Launched as the Ocean Wayfarer on 16th August 1942 for the British Government – Ministry of War Transport, this vessel was built by the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Company of Portland, Maine in USA (Yard No 19). Part of a standard shipbuilding programme during WW2, her steel hull measured 425.1′ x 57.0′ x 34.8′ and her tonnage was 7131 gross tons, 4259 net tons. She was powered by a single triple expansion steam engine made by Allis Chalmers & Company of Montreal delivering 505 registered horse power. Her official number was 168636.
Extract – Lloyd’s Register 1953
A large cargo steamship, she was initially managed by the Thomson Steam Shipping Company of Cardiff until she was sold to the Clan Line of Glasgow in 1951 and renamed Clan Macquarrie.
She departed from Dundee on 29th January 1953, having discharged 14,500 bales of jute, she was bound for Glasgow via the northern route through the Pentland Firth and west coast. By late evening on 30th January she had rounded the Butt of Lewis in very stormy conditions. Being light and in ballast she had reduced steerage and, beset by hurricane force winds, sleet and snow gusting over 100 mph, she was driven ashore on the north west coast of the Isle of Lewis near the village of Borve in the early hours of 31st January.
Clan MacQuarrie aground at Borve
The Coastguard and Stornoway Lifesaving Corps were alerted and battled the 20 miles across the moors to reach Borve. The lifesaving crew, assisted by local residents, commenced rigging their apparatus but weather conditions initially prevented making any rescue of the 66 crew aboard the Clan Macquarrie. A line was secured from the vessel during the morning and the crew were safely landed with no serious injuries to be cared for by the residents of Borve.
Rigging the breeches buoy apparatus
The Clan Macquarrie had been driven well up the rocky beach as can be seen from the photographs of her ashore. Metal Industries based at Faslane on the Clyde were contracted on the 4th February to recover the vessel. Surveys of the hull and damage were undertaken the following week. Work progressed with raising steam on main boiler and patching damaged areas of hull and compartments. By the 11th Feb both Metal Industries large salvage vessels were in Stornoway harbour in preparation for a possible refloating of the vessel on the next spring tide. Attempts were made at each high tide between the 13-17th February but were unsuccessful due to marginal weather conditions which caused further damage to the hull. Throughout late February and early March work continued to effect repairs and also reposition the hull on the beach. Further ‘seasonal’ weather hampered further attempts to re-float until, on 16th March, she was finally successfully towed off by the salvage tugs Salveda and Matinda III at 06.45 hrs and towed round to Broad Bay arriving there around 20.45 hrs. The following day the Clan Macquarrie was towed into Stornoway harbour where she was checked over in preparation for a long tow south. The flotilla of tugs and their charge left Stornoway on 20th March arriving at Faslane on 22nd March.
The next task was to undertake a survey and establish the full extent of damage to the ship. She was towed to Elderslie Dry Dock in Glasgow where she underwent a full survey, she was moved to the Holy Loch on 3rd April to await a decision on her future. It was quickly concluded that, due to the extent of the damage to the hull, repair was not economically viable and should be scrapped. The Clan Macquarrie was sold for breaking up at Troon on 22nd October and she arrived at the West of Scotland Shipbreaking Company on 29th October. Work commenced almost immediately, the completion of her demolition is thought to have been in October 1954.
Certification for tow to Troon
It was later established that the rescue of 66 persons by breeches buoy was the largest on record and in an amazing time of two hours forty minutes after the equipment was made serviceable. For this, the Stornoway life saving crew were awarded the Ministry of Transport Shield for the best wreck service around the UK for the year ending March 1953. It is believed that this record still stands.
The residents of Borve were also to be rewarded for their efforts to assist with the rescue and also their generosity towards the captain and crew once they were landed. The Clan Line made a donation which allowed a village hall to be built in Borve.
Lloyd’s Casualty Report
The crew of the Clan Macquarrie were extremely fortunate to escape their ordeal with only the loss of their ship, others were not so lucky that night. Two other vessels were caught in the storm which resulted in both foundering with the joint loss of 180 crew and passengers. The Fleetwood trawler Michael Griffiths went down less than 10 miles south of Barra Head with the loss of 13 crew, two crew members of the Islay lifeboat Charlotte Elizabeth died on service searching for the trawler. Further south in the North Channel the ferry Princess Victoria foundered with the loss 133 passengers and crew.
We would like to thank Lloyd’s Register Foundation – Heritage & Education Centre for allowing us to reproduce documents from their archive in this article.
