Duncan Campbell McLachlan – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Othello II

Skipper Duncan Campbell McLachlan – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Othello II

Early Life

Duncan Campbell McLachlan was born in 1878 in Glasgow, the son of Hugh and Agnes McLachlan. He grew up in a family closely connected to the sea, his father working as a sailor and the household shaped by the maritime traditions of the west of Scotland.

1881 Scottish Census

The 1881 Scottish Census records the McLachlan family living at Glassary, Argyll. Duncan’s father, Hugh, aged 34, was employed as a Sailor, while his mother Agnes, aged 30, kept the home. Their children at the time were John, aged 4, Duncan, aged 3, and Janet, aged 1. Also living with the family were two lodgers, William Whigham, aged 29, and his wife Annie, aged 26, who shared the household during this period.

1901 Scottish Census

By 1901, Duncan, now 24, was residing at 94 West Scotland Street, Glasgow. His occupation was recorded as Stevedores’ Timekeeper, a responsible role within the busy dockside operations of the city. The property belonged to his cousin, Duncan McKinnon, with whom he was living at the time, reflecting the close family networks common among working families in Glasgow’s maritime districts.

Marriage

Duncan later married Ruth McLachlan, of 4 Middleton Street, St. Thomas, Swansea, establishing a family link that brought him to South Wales.

Naval Service

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Duncan served with the Royal Naval Reserve, attaining the rank of Skipper, at a time when many fishing trawlers were requisitioned by the Admiralty for minesweeping, patrol duties, and coastal defence—dangerous work carried out in waters heavily mined and patrolled by enemy submarines. According to the British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, he was serving as Skipper of H.M. Trawler Othello II, a 206‑ton naval trawler built in 1907 by Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd., Beverley. Originally constructed as a commercial trawler, she was taken over by the Royal Navy for wartime service and became part of the vital but hazardous fleet of small vessels tasked with keeping coastal waters safe. On 31^st October 1915, while operating off the Kent coast, Othello II struck a mine laid by the German submarine UC‑6. The explosion occurred off Leathercoat, and the vessel sank rapidly, resulting in the loss of nine men, including Skipper Duncan Campbell McLachlan. The sinking of Othello II was one of many such tragedies suffered by the Royal Naval Reserve during the First World War, as minesweeping and patrol trawlers faced constant danger, often working close to shore yet exposed to the full threat of German minefields and coastal U‑boat operations—Duncan’s death standing as a stark reminder of the perilous service undertaken by reservists who manned these small, vulnerable vessels.

Commemoration

Duncan Campbell McLachlan
Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth
credit - findagrave

As his body was not recovered, Skipper Duncan Campbell McLachlan is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, which honours those of the Royal Navy and Royal Naval Reserve who have no known grave but the sea.