Edward Owens – Mercantile Marine - S.S. Alacrity

Fireman Edward Owens – Mercantile Marine, S.S. Alacrity

Early Life and Family Background

Birth and Parentage

Edward Owens was born in London in 1868, the son of James Owens. Although little is known about his early years or how he came to settle in Swansea, by the early 20th century he was part of the city’s longstanding maritime community.

Edward Owens and Eliza Ann Hicks
marriage certificate
Holy Trinity Church, Swansea

In November 1910, Edward married Eliza Ann Hicks at Holy Trinity Church, Swansea.

1911 Census

The following year, the 1911 Census records the Owens family living at 12 Clifton Hill, Swansea. Edward, then 43, was employed on the trawlers, reflecting his experience in hard manual work at sea. His wife Eliza Ann, aged 33, was caring for their young son, David James, who was 2 years old. Also present in the household was Eliza’s sister, Susie Hicks, aged 24.

The census places the family within Swansea’s busy dockside district, where many households depended on the fishing, trawling, and mercantile trades.

Service at Sea – S.S. Alacrity

Edward later served as a Fireman aboard the S.S. Alacrity, a British coastal steamship engaged in short-sea trade during the First World War. Firemen were responsible for feeding the ship’s boilers with coal, working in extreme heat and hazardous conditions below deck. Their role was physically demanding, essential for the running of the vessel, and carried significant risk in wartime when mines and submarines threatened every voyage.

The S.S. Alacrity

The S.S. Alacrity was a British merchant steamer employed in coastal and near-continental trade, transporting supplies and essential materials. 30^th March 1916, she was reported missing and was later confirmed to have struck a mine and sunk in the North Sea.

The S.S. Alacrity disappeared while on passage from Le Havre to Seaham Harbour, sailing in ballast. No survivors were ever reported, and the exact location of her wreck remains unknown.

It is believed that the mine responsible was laid by the German minelaying submarine UC-13, which was active in the region during that period. The loss of the Alacrity highlights the extreme danger faced by merchant ships even in home waters, where a single unseen mine could destroy a vessel without warning.

The German Submarine UC-13

The UC-13 was a Type UC I minelaying submarine of the Imperial German Navy, ordered in 1914, launched on 11^th May 1915, and commissioned days later. Built by AG Vulcan, Hamburg, she displaced 168 tons surfaced and 182 tons submerged, measured 33.99 metres in length, and carried a small crew of 14 men.

Armed with six mine tubes capable of deploying twelve mines, and a machine gun for defence, UC-13 was designed specifically for near-shore minelaying within coastal waters—an operation that proved devastatingly effective against Allied merchant shipping.

During her short operational career, UC-13 carried out three patrols, laying mines that sank at least three merchant ships, including the minefield believed to have claimed the S.S. Alacrity.

Her career ended on 29^th November 1915, when she ran aground 55 nautical miles east of the Bosporus and was scuttled by her crew to avoid capture. Allied forces later inspected the wreck, confirming her destruction.

UC-13 typified the deadly threat posed by German coastal minelaying submarines, which inflicted heavy losses on ships serving Britain’s wartime supply routes.

Legacy

The death of Edward Owens illustrates the vulnerability of merchant seafarers during the First World War. As a Fireman, he worked in one of the most physically demanding and hazardous positions aboard ship, labouring in intense heat and confined spaces. His loss aboard the S.S. Alacrity—with no survivors—reflects the sudden and devastating impact of underwater mines, which claimed many vessels without warning.

Edward’s life connects Swansea’s maritime community to the broader story of the war at sea. A husband and father, he represents the many working-class men whose labour sustained Britain’s merchant fleet and whose sacrifices ensured the continued movement of essential goods during wartime. His legacy endures as part of Swansea’s rich maritime heritage.

Commemoration

S.S. Alacrity
Tower Hill Memorial, London
credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources:
The Merchant Navy Memorial 

With no known grave but the sea, Edward Owens is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London. His name stands alongside those of thousands of Merchant Navy personnel who lost their lives in wartime service, ensuring his story and sacrifice are not forgotten.