THE 1925 SEA DISAPPEARANCE — SWANSEA ENGINEER CASE BEFORE THE INQUEST BENCH
THE 1925 SEA DISAPPEARANCE — SWANSEA ENGINEER CASE BEFORE THE INQUEST BENCH Herald of Wales It was reported by the Herald of Wales in July 1925 that a troubling maritime mystery had reached Swansea: the unexplained disappearance of Chief Engineer Jack E. Williams , aged forty‑nine, of 10 Montpelier‑terrace , who vanished during the Siltonhall’s passage from Newfoundland to Rotterdam . That brief newspaper notice — stark, urgent, and without explanation — now forms the sombre prelude to this inquest, convened to examine how a seasoned officer could step from the circle of his duties into the night and be seen no more. Opening of the Inquest The presiding officer declared the matter “a case in which the sea has taken a man without witness or disturbance,” and called for the logbook of the s.s. Siltonhall , a 6,055‑ton vessel of the West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Company . Its entries were sparse: Williams inspected the engine‑room at 12:30 a.m. , spoke briefly with the second engi...
