SS Clan Macwhirter (1918)

SS Clan Macwhirter was a British cargo steamship. She was built in 1918 as Ypresville in the First World War and sunk by enemy action in 1942 in the Second World War. In her 24 year career she also carried the names Halizones and Willcasino.

Building and career
Lloyd Royal Belge (Great Britain) Ltd built the ship at Whiteinch, Glasgow, launching her on 26 April 1918 as Ypresville. She was completed that July.

She had nine corrugated furnaces with a combined grate area of 186 sqft that heated three 180 lbf/in2 single-ended boilers with a combined heating surface of 8151 sqft. They supplied steam to one three-cylinder steam triple expansion engine rated at 549 NHP.

Ypresville was built for the UK Government's Shipping Controller, a wartime agency that contracted James Gardiner and Company of Liverpool to manage her. By the end of 1918 the Shipping Controller had sold the ship to the British and South American Steam Navigation Company, which renamed her Halizones and contracted RP Houston and Company of Liverpool to manage her. In 1920 the Convoy Steam Ship Company Ltd of Halifax, Nova Scotia bought the ship, renamed her Willcasino and contracted HD Kempt of Liverpool to manage her. In 1921 Convoy SS Co sold the ship back to British and South American, who returned her to RP Houston's management but kept her name asWillcasino. In 1924 Clan Line Steamers Ltd bought the ship, renamed her Clan Macwhirter and appointed Cayzer, Irvine and Company Limited (who were part of the same group) to manage her.

Loss
In wartime Clan Macwhirter generally sailed in convoy. In 1942 she had sailed from Bombay for Hull via Durban and Bathurst, where she arrived on 14 August. She then sailed to Freetown, Sierra Leone, where she joined Convoy SL 119 at Freetown. Her Master was Roderick Sutherland and she was carrying 2,000 tons of manganese ore, 3,500 tons of linseed, 2,200 tons of pig iron and assorted general cargo. However, from 20 August she suffered engine trouble, eventually falling behind the convoy.

On 27 August at 0100 hours GS U-156 (1941), commanded by Werner Hartenstein, torpedoed Clan Macwhirter about 190 miles northwest of Madeira. Two torpedoes hit her port side, and 11 of her crew, including Captain Sutherland, eight crew members and two DEMS gunners were killed. Her crew managed to launch three of her six boats, and 68 crew members and seven gunners survived. At daybreak the three boats set sail for Madeira, but on 28 August a gale separated them. On 30 August the Portuguese Navy aviso NRP Pedro Nunes rescued them and landed them at Funchal.