Albert John Bowden – Mercantile Marine - S.S. Semantha
Second Mate Albert John Bowden – Mercantile Marine, S.S. Semantha
Early Life and Family Background
James Bowden and Mary Ley
marriage certificate
St. Mary's church
Albert John Bowden was born in 1861 in West Down,
Devon, the son of James Bowden and Mary Ley, who were married
in 1856 at St. Mary’s Church.
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| 1861 Census |
The 1861 Census provides an interesting insight into the family’s early years. At that time, James Bowden, aged 22, a mariner born in Scotland, and his wife Mary, aged 33 and born in Devon, were residing at 13 Clarence Street, Swansea, along with Mary’s sister Eliza Ley, aged 21.
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| 1861 Census |
However, there appears to be a small mystery. A second entry from the 1861 Census, recorded on the same date, lists Mary Bowden, aged 27, visiting her parents John and Mary Ley, aged 59 and 60, in West Down Village, Devon, accompanied by her four-day-old infant son, Albert. This duplication may suggest that James entered his wife’s name on the Swansea census form while she was still staying with her family in Devon following the birth of their child.
Tragedy struck the family when James Bowden died in 1868,
aged only 29. In 1877, Mary remarried John Jones, a
mariner.
Early Career
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| 1891 Census |
By the time of the 1891 Census, Albert was living at 23 Madoc Street, Swansea, with his mother and stepfather. John Jones, aged 61 and born in Gower, was recorded as a mariner, and Mary Jones, aged 57, as his wife. Also present was their daughter Mary E. Jones, aged 29, a dressmaker, and Albert J. Bowden, aged 30, who was employed as a mariner.
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| Master Certificate |
The following year, 1892, Albert was awarded his Master’s Certificate, marking his qualification to command a vessel.
In 1897, he married Elizabeth Higgins at St.
Mary’s Church, Swansea.
Later Life
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| 1901 Census |
The 1901 Census records Albert Bowden, aged 39, a mariner, living at 23 Western Street, Swansea, with his wife Elizabeth, aged 28, who was born in Ireland. There is no record of Albert on the 1911 Census, but it is known that Elizabeth died in 1913, aged 40.
Service in the First World War
During the First World War, Albert John Bowden
served in the Mercantile Marine as Second Mate aboard the S.S.
Semantha. This position carried significant responsibility, as the
Second Mate was typically in charge of navigation and watchkeeping, ensuring
the safe passage of the vessel through increasingly dangerous waters patrolled
by enemy submarines.
The S.S. Semantha
The S.S. Semantha was a British
defensively-armed steam cargo ship of approximately 2,847 gross register
tons, built in 1899 by S. P. Austin & Son Ltd.,
Sunderland, for the Semantha Steamship Company. She was managed by Watts,
Watts & Co. Ltd., London, a firm that operated numerous merchant
vessels during the First World War.
On 14th October 1917, while on a voyage
carrying government stores, the Semantha was torpedoed without
warning by the German submarine UC-74. The attack occurred
approximately 10 nautical miles north-west by north of Cape St. John, Crete,
in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship sank quickly, with the tragic loss of
around 32 crew members, including Second Mate Albert John Bowden.
The sinking of the Semantha highlights the
far-reaching dangers of the war at sea. Even ships navigating distant
Mediterranean waters were not safe from the deadly threat of German submarines,
which operated across all major sea routes in an attempt to cut off Britain’s
vital supply lines.
The German Submarine UC-74
The UC-74 was a Type UC II minelaying
submarine of the Imperial German Navy, ordered on 12th
January 1916, launched on 19th October 1916, and
commissioned on 26 November 1916. Built by Blohm & Voss in
Hamburg, UC-74 displaced 410 tons surfaced and 493 tons submerged,
and measured about 50.45 metres in length, with a crew of approximately 26
men.
Armed with six mine tubes (carrying up to 18 UC-200
mines), three 50 cm torpedo tubes (two at the bow and one at the stern),
and an 8.8 cm deck gun, the UC-74 was capable of both mine-laying and
torpedo attacks. The submarine undertook around ten operational patrols,
sinking 37 ships totalling over 92,000 tons, and damaging four
others.
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| Registers and Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Passengers and Seamen at Sea |
On 14th October 1917, UC-74 torpedoed and sank the S.S. Semantha off the coast of Crete, resulting in the loss of Albert John Bowden and his shipmates. After the war, UC-74 was interned at Barcelona in November 1918, later surrendered to France in March 1919, and broken up at Toulon in July 1921.
Loss at Sea and Commemoration
S.S. Semanthan
Tower Hill Memorial, London
credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources:
The Merchant Navy Memorial
Albert John Bowden lost his life on 14th
October 1917, when the S.S. Semantha was sunk by enemy action. Like
many of his fellow Mercantile Marine sailors, he served with
professionalism and courage in a role essential to Britain’s survival during
wartime.S.S. Semanthan
Tower Hill Memorial, London
credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources:
The Merchant Navy Memorial
His name is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial,
London, which honours the men and women of the Merchant Navy and Fishing
Fleets who died at sea during the First World War and have no
known grave but the ocean.
Legacy
Albert John Bowden devoted his life to the sea,
following in his father’s footsteps as a mariner. His decades of service and
his ultimate sacrifice aboard the S.S. Semantha stand as a testament to
the endurance, skill, and courage of Swansea’s seafaring men. Like so many in
the Mercantile Marine, he faced the perils of war without recognition or
rank, yet his name endures as part of the proud maritime legacy of the Great
War.
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