Grace's Guide
British Industrial History
Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 148,485 pages of information and 233,925 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.
Union Steamship Co
From Graces Guide
of Southampton, for many years the only Mail Service to the Cape of Good Hope and South Africa.
c.1880 At some point the name of Union Steam Collier Co was changed to Union Steamship Co
1886 Several ships had their engines converted from compound to triple expansion type, including RMS Spartan and RMS Athenian of the Ocean Mail Service, and SS Anglian and SS African of the Intercolonial Service.
1899 The South African contract expired; after much political manoeuvering, the Castle Line and the Union Steamship Co merged as the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Co and received the new mail contract.
NB This is not the same as Union Steamship Company of New Zealand