The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

Billy McGee · Joined: 16 Jan 2008 Posts: 5

Angus MacLennan eldest of five children, son of Norman MacLennan and Mary Graham., born 12th April 1889 on the island of Fladda, a smaller island off the island of Raasay. Married a Scottish girl (a Miss MacKenzie) in South Africa. Killed 16th May 1943. Age 54.

During WWII when and if possible it was known for a U-boat Commander to take the Captain of the sunken ship PoW, or the most senior officer found. A number of these U-boats were then lost with all hands before returning home. Of the 9 recorded British crew and 1 passenger lost in such circumstances, all those named below have received War Grave status under the CWGC remit and recorded accordingly on Tower Hill Memorial & (civilian register for the passenger lost) with the exception of Captain Angus MacLennan from the SS ALOE.

ALOE sunk by U-182: Master Angus MacLennan
BARON DECHMONT sunk by U-507: Master Donald MacCallum (Panel 14)
EMPIRE DAY sunk by U-198: Chief Officer Robert Courteney Selfe ( Panel 40)
JOHN HOLT sunk by U-66: Master Cecil Gordon Hime and passenger Stanton Hanna Elliott (Panel 59)
MANAAR sunk by Leonardo da Vinci: Second Officer Robert Gray (Panel 67)
OAKBANK sunk by U-507: Master James Stewart and Apprentice Ian Hamish Innes-Sim (Panel 75)
ST. USK sunk by U-161: Master George Henry Moss (Panel 91)
YORKWOOD sunk by U-507: Master Frank Herbert Fenn (Panel 120)

Records from The National Archives in BT373/7 state: "According to the ships registry Captain MacLennan was appointed Master of the ALOE 15th June 1942 at Durban. No report of him being superceded has been seen and it is therefore presumed that he was still the Master at the time the ship was lost." (dated 18/4/44)

Cargo ship ALOE, 5,047grt, built 1925 (South African Railways & Harbour Admin.) had been sailing independently from Bunbury, Western Australia to Durban with a cargo of wheat, timber, lead and bags of mail. On the 5th April 1943, 420 miles South-East of Durban the ALOE was intercepted by U-182 on her first active patrol, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Asmus Nicolai Clausen , and sunk by torpedo in position 32' 37S 37' 50E. After safely abandoning ship without loss of life, U-182 surfaced and approached the lifeboats and took Captain MacLennan onboard as a prisoner. After providing food and other means in order to survive for the remaining crewmembers, U-182 left the scene. The 46 survivors were eventually picked up by the American liberty ship Alexander Ramsey and landed at Cape Town.

I have obtained a copy of a German document taken by the British at the end of the war stating:

On the 10th April, Kapitänleutnant Clausen sent a radio message to the U-boat command (Bdu) informing them of the sinking of the ALOE and that the ships Master was onboard his U-boat. The final radio signal sent from U-182 on the 1st May 1943 stated they had sunk a Greek merchant ship named Adelfotis and this is the last anything was heard from the U-boat, her 61 crew and Captain MacLennan. The Germans recorded the U-boat as officially missing 15th May 1943 and probable cause of loss by US aircraft. It turns out U-182 was actually sunk the 16th May 1943 North-West of Madeira in position 33' 55N, 20' 35W, by depth charges from the American destroyer USS Mackenzie, which had been part of the escort group for the Algiers bound Convoy UGS-8.

(Medal file BT395/1. Ref. No. 119797) Captain MacLennan's relatives claimed his WWII medal entitlement which included:

1939-1945 War Medal
1939-1945 Star
Atlantic Star
Pacific Star

This information has been sent to the CWGC along with the relevent documents and hopefully will be rectified and Captain MacLennan will receive official War Grave status and added to Tower Hill.