The Merchant Navy's debt to Newport | South Wales Argus
The Clan Line steamers were based out of Newport, Glasgow and Liverpool and it was a name famous in merchant shipping. On October 15 1914, the Clan Grant was steaming 150 miles off Minikoi near the Maldive islands off the south-west coat of India. The Emden spotted her and captured her, however her cargo was not deemed to be useful enough and the Newport-based ship was sunk by gunfire. Often crews were less fortunate. In October 1916 the Newport trader SS Penylan was steaming off the coast of Algeria when it was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine U-39 when it was five miles west o...