Ordered in 1929 and built by Harland & Wolff in 1930, the Winchester Castle was truly the product of the Art Deco age and combined cutting edge technology with the style and grace of that era in equal measure. Measured at 20,109 tons, she was 630ft long with a breadth of 75ft and depth of 44ft and carried 756 passengers in three roughly equal classes. Her service speed of 17.5 knots was improved after a refit in 1938 to 20 knots, but in December 1939 she was requisitioned for War service in which she successfully took part in Operation 'Ironclad' (the invasion of Vichy-held Madagascar). By 1960 she was obsolete and was sold to Japanese breakers in November.