Castel Felice

[1] The British Government requisitioned her in 1940 and she was converted to an armed infantry landing ship for World War II.

In 1949 the vessel broke moorings and was swept ashore in a heavy storm,[2] 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.

Ownership was transferred to the Sitmar Line which re-modelled and refitted the ship in Genoa in the following year as their largest vessel, and named her the Castel Felice (‘Happy Castle’) for her inaugural Australian voyage to Melbourne.

Two years later she was refitted with air conditioning and a swimming pool to commence the Atlantic service to New York, a year-round service from New York to Bremerhaven via Plymouth and Le Havre being announced by the Overseas Charter and Shipping Company, General Passenger Agents for the Sitmar Line being announced in 1957.