Montclare

The steel steam turbine vessel Montclare was launched from the Clydebank yard of John Brown Ltd on 18th December 1921.  She measured 549.5′ x 70.25′ x 40.2′ and her tonnage was 16314 gross tons, 9724 net tons.  She was powered by 6 SR steam turbines geared to twin propellers delivering 2524 nominal horse power by her builders making her capable of a top speed of 16 knots.  Ordered by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company she was registered in Liverpool and began a career of Transatlantic voyages in 1922.  In February 1930 her engines were placed with a new set of SR turbines manufactured by Harland and Wolff, Belfast.

In March 1931 Montclare was inward bound to Glasgow from St John’s, New Brunswick when she stranded just north of Gull Point, Little Cumbrae. She had arrived in the Clyde in the early hours of Saturday 21st March and encountered thick fog around Pladda, and forcing a reduction in her speed to dead slow. The impact was felt throughout the ship and remarked upon by one passenger as ‘three bumps and all stop’. Her master immediately checked for damage, but none was visible above waterline, so an attempt to reverse off was made, but the vessel held fast and, as the tide was falling, no further attempt was made. Tugs were immediately called to assist and those aboard waited for help to arrive.

As the tide receded the Montclare began to list badly to port and her master decided to abandon ship, much to the consternation of the 300 passengers who thought they were safe and expected the vessel would be refloated on the next high tide. The passengers were lowered in the vessel’s lifeboats to be put ashore or directly onto the tugs Flying Eagle and Wrestler who ferried them to Largs where a large crowd had turned out to greet the cold and somewhat bewildered survivors arriving in a small west coast town after dark. A local restaurant was opened, meals prepared and hastily eaten before they boarded a train to Glasgow.

The Montclare was refloated the following day and docked at Greenock, leaving soon after under her own steam for Liverpool for survey and repair.  She re-entered service for her owners and was subsequently requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted to an armed merchant cruiser.  In June 1942 she was purchased by the Royal Navy and converted to a submarine depot vessel HMS Montclare.  She was ultimately scrapped at Inverkeithing in 1958.