Swansea and Port Talbot Docks History
The Loss of the Ocean Crusader November 26th 1942
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S.S. Ocean Crusader being launched. |
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The S.S. Ocean Crusader a vessel of 7,178 tons, 420’ x 57’, was launched on October 18th 1942 at the yard of the Todd Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corporation at South Portland, Maine. She was one of three vessels launched that day, the others being the Ocean Gypsy and the Ocean Glory, which both survived the war, trading until the 1960’s. The launching of these vessels brought the total number at this yard, for the previous two months to 16 vessels. These 3 ships were the last of the 30 vessels ordered for the British Government at this yard. |
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The Ocean Crusader was completed on November 13th
1942 and sailed from Portland, Maine to New York
to load general cargo for the U.K. |
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The Ocean Crusader (MOWT, Dodd, Thompson & Co. Ltd.,) had left New York for Avonmouth with a general cargo in the 42 ship Liverpool bound Convoy HX-216 which left New York on the 19th November 1942 (Up until 13th September 1942 the HX series ran from Halifax, Nova Scotia). Sometime during the crossing the ship had fallen behind the main convoy and was classed as a straggler. The convoy experienced severe weather as soon as they had left New York. The Atlantic winter of 1942 was one of the worst in living memory. A number of other vessels became detached from the main body of the convoy, while struggling to make any headway in horrendous conditions. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that the Ocean Crusader deliberately slowed down to be of assistance to other vessels. This was a brand new vessel and as such would have had no problems maintaining the speed set by the escort vessels. On the 26th November in the North Atlantic, North-East of Newfoundland the Ocean Crusader was intercepted by U-262, one of seven U-boats from the "Drachen" (Dragon) Wolfpack patrolling the area. The Ocean Crusader transmitted two distress signals reporting U-boat activity, and nothing more was heard. The ship was torpedoed and sunk in position 50° 30N, 45°30W.
(According to information
received from a German website,
this occurred at 1657h). There were
no survivors. |
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The Merchant Seamen lost in the sinking
are commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial on Panel 75. |
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BELL,
Fireman, THOMAS, S.S. Ocean Crusader. Merchant Navy.
26th November 1942. Age 28.
FARRUGIA, Fireman, VINCENT, S.S. Ocean
Crusader. Merchant Navy. 26th November 1942. Age 28.
PREECE,
Carpenter, THOMAS JOHN, S.S. Ocean Crusader. Merchant
Navy. 26th November 1942. Age 34. Husband of G. C.
Preece, of St. David's, Pembrokeshire.
WEAVER, Fireman,
GEORGE ARTHUR, S.S. Ocean Crusader. Merchant Navy. 26th
November 1942. Age 31. |
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Red Flag marks position of S.S. Ocean Crusader lost
in position |
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Sixty ‘Ocean. ’ class vessels were
built to the original ‘Empire Liberty’ design, which
was in essence the first ‘North Sands’ ship. Thirty
of the vessels were built on the West Coast, at
Richmond, California, and thirty on the East Coast,
at South Portland, Maine. All of these ‘Ocean’
vessels were paid for and owned by the British
government. When the U.S.A. joined the war, no
further ships were ordered directly by the British
government from the U.S.A. but were dealt with
under the Lease Lend Act. |
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The ‘Ocean’ vessels differed from
the Canadian ‘Forts’ and ‘Parks’ in that they
were of a welded construction. Welding saved
weight due to the elimination of plate overlaps
and rivets. Another advantage was minimal surface
friction, bringing economies in fuel consumption.
However, a significant disadvantage was that a
number of these welded ships suffered major
fractures. |
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The plans for
the main engines originated from a design by
the British company of North Eastern Marine
Engineering Ltd., The main engine contract was
awarded to the General Machinery Corporation, of
Ohio, but not all of the sixty sets went to
the ‘Ocean’ ships as some were interchanged
with the U.S. Maritime Commissioners Canadian
built ‘Fort’ ships. The same engines were used
in the ‘Liberty’ ships. |
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Seventeen out of the sixty ‘Ocean’
ships were lost during W.W.2 |
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Chief Engineer, Harry Wilson Cook, , Mrs. Ralph
Leavitt (wife of the Lloyd’s agent in South
Portland, Maine), Mr. Newell (Chief owner of the
shipyard) and Captain Ellis Wynne Parry photographed
at the launching ceremony. |
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The Ocean Glory seen as the Clan Macbeth |
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LEST WE FORGET. |
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During W.W.2 3,194 British merchant vessels totalling 12.5 million tons(about 60% of the fleet), were sunk worldwide from all causes. By 1945, most of the losses being incurred were made up of wartime purchases and buildings along with enemy captured vessels. Until a new law was passed in May 1941, a wartime Merchant Seaman’s wages were subject to a ‘Discharged at Sea’ clause. This meant that as soon as his vessel was sunk by enemy action, or lost, if he should be lucky enough to survive, he was off pay until he signed on another vessel. In 1938 the number of seamen employed on British merchant vessels was 192,000. Of these 131,000 (68%) were U.K. residents, 50,700 (26%) were either Indian or Chinese and 9,790 (5%) were of other nationalities, mainly European. The wages of an A.B. on a British vessel in 1939 was £9-6 shillings a month. This had been raised to £12-6 shillings a month by May 1942. Non-British,( i.e. Non - European crew members, including Chinese and Indians) were paid between a half and a quarter of this amount. British seafarers were also paid a £3 per month war risk bonus in September 1939. This was raised to £5-00 in early 1940. By February 1943, inclusive of the war risk bonus, an A.B.’s monthly wages had risen to £24-00. The average ages of British Merchant Seamen in 1939 was 36 years of age and in 1945 it was 32 years of age. For most of the war, ships sailing independently were required to sail at a minimum speed of 15 knots. However, from November 1940 – May 1941, the required speed was reduced to 13 knots, resulting in disastrous losses.
The earliest convoys consisted of between 30 and 50
ships. The largest North Atlantic convoy was HX 300
and it consisted of 167 ships. This convoy sailed
from New York for the U.K. on July 17th
1944. |
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With an obvious family interest in the losses of
the Ocean Crusader (Uncle) and Empire Wagtail (Aunt’s
husband), I have been amazed over the years at the
lack of information with which the families of
wartime merchant seamen casualties were provided. My
grandparents and their newly wed daughter received
telegrams informing them that their son/husband were
missing presumed lost from their vessels. My
grandmother, was like many of her generation, of
limited education. From 1942 she spent the rest of
her days, until her death in the 1980’s, wandering
whether her son and son in law had ended up on
some desert island. I vividly remember trying to
explain to her that there were not many uninhabited
islands in the Atlantic Ocean, something she rapidly
dismissed. |
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By putting
together these two small booklets, I hope that I
can make some small redress to this situation, and
hopefully provide just a glimmer of information to
the families of the brave men and boys who lost
their lives. |
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| I have
been informed that my grandparents ( whose widowed
daughter, after remarrying, died later in childbirth)
were both invited, along with all immediate family
of seamen lost, to the opening of the Tower Hill
Memorial in London, but this was an invitation that
they had to refuse, not being able to afford the
travelling costs to London. I often wander how many
other families had to endure this indignity. |
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There are no roses on sailors
graves, |
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Quoted From :- |
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D.E.M.S Gunners lost on Ocean Crusade Douglas Arnold Edward Bainbridge Kenneth Devey
Ronald
Pritchard……aged 19 yrs, son of William John and Mary
Anna originally of Mountain Ash, Glamorgan. |
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Capt. Ellis Wynne
Parry. Aged 36. |
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From information received from Mr. Gareth Wynne
Parry, the son of Captain Parry, I have found out
that Captain Parry sailed as Chief Officer on the
maiden voyage of the “Empire Latimer” ( managed for
MOWT by Dodd, Thomson &Co.,) to South Africa,
having joined the vessel in December 1941. He
remained with this ship until June 1942, when
promoted to Master, he sailed with the vessel from
Durban, bound for New York .It was here that the
vessel was handed over to the Norwegian government
on July 28th and renamed “Kronprisessen”.
Captain Parry then travelled back to the U.K. as a
passenger aboard a Norwegian tanker, and after a
brief period of shore leave, he then travelled back
to the United States as a passenger aboard the
Elders & Fyffe’s vessel “Cavina”, port of
disembarkation unknown, but presumably an Eastern
seaboard port prior to overseeing the completion of
“Ocean Crusader” at the South Portland shipyard. |
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From the house magazine of South Portland
Ship-builders. |
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Stanley Roger Matthew. 3rd Radio Officer. |
James Alexander Dadds
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Ronald Pritchard
DEMS Gunner |
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These ill fated crew members were; |
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Thomas Preece,
Carpenter,Henry Yates, A.B.Albert John, A.B,John O’
Brien, A.B,Frederick Davies, O.S,Alfred
Daley, Greaser,Sidney
Tovey, Greaser. |
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Voyage History of G.S. Walden
immediately before and after crew signing at Swansea. |
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Sailed Belfast Lough, Jul 11, 1942 - Arrived Swansea, Jul 12, 1942 |
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Sailed Swansea, Jul 21, 1942 as Independent for Milford Haven, |
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Arrived Jul 22, 1942 Milford Haven, |
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Sailed ( in ballast) Jul 23, 1942 ON.115 (Liverpool - Boston) (41 ships) |
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The G.S. Walden was torpedoed in her after section
at 0305h on August 3rd 1942 by U552 in
position 45,52’N, 47,15’W, east of Cape Race. One
crew member was killed. The U552 fired one other
torpedo, which resulted in the sinking of the
British vessel Lochkatrine with the loss of 9
lives, with 81 survivors. |
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After limping into St. John’s for repairs the rest
of this voyage continued thus; |
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Arrived St Johns NF, Aug 7, 1942 |
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Sailed Sep 18, 1942 St Johns NF, In tow to Halifax, for repairs |
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Arrived Sep 24, 1942 Halifax, |
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Sailed Sep 25, 1942 In tow |
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Arrived New York, Oct 1, 1942. |
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It really brings home the horrors of war at sea
when considering the fate of these crew members
who, having escaped with their lives on August 3rd
then being torpedoed and surviving to tell the tale,
would pay the ultimate price just 3 months later. |
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Motor Tanker G.S. Walden. |
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Tanker Walden. |
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The G.S. Walden was torpedoed again in WW2 this
time while off the North African coast while a
part of convoy GUS 39. This occurred at 0230h on
May 14th 1944, and the damage was incurred
by U 616. Once again, the vessel limped into port
and was repaired, carrying on trading until 1952
when sold on and renamed Menara. The vessel was
sold on again in 1955 and renamed Alba. |
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The vessel was broken up at La Spezia in March
1962. |
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Acknowledgements. |
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I am deeply indebted to the following people: |
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Mr. Gareth Wynne Parry, the son of Captain Ellis Wynne Parry, the Master of the Ocean Crusader, for all his assistance and the photographs shown in this booklet. |
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Dr. Alan Scarth, Merseyside Maritime Museum, for his statistical information. |
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Mr. Don Kindell for finding DEMS Gunners names. |
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Mrs. Marjorie Thompson-Jones for crew list of G.S. Walden |
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Mr. Billy Mcgee for his list of crew members lost on Ocean Crusader. |
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