SS Clan Macwhirter (1918)
| |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | SS Clan Macwhirter |
| Operator: | Clan Line Steamers Ltd, London |
| Builder: | Lloyd Royal Belge (Great Britain) Ltd, Whiteinch, Glasgow |
| Launched: | 26 April 1918 |
| Completed: | 1918 |
| Renamed: |
Built as Ypresville 1918 renamed Halizones 1920 renamed Willcasino 1923 renamed Clan Macwhirter |
| Fate: | sunk on 27 August 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Steam merchant ship |
| Tonnage: | 5,941 tons |
| Length: | 424.4 feet |
| Beam: | 55.8 feet |
| Propulsion: |
steam, triple expansion engines 549 nhp one propeller |
| Speed: | 14 knots |
| Capacity: | 7,700 tons |
| Crew: | 86 |
The SS Clan Macwhirter was a British cargo steamer. She was torpedoed and sunk in the Second World War whilst carrying supplies from India to Britain.
Pre-war career
She was built by Lloyd Royal Belge (Great Britain) Ltd, Whiteinch, Glasgow and launched on 26 April 1918 as SS Ypresville. She had a varied career, first being operated by James Gardiner & Co., and then by British & South American SN Co. ( R P Houston Ltd), Liverpool later in 1918. They renamed her Halizones, a name she retained until 1920, when she was operated by the Convoy Steamship Co. Ltd., who renamed her Willcasino. She was returned to the British & South American SN Co. Ltd. in 1921 and was sold for the final time in 1924 to Clan Line Steamers Ltd, who renamed her Clan Macwhirter, in keeping with their house style and homeported her in Glasgow.
Wartime
In common with many of Clan Line's ships, she was used to carry supplies around the far flung British Empire to aid in the allied war effort, during the Second World War. Her final voyage in 1942 was part of convoy SL-119, from Bombay to Hull, via Durban, Bathurst and Freetown. Clan Macwhirter arrived at Bathurst on 14 August, under the command of her Master, Roderick Sutherland Masters. She was carrying a cargo of 2,000 tons of manganese ore, 3,500 tons of linseed, 2,200 tons of pig iron and assorted general cargo.
By 27 August the Clan Macwhirter had fallen behind the main convoy and was travelling alone and unescorted. She was sighted at 01.00 hours by U-156 who torpedoed and sank her 200 miles northwest of Madeira. Eleven of her crew, including her master, eight crew members and two gunners were lost in the sinking, whilst 68 crew members and seven gunners survived to be picked up by the Portuguese sloop Pedro Nunes, and were landed at Funchal.
