On 17th July 1940:

Clan Macfarlane sailed independently from Mombasa on the 11th July 1940 for an unknown destination carrying twenty-four East African soldiers.

On the 17th July the ship was off the Gulf of Aden and encountering rough weather and sailing without navigation lights as per Admiralty orders in this area of the Indian Ocean.

Suddenly out of the dark appeared the British Merchant ship Ganges, recently dispersed from her convoy en-route to Bombay. With no time to avoid a collision the Ganges bow tore through the port side of the Clan Macfarlane destroying all the port lifeboats and the ship began to sink immediately.

With no time to launch the boats on the weather side the ship due to the rough seas the ship disappeared within five minutes in position 12’ 38N 55’ 31E.

The Ganges now with her search lights on desperately scanned the area looking for survivors amongst the wreckage, saving about half of the crew.

In total forty-one of the Clan Macfarlane’s crew compliment perished along with twenty of the African troops.

On the 6th April 1942 GANGES was sunk by Japanese aircraft and warships 20 miles off Vizagapatnam.

Fifteen of her crew were killed.