Baron Minto

The steel cargo steamer Baron Minto was launched form the Deptford yard of Sir James Laing & Sons of Sunderland (Yard No.717) on 2 November 1937 for her owners, the Hogarth Shipping Company of Glasgow. She measured 417.1’ x 58.2′ x 24.1′ and her tonnage was 4637 gross tons, 2693 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by George Clark (1913) Limited of Sunderland, delivering 250 net horse power. Her official number was 163846. Her owners had placed an order for two vessels to be built to the same design and specification and her sister ship, the Baron Elphinstone (Yard No.716) was completed shortly before the Baron Minto. 

After her launch, her fit out and trials were completed in December 1937, she entered service for her owners. With the increasing ferocity of the war she was requisitioned by the Admiralty in January 1939 and came under the control of the Ministry of War Transport, to bring much needed supplies to support the British war effort.

Having recently arrived from Sydney, Nova Scotia with a cargo of scrap iron, the Baron Minto departed Oban for Hull on 27 October 1940 as part of convoy WN.27. The eleven ships were routed around the north of Scotland, to then head south to various east coast ports. By 29 October they were off the Buchan coast in stormy conditions which resulted in five vessels going aground near Rattray Head. The Baron Minto was one of the five, running aground to the north of Rattray Head in Strathbeg Bay. She remained ashore for months while her managers looked at options to recover her cargo and the ship. In February 1941 the wreck was spotted by the Luftwaffe and bombed on the 12th and 14th and later that month she took at least three aerial torpedoes. All the additional damage helped a final decision, she was written off as a constructive total loss on 1 May 1941. 

From their archive photo library, its clear the Dalmuir ship breaking firm of W. H. Arnott Young worked the wreck during the summer of 1941. The pictures above describe the removal of the cargo, and upper structure of the ship to waterline, and we assume eventually the keel and bottom as well. For the purposes of locating this casualty on the area map only, we have assumed a loss position of 57° 39.335’N, 001° 52.362’W.

We would like to thank W. Sloan Smith for allowing us to reproduce pictures from his photographic collection which records the work of the ship breaking company – W.H. Arnott Young & Company Ltd., of Dalmuir and Troon.