SS Boscastle

 

SS Boscastle

The SS Boscastle was launched on 5^th August 1912 from William Gray & Co.’s Central Marine Engine Works in West Hartlepool for E. Jenkins & Co., based in Cardiff. Constructed as a steel-hulled, screw-propelled cargo steamer, the vessel was designed to meet the rigorous requirements of the coal industry, featuring a gross tonnage of approximately 2,563 tons and powered by a triple-expansion steam engine manufactured by William Gray. Before the war, her primary route involved transporting Welsh steam coal—an internationally valued fuel—between South Wales and various ports throughout the British Isles and Europe.

At the onset of the First World War in 1914, the Boscastle was placed under Admiralty charter as part of standard wartime procedures. The vessel continued its coal transport operations, delivering fuel to both naval ships and key industrial sectors.

Location of the sinking of SS Boscastle

During the last 24 hours of its service, the SS Boscastle travelled north through St George’s Channel on 7^th April 1918, carrying Welsh steam coal under Admiralty charter for use by the Royal Navy and industry. After departing Barry, the vessel entered waters frequently targeted by German U-boats seeking unescorted merchant ships. On the morning of 7^th April, submarine U-111, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Hans Beyersdorff, sighted the ship approximately 14 nautical miles north-north-west of Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire. Without surfacing, the submarine fired a torpedo, which struck the Boscastle amidships on the starboard side and caused significant damage to the cargo holds and engine room. The ship began to sink rapidly; some lifeboats were destroyed or could not be launched. Within minutes, the vessel sank, resulting in the loss of 18 crew members, including Captain Samuel Lewis and seaman Joseph Coates of Hartlepool. Survivors either held onto wreckage or reached usable lifeboats until nearby vessels arrived. The wreck rests upright at about 91 metres depth, bow facing north, with visible hull damage, indicating the impact of submarine warfare in the Irish Sea during the final year of World War I.

More information regarding U-111

German submarine U-111 was a Type U 93 ocean-going U-boat built for the Imperial German Navy in World War I. Constructed at Germaniawerft, Kiel, she launched in September 1917 and was commissioned in December 1917 under Kapitänleutnant Hans Beyersdorff. The vessel measured 71.5 m long by 6.3 m wide, displaced about 800 tons surfaced and 1,000 tons submerged, and was equipped with six 50 cm torpedo tubes, up to 16 torpedoes, and a 105 mm deck gun.

Her maximum speed was approximately 16.5 knots surfaced, and 8.6 knots submerged, with patrol endurance sufficient for operations in the Atlantic and near the British Isles. During U-111’s first war patrol in early 1918, she sank the SS Boscastle_ on 7 April, which is recorded as one of her earliest confirmed engagements. The submarine undertook a limited number of patrols before the armistice in November 1918.

U-111 was surrendered to the United States in November 1918 according to the conditions of the Armistice and reparations agreements. She subsequently became the first German U-boat to cross the Atlantic independently, arriving in New York in April 1919 for examination by the U.S. Navy regarding design and engineering. The submarine visited East Coast ports for public display and was later used in Navy tests until being scuttled off Virginia in 1922.

The names of the crew that were lost on SS Boscastle were

• Samuel Lewis (Master/Captain)
• Abdul Ali
• Ahmad Husam
• Ali Husam
• J. Caleb
• Alexander Dryland
• Albert Edward Godfrey
• J. Hamilton
• H. Hingston
• Thomas Jones
• Kenneth McLeod
• M. Muhammad
• Cecil Owen
• David Thomas
• Harry Douglas White
• Leonard Stanley White
• Stafford John Wyatt
• Joseph Coates

 

Thomas Jones, who served as First Engineer.

Thomas Jones
SS Boscastle
Tower Hill Memorial, London
credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources: 
The Merchant Navy Memorial

Thomas, who was aged 55 at the time of the sinking, was born in Skewen, however, his residence was 147 St. Helens Avenue. 

Thomas’ name is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial.