The SS Ardanbhan was a British steam cargo ship built in 1929 by D. & W. Henderson & Co. Ltd. of Glasgow. Weighing 4,980 gross registered tons and powered by a triple-expansion steam engine, the Ardanbhan was owned by the Ardan Steamship Co. Ltd. and primarily used for transporting coal and general cargo. On December 27, 1940, during the height of the Battle of the Atlantic, the Ardanbhan was sailing in Convoy OB-263, which had departed from Liverpool in the UK. While west of Scotland, the ship was first torpedoed and damaged by the German submarine U- 38. Despite remaining afloat for several hours, the Ardanbhan was later sunk by the Italian submarine Enrico Tazzoli approximately 235 miles northwest of Rockall, Ireland. All 40 crew members aboard were lost. Among the casualties was Elmer Conrad of Lunenburg Co., NS Elmar (Elmer) Conrad Service: Able Seaman Canadian Merchant Navy SS Ardanbhan (Glasgow, Scotland) Date of Birth: June 10, 1917 Place of Birth: Cherry Hill, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Date of Death: December 27, 1940 Age at Death: 23 Memorial: Halifax Memorial (Panel 17) Elmer Conrad was the son of Crawford Elmer Conrad (1884-1918) and Ethel Marion (Lohnes) Conrad Whynot(1885-1926), of Petite Rivière, Lunenburg Co., Nova Scotia. In 1921, after the death of Crawford Conrad, his mother married Wildon James Whynot. While in the Merchant Navy, Elmer listed his address as Brook Cove, Lunenburg, NS, and an uncle as next of kin. His name is recorded on the Record UK Merchant Seaman as ‘Elmar’. Commemorated on Page 115 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance. Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on March 9 and August 6.

Sources: Canadian Virtual War Memorial findagrave u-boat.net Record UK Merchant Seaman Deaths

The SS Ardanbhan