Daniel Ahearn – Mercantile Marine - S.S. Clearfield
Assistant Cook Daniel Ahearn – Mercantile Marine, S.S. Clearfield
Early Life and Family Background
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| Swansea Prison Records |
Daniel Ahearn was born in 1897 in Swansea, the son of Daniel Ahearn and Catherine Green, who had married there in 1890.
Shortly after their marriage, Catherine was sentenced to seven
days’ imprisonment at Swansea Prison for assaulting and beating William
Hancock.
The Ahearn Family in 1901
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| 1901 Census |
The 1901 Census records the Ahearn family living at 2 Mill Row, St. Matthew’s, Swansea. At that time, Daniel (senior) was 28 years old and employed as a dock labourer, while his wife Catherine, also aged 28, was recorded as a housewife. Both were born in Swansea. Living with them were their four children: Bridget C., aged 8; Norah M., aged 6; Daniel (junior), aged 4; and Thomas, aged 16 months. Two further children joined the family in later years — Michael John, born in 1905, and Cecilia, born in 1906. Life for working-class families during this period was often extremely difficult, and the Ahearns were no exception.
Family Hardship and Separation
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| Swansea Prison Records |
By the 1911 Census, the Ahearn family had become separated. In February 1911, Daniel (senior) was imprisoned at Swansea Prison for one month for “Neglect of Family.”
While he was in prison, the family was dispersed across Swansea and beyond.
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| 1911 Census |
Catherine, aged 39, was recorded in the Swansea Workhouse, her occupation listed as “Housewife.”
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| 1911 Census |
Bridget, aged 17, was living at The Shelter, Cwmdonkin Park. Norah, aged 15, worked in domestic service at 24 Greenfield Street, Swansea, the home of Archibald Jones Gabe, a licensed victualler.
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| 1911 Census |
Daniel (junior), aged 13, was enrolled at the Industrial School for Boys in Manchester, while
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| 1911 Census |
Thomas, aged 10, was residing at the Children’s Home, Cockett.
Service in the First World War
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| Service Papers |
However, Daniel
joined the Mercantile Marine, where he worked as an Assistant Cook
and Steward aboard the S.S. Clearfield.
Loss at Sea and Commemoration
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| S.S. Clearfield |
The S.S. Clearfield was a British steam tanker
built in 1909 by the Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Company of Newcastle
for Hunting & Son Ltd., weighing approximately 4,229 gross tons.
In October 1916, while sailing in ballast from Invergordon,
Scotland, to Hampton Roads, Virginia, the vessel was torpedoed
and sunk by the German submarine U-55, commanded by Wilhelm
Werner, off the Flannan Islands in the Outer Hebrides. The attack
occurred without warning, and the ship sank with the loss of all 36
crew members.
The Clearfield was part of Britain’s vital wartime
merchant fleet, responsible for transporting oil and supplies, and like many
merchant vessels of the era, was targeted during Germany’s campaign of
unrestricted submarine warfare. The sinking of the Clearfield is among
several attacks later associated with allegations of war crimes against U-boat
commander Werner.
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| Registers and Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Passengers and Seamen at Sea |
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| S.S. Clearfield Tower Hill Memorial, London credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources: The Merchant Navy Memorial |
Daniel Ahearn, serving as Assistant Cook and Steward, was among those lost when the Clearfield disappeared on 23rd–24th October 1916. His name is recorded in the Registers and Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths of Passengers and Seamen at Sea and is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London, which honours members of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who lost their lives at sea during the First World War and have no known grave.
The German Submarine U-55
The submarine SM U-55 was a Type U-51
U-boat of the Imperial German Navy, launched in March 1916 and
commissioned that June. Commanded by Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Werner,
U-55 became one of Germany’s most feared submarines of the war. It conducted 14
patrols, sinking 61 merchant ships and damaging several others.
Werner’s aggressive tactics earned him high military honours, but he was later
accused of war crimes for ordering attacks on shipwreck survivors.
In October 1916, during one of its early patrols, U-55
torpedoed the S.S. Clearfield, resulting in the deaths of Daniel Ahearn
and all aboard. After the war, U-55 was surrendered to the Royal Navy and later
handed over to Japan, where it served briefly before being scrapped in 1921.
The submarine’s record stands as a stark reminder of the peril faced by
merchant sailors like Daniel during the submarine warfare of the First World
War.
Legacy
Daniel Ahearn was a young man from Swansea who faced
hardship from an early age yet went on to serve his country with dedication
during the First World War. After enlisting in the South Wales
Borderers, he later joined the Mercantile Marine, working aboard the
S.S. Clearfield as an Assistant Cook and Steward. In 1916,
while serving at sea, Daniel lost his life when his ship was torpedoed and sunk
by a German submarine. His story reflects the courage and sacrifice of
countless ordinary seamen whose work sustained Britain during wartime, often at
the cost of their lives.
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