Robert McClelland – Merchant Navy, S.S. Solor (Norway)

Sailor Robert McClelland – Merchant Navy, S.S. Solor (Norway)

Early Life

Robert McClelland was born in 1927 at Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. He was the son of Jessie McClelland, and little else is recorded about his early childhood or family circumstances. His life, like many young men of his generation, is now preserved chiefly through his wartime service and his burial far from home.

Merchant Navy Service

Robert served as a Sailor with the Merchant Navy, assigned to the Norwegian tanker S.S. Solor. Norwegian merchant vessels, operating under Allied control, played a vital role in maintaining fuel supplies and strategic cargoes during the Second World War. Young sailors such as Robert faced constant danger from enemy submarines, mines, and air attack while serving aboard these essential ships.

S.S. Solor – Norwegian Tanker (1938–1945)

Construction and Identity

S.S. Solor was a Norwegian steel‑hulled tanker, built in 1938 by Eriksbergs Mekaniske Verkstads A/B, Gothenburg. Measuring 469 feet in length and 8,262 gross tons, she was powered by a single oil engine and owned by S. Ugelstads Rederi A/S, Oslo. She entered commercial service shortly before the outbreak of war.

Pre‑War and Early Wartime Service

When Norway was invaded in April 1940, Solor was already at sea, operating between Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Throughout 1940–41 she continued long‑distance voyages across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, transporting fuel and cargo vital to Allied operations.

Escort Oiler Duties

During the war, Solor was requisitioned as an Escort Oiler, supplying fuel to Allied naval forces. She retained her Norwegian name and registry, becoming part of a group of Norwegian‑flagged tankers operating under Allied direction. On 13 January 1945, she sailed from New York in Convoy HX332, carrying 11,000 tons of fuel oil, a deck cargo of gliders, and 60 depth charges, bound for the Clyde.

Torpedo Attack – 27 January 1945

On 27 January 1945, while approaching St George’s Channel, Solor was torpedoed—sources differ on whether the attacker was U‑956 or U‑825. The explosion caused catastrophic damage, and the ship was abandoned. Four of her forty‑four crew were killed. The rescue ship Zamalek recovered forty survivors, seven of whom were taken into Swansea for medical treatment.

Tow and Beaching at Oxwich Bay

Despite her damage, Solor remained afloat and was taken in tow by vessels of the 21st Escort Group. After inspection revealed she was holed in the engine room and at risk of sinking without warning, the rescue tug Storm King beached her in Oxwich Bay on 29 January 1945. Her cargo of fuel oil and gliders was discharged after beaching.

Break‑Up and Final Fate

The tanker later broke in two. The forward two‑thirds were refloated and taken to Briton Ferry for scrapping by T. W. Ward Ltd. The aft section remained at Oxwich until 1952, when salvage was proposed but never completed. On 15 March 1945, Solor was officially declared a total loss.

Robert McClelland Morriston Cemetery credit - findagrave

Death and Burial

Robert McClelland died on 27 January 1945, during the same incident that led to the loss of S.S. Solor. His body was brought ashore at Swansea, and he was laid to rest at Morriston Cemetery, where his grave stands among the wartime burials of 1945.