MV Clansman was the second of a trio of hoist-loading car ferries built for David MacBrayne Ltd in 1964 and operated on the Mallaig to Armadale, Skye route for ten years.

Hall, Russell & Company of Aberdeen won the contract to build them, ahead of fifteen other British yards.

[4] To combat the limitations of hoist operation, Clansman underwent a nine-month refit at Troon, from October 1972, to convert her to a drive-through ferry.

The hoists avoided the cost of installing linkspans on the piers, but the process was slow and restricted the length and weight of vehicles that could be carried.

[1] Clansman entered service on the Mallaig to Armadale, Skye crossing, replacing the former Outer Isles mail steamer Lochmor, which had been displaced by the arrival of MV Hebrides.

For five months in early 1970 she had a yellow funnel while on charter to the CSP, operating between Gourock and Dunoon, awaiting the new MV Iona.

Following her 1972/73 rebuild at the Ailsa yard in Troon, Clansman took over the new Ullapool to Stornoway car ferry service, inaugurated earlier in 1973 by MV Iona.

The service was disrupted when Iona suffered an engine failure in June 1973 and Clansman was rushed to the Minch while work continued on board and soon broke down herself.