HMHS Gloucester Castle
ship
HMHS Gloucester Castle (His Majesty's Hospital Ship) was a steam ship originally built for the Union-Castle Line, but requisitioned for use as a British hospital ship during the First World War. On 30 March 1917 she was torpedoed by German U-boat UB-32. She was, however, salvaged, and returned to civilian service after the war. She was sunk by the German commerce raider Michel in 1942 off Ascension Island in the South Atlantic.
History
In the First World War Gloucester Castle was hired to transport troops of the British Expeditionary Force from 6 August 1914 to 25 May 1915. From 26 May onwards she served as a hospital ship.
She was torpedoed off the Isle of Wight by German U-boat UB-32 (Kapitänleutnant Max Viebeg) on 30 March 1917. Three died during the transfer of crew and wounded but she was able to be towed back to port after two weeks.
After the war she was returned to her owners on 9 September 1919 for service on the intermediate routes and later served on the round-Africa service, earning the nickname 'Go Slowster Castle' because of her inadequate speed.
In the Second World War she remained in civilian service as a passenger and general cargo liner.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “HMHS Gloucester Castle” as ship. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as ship. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 14, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1134025. Authority coordinates are -10.083, -5.000. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1917, 1942, 1914 and 1915.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “HMHS Gloucester Castle”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow HMHS Gloucester Castle primary sources, HMHS Gloucester Castle archive and HMHS research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “HMHS Gloucester Castle”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “HMHS Gloucester Castle” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.