Date of attack

13 Mar 1943  

Fate

Sunk by U-107 (Harald Gelhaus)

Position 42.45N, 13.31W - Grid CG 1218

Complement

94 (28 dead and 66 survivors).

Convoy

OS-44

Route

Liverpool (6 Mar) - Walvis Bay, South West Africa - Port Sudan

Cargo

11,317 tons of general cargo, including army and naval stores

Notes on loss  

At 05.30 hours on 13 Mar, 1943, U-107 attacked the convoy OS-44 190 miles west of Cape Finisterre and reported hits on three ships. In fact, four ships were hit, the Clan Alpine, Marcella, Oporto and Sembilangan.

The Clan Alpine (Master Joseph Henry Crellin) was later scuttled by HMS Scarborough (L 25) (LtCdr E.B. Carnduff, RN) with depth charges. 28 crew members were lost.

The master, 56 crew members and nine gunners were picked up by the sloop, transferred to the British steam merchant Pendeen and landed at Gibraltar.

The Greenock and Grangemouth Dockyard Co Ltd of Greenock built Clan Alpine, launching her on 28 January 1918 and completing her that April.

Clan Alpine was 410.2 ft (125.03 m) long, had a beam of 53.5 ft (16.31 m) and draught of 26 ft 0 in (7.92 m). Until 1930 her tonnages were 5,485 GRT and 3,425 NRT.

Clan Alpine was built with a triple-expansion engine that developed 538 NHP.

In 1930 a Bauer-Wach exhaust steam turbine was added, which increased her fuel efficiency. It also increased her total power to 627 NHP and gave her a service speed of 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h).

This is a copy of the ship’s logbook - concerning the rescue of three of the lifeboats from SS City of Cairo - for November 1942.

At Sea 19 November 1942 @ 0430

On this date the Chief Officer reported to me that a morse lamp was flashing “SOS - Help” very close to the ship. Flares were  burning shortly after. Daylight was approaching quickly and the ship’s boat was sighted. I stopped the ship close alongside the boat, which was full of men, women and children. Efforts were made to take them aboard up side ladders, but the women were mostly too week and emaciated to be helped up. The accommodation ladder was fortunately rigged and this was lowered and the rescue effected. The boat was lifted clear of the water and the voyage continued.

At 0820 hours on the same day the 2nd Officer reported two more boat sails in sight and I stopped close to them at 0900 opprox. These boats were also full and the people therein slowly brought aboard. The boats were taken aboard.

I estimated that there were in all about 150 people including the Master (Capt Rogerson), European and Indian crew and passengers, men, women and children of a torpedoed British ship. They had been thirteen days in their boats and the majority were in a weak, emaciated condition.

I posted extra lookouts in the hopes of sighting three more boats adrift from the same ship but nothing more was seen.

Everything possible was done for these survivors, the worst cases among the women being put to bed. The children seemed least affected. During the morning two Indian seamen died.

The same day at 1315 hours I cast anchor in the 15th port (St Helena), describing the plight of the survivors by visual signal an hour in advance. Energetic steps were made immediately by the Port and Military authorities and the work of disembarkation commenced at once in an excellent manner. The work of feeding them had rendered a census impracticable but a count was taken as they went overside, namely 129. Two bodies were later landed.

All ranks and ratings on this vessel worked with fine spirit to alleviate the sufferings of these unfortunate people.

At St Helena 21 November

I have been in touch with the Supt. of Police and other authorities regarding the two bodies landed. Their names are unknown by the other survivors and have been buried nameless.

I have now been officially informed that the survivors have been properly counted and the number of persons from the lifeboats which have been landed here by me is 148 souls plus two bodies.

The log is signed by the Master, Capt Charles W Banbury and the Chief Officer J T Turton

Also in 1930 her tonnages were revised to 5,442 GRT and 3,390 NRT.

In the Second World War Clan Alpine was defensively armed with a 4-inch or 4.7-inch gun on her stern, plus two Bofors 40 mm guns and four machine guns for anti-aircraft cover.

On 19 November 1942, while sailing to Saint Helena, Clan Alpine rescued 154 survivors from two lifeboats from the torpedoed Ellerman Lines troop ship City of Cairo and took them to Saint Helena.