Clan Alpine was a turret deck ship, built in 1899 by the William Doxford & Sons of Pallion. She was the second of Clan Line ship named Clan Alpine, and worked their Oriental routes.
Design and construction In 1899 Clan Line sold their old steamer Clan Alpine, and placed an order with William Doxford & Sons of Pallion to build three turret deck ships for them (the future Clan Alpine, Clan Farquhar and Clan Urquhart). The ship was launched on 22 September 1899Marine Engineer and Naval Architect, v. 21, p.367 (1899) (25 September 1899 according to other sourceThe Engineer, p.361 (1899)), with Miss Greta Doxford, daughter of William Theodore Doxford, being the sponsor. The ship was completed that November. She was long (between perpendiculars) and abeam, a depth of . Her tonnages were and . She had a steel hull, and a single triple-expansion steam engine, with cylinders of , , and diameter with a stroke. It was rated at 330 nhp; drove a single screw propeller; and gave her a speed of .
Operational history In the early 1900s, the Clan Line operated two main routes between United Kingdom and her colonies in the East. One was a direct route from the home ports through the Strait of Gibraltar, Suez Canal and to the ports of India and Ceylon. The other involved sailing down the western coast of Africa first to the ports of South African colonies; then onto the ports of Ceylon and India; and occasional trips to Australia.
Upon delivery, Clan Alpine went to Middlesbrough, and thence to Glasgow for loading, where she arrived on 18 November 1899. From there, she sailed to Liverpool and Manchester to load more cargo. She left Manchester for Bombay for her maiden voyage on 12 December 1899,Evening Standard, December 14, 1899, p.8 passing through Suez Canal on 30 December, and arrived in Bombay on 13 January 1900.Evening Standard, January 15, 1900, p.8 After calling at several Indian ports, she left for Britain, passed through Suez Canal on 13 February, and reached Dunkirk on 3 March.Evening Standard, March 5, 1900, p.8 After unloading, she continued to Britain, and arrived at Greenock on 15 March.Evening Standard, March 17, 1900, p.10 After a brief stop, she left Greenock on 22 March 1900, loaded cargo at Liverpool, and left there for Cape Town on 29 March.Evening Standard, March 24, 1900, p.9Evening Standard, March 30, 1900, p.9 After calling at various South African ports, she sailed to Ceylon via Mauritius, and arrived at Galle on 3 July.Evening Standard, July 5, 1900, p.10 From Galle she continued to India, including Madras, where she arrived on 28 July. From India, Clan Alpine left for Britain via Colombo, and arrived in London on 8 September 1900,Evening Standard, September 10, 1900, p.9 before continuing to Glasgow which she reached on 22 September.Evening Standard, September 25, 1900, p.11 She soon left for another trip, leaving from Liverpool for Calcutta on 6 October 1900.Evening Standard, October 8, 1900, p.10
Clan Alpine continued service on both routes through the rest of her career.
On 22 November 1908, Clan Alpine left Liverpool for South Africa.Evening Standard, November 24, 1908, p.3 On 11 December 1908 it was announced that Clan Alpine was chartered to take wheat from South Australia to England and Europe.Daily Commercial News & Shipping List, December 11, 1908, p.4 She reached Cape Town on 19 December 1908 from Liverpool;Evening Standard, 23 December 1908, p.3 left there on 23 December; called at Mossel Bay and Port Elizabeth; and reached East London on 31 December 1908.Evening Standard, January 4, 1909, p.3 She left East London on 2 January 1909, reached Adelaide on 23 January 1909, and continued to GeelongThe Age, January 25, 1909, p.4 where she arrived three days later.Geelong Advertiser, January 27, 1909, p.6
Loss On 10 June 1917, sank Clan Alpine by torpedo, off Muckle Flugga, Shetland Islands on a passage from Tyne to Archangel, killing eight members of her crew.
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