SS Clan Alpine (1918)

The SS "Clan Alpine" was the name of five British cargo steamers owned by Clan Line Steamers Ltd. The ship covered by this article was the third to carry this name. She was torpedoed and sunk in the Second World War whilst carrying war materiel to aid the British campaigns in Africa.

Early history

The third "Clan Alpine" was built by the Greenock & Grangemouth Dockyard Co Ltd, Greenock for Clan Line Steamers Ltd, of London, and was launched on 28 January 1918. She was used to carry equipment and supplies for the British government during the Second World War. On 19 November 1942, whilst sailing to Saint Helena, she came across two lifeboats from the torpedoed SS "City of Cairo", and took the occupants to Saint Helena.

inking

Her last voyage was as part of convoy OS-44, which departed Liverpool on 6 March 1943 bound for Port Sudan via Walvis Bay. She was carrying 11,317 tons of general cargo, including army and naval stores. Shortly into the journey, the convoy was sailing west of Cape Finisterre on 13 March, when it was spotted by the U-boat U-107. At 05.30 hours she fired a number of torpedoes, and reported having hit three ships. In fact four ships had been hit, the SS "Marcella", SS "Oporto", SS "Sembilangan" and the "Clan Alpine". Unable to be repaired or towed to safety, the ship was abandoned. She was later scuttled with depth charges by a convoy escort, the sloop HMS "Scarborough", which picked up the survivors from the water and transferred them to the SS "Pendeen", who landed them at Gibraltar. 26 of the crew had been lost in the attack and subsequent sinking. [ [http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=16070 clydesite.co.uk] and [http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/clan.html shiplist.com] both have 26 killed, whereas [http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/2775.html Uboat.net] reports no casualties]

Notes

References

* [http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=16070 Clan Alpine at clydesite.co.uk]
* [http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/clan.html Ships of the Clan Line]