Cameron-class steamship

Last updated

SS Clan Buchanan SLV Green.jpg
Clan Buchanan (1937)
Class overview
OperatorsNaval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Royal Navy (WWII)
Built1935–42
In service1936–70
Completed20
Lost9
Scrapped11
General characteristics
Type Cargo ship
Tonnage7,178 – 10,700 GRT
Length425–488 ft (130–149 m)
Beam57–63 ft (17–19 m)
Draft27–30 ft (8.2–9.1 m)
Propulsion
Speed16–17.5 knots (18.4–20.1 mph; 29.6–32.4 km/h)
Complement78

The Cameron-class steamships were a class of UK cargo twin-screw steamships. They were designed for Clan Line and were also used by Scottish Shire Line and the Royal Navy.

Contents

The Greenock Dockyard Company built all members of the class.

Most members of the class had two triple-expansion engines, each coupled to a low-pressure exhaust steam turbine. The exception was Lanarkshire, which was built with six turbines and no reciprocating engines, [1]

Clan Line ships

Clan line owned 16 Cameron-class ships. Ten were sunk in the Second World War.

Clan Campbell (1937) SS Clan Campbell SLV Green.jpg
Clan Campbell (1937)

Shire Line ships

Two members of the class were built for Scottish Shire Line, which was closely associated with Clan Line:

Empire ships

Three members of the class were launched and owned as Empire ships.

Royal Navy ships

HMS Athene, later Clan Brodie HMS Athene 1943 AWM 302310.jpg
HMS Athene, later Clan Brodie

The Admiralty requisitioned three members of the class for the Royal Navy in 1942 while they were being built:

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SS <i>Clan Campbell</i> (1937)

SS Clan Campbell was a British cargo steamship. She was built for Clan Line Steamers Ltd as one of its Cameron-class steamships. She was launched at Greenock in 1937, served in the Second World War and was sunk in the Mediterranean in 1942.

SS <i>Clan Fraser</i> (1938) British cargo ship

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SS <i>Clan Forbes</i> (1938) British cargo steamship

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HMS <i>Salvia</i> (K97) Flower-class corvette

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SS Clan Macarthur was a British refrigerated cargo steamship. She was built for Cayzer, Irvine and Company's Clan Line Steamers Ltd as one of its Cameron-class steamships. She was launched in Greenock in 1936 and sunk in the Indian Ocean by enemy action in August 1943.

SS Jumna was a steam passenger liner that was built in Scotland in 1929 and sunk with all hands by a German cruiser on Christmas Day 1940. She was a ship in the fleet of James Nourse, Ltd, whose trade included taking indentured labourers from India to the British West Indies.

References

  1. Lloyd's Register, Steamers and Motorships (PDF). London: Lloyd's Register. 1940. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  2. "Perthshire". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  3. "Lanarkshire". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  4. "Empire Song". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  5. "Empire Might". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  6. "Empire Wisdom". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.