Date of attack
1 May 1943
Fate
Sunk by U-515 (Werner Henke)
Position 07.58N, 14.14W - Grid ET 6128
Complement
140 (4 dead and 136 survivors).
Convoy
TS-37
Torpedoed and Sunk off West Africa - 1943
Clan MacPherson
Left Calcutta
For UK via Durban
Lost 1 May 1943 |
Fate
|
|
Master
|
E Gough
|
Survived
|
|
Chief Engineer
|
N M Robertson
|
Survived
|
|
Second Engineer
|
J C Marshall
|
Survived
|
|
Fourth Engineer
|
W McMurtrie
|
Survived
|
|
Fifth Engineer
|
W Cunningham
|
Survived
|
Route
Calcutta - Durban - Takoradi (26 Apr) - Freetown - Trinidad - UK
Cargo
8440 tons of general cargo, including 2750 tons of pig iron, linseed, tea, jute, mica and groundnuts
Notes on loss
At 05.40 hours on 1 May 1943, U-515 attacked the convoy TS-37 for a second time about 75 miles southwest of Freetown and fired three single torpedoes. The first hit the City of Singapore after 1 minute 8 seconds in the stern and the ship was observed to burn fiercely before she sank. The second torpedo hit the Mokambo after 1 minute 5 seconds and set her on fire. The third torpedo hit after 35 seconds the Clan Macpherson, which began to sink by the stern.
The Clan Macpherson (Master Edward Gough) foundered later in 08°04N/14°12W. Four crew members were lost. The master, 126 crew members, seven gunners and two naval signalmen were picked up by HMS Arran (T 06) (T/Lt D.S. Hutton, RNR) and landed at Freetown the same day.
Clan MacPherson Officers - 1939
Commodore G Purssey Phillips front centre
Photograph taken on his final voyage before retirement
