The SS Clan Fraser was a British cargo steamer. She was bomb

Bomb

A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...

ed and sunk in the Second World War whilst supporting allied

Allies of World War II

The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...

 operations in the Mediterranean.

History

Clan Fraser was built by Greenock Dockyard Co.

Greenock Dockyard Company

The Greenock Dockyard Company was a Scottish shipbuilding and ship repair firm located at Greenock, on the River Clyde.-History:The company was established by J E Scott of Greenock, with the yard at Cartsdyke being taken over in 1879 by Russell and Company, of Greenock, which later became Lithgows...

, Greenock

Greenock

Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...

 and launched on 20 December 1938. She was completed in 1939 and entered service with Clan Line Steamers Ltd

Clan Line

The Clan Line was a passenger and cargo shipping company that operated in one incarnation or another from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century.-Foundation and early years:...

, of London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, who homeported her in Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

. She was one of the Cameron class

Cameron class steamer

The Cameron class steamers were a ship class of steamships of the Clan Line.*Clan Macauley, launched 1936, bombed at Malta, scrapped 1963., launched 1937, sailed in convoy from Gibraltar and torpedoed and sunk by in October 1939....

. With the outbreak of the Second World War, she was used to support allied operations in the Mediterranean, and was one of the three merchant ships used in Operation Collar, a convoy to supply Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 and Alexandria

Alexandria

Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...

. An attempt by the Italians to intercept the ships led to the Battle of Cape Spartivento

Battle of Cape Spartivento

The Battle of Cape Spartivento, known as the Battle of Cape Teulada in Italy, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the Second World War...

, after which Clan Fraser, and her sister SS Clan Forbes continued on to Malta.

Clan Fraser continued to operate in the Mediterranean until April 1941. On 6 April, the Nazis launched the invasion of Greece

Battle of Greece

The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...

. That day, German Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

 bombers led by Hans-Joachim 'Hajo' Herrmann

Hajo Herrmann

Hans-Joachim 'Hajo' Herrmann was a Luftwaffe bomber pilot and later after the end of World War II, focusing his activities as a lawyer on civil and criminal law. In World War II, he was a high ranking and influential member of the Luftwaffe. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the...

 attacked shipping in Piraeus

Piraeus

Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....

 harbour. Clan Fraser was in the port at the time, delivering arms and 250 tons of TNT explosives. She was one of the ships hit, and was destroyed when the TNT in the hold exploded at 3.15 a.m. She sank in the harbour, with six killed and nine wounded. Her master, Capt J.H. Giles was one of the survivors. The shock of the blast was felt fifteen miles away in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

, doors were blown in; while windows were shattered in Psihiko. White hot debris detonated the ΤΝΤ in other ships moored nearby, and set other ships, and buildings ashore, on fire. By morning the port had been severely damaged.