled and refitted the ship in Genoa in the following year, and named the Castel Felice (‘Happy Castle’) for her inaugural Australian voyage to Melbourne.
She began the South American immigrant service in 1952. Two years later she was refitted with air conditioning and a swimming pool to commence the Atlantic service to New York. Between 1952 and 1970, on a total of 101 voyages, she carried over 100,000 immigrants to Australia and New Zealand, of these, 16,126 were breadwinners and the others dependents. She left Sydney in October 1970 to be broken up in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with all cutlery and linen transferred to Cunard for use on the Fairsea and Fairwind from Sydney.
Configuration
Engines: 11,000 s.h.p. six single-reduction-geared steam turbines / twin screws
Rigging; 1 tripod style communications mast (2 masts, with cargo cranes) Surface Speed:15 knots, later 16 knots Dimensions: 150.3 x 19.6 m Depth: 7.6 m draught Tonnage: 12,150 GRT Passengers: 1400 one class - based on her final configuration. Previous names: Kenya (1930), Hydra (1941), Keren (1941), Kenya (1949), Fairstone (1950), Kenya (1950), Keren (1951–52)