Joseph Alexded Williams – Mercantile Marine - S.S. Llwyngwair

 First Engineer Joseph Alexded Williams – Mercantile Marine, S.S. Llwyngwair

Early Life and Family Background

Joseph Alexded Williams was born in 1884 in Swansea, the son of Joseph Williams and Margaret Williams. Very few records survive regarding the family’s early history, and Joseph appears only sporadically in surviving census and civil documents. In later life he married Catherine Grove, and the couple settled at 66 Bryn Street, Swansea, where they were living at the time of the First World War.

Service at Sea – First Engineer, S.S. Llwyngwair

Joseph progressed to become First Engineer in the Mercantile Marine, a senior and highly skilled engine-room post requiring technical knowledge, mechanical precision, and the ability to work under intense pressure. Engineers operated in some of the most dangerous areas of any ship—deep below deck, confined near boilers and machinery, with little chance of escape during attacks.

On 26 April 1918, Joseph was serving aboard the S.S. Llwyngwair when the vessel was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine. He was killed in the attack and became the second Swansea casualty from the sinking.

The S.S. Llwyngwair

The S.S. Llwyngwair was a British merchant steamer of approximately approximately 1,304 gross register tons, built in 1913 by the Antwerp Engineering Company Ltd. and owned by Harries Bros & Co. of Swansea. Named after the Llwyngwair estate in Pembrokeshire, the vessel operated in coastal and near-continental trade during the First World War. On 26^th April 1918, while sailing from Middlesbrough to London, the Llwyngwair was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine SM UC-64, approximately five nautical miles south-southeast of Seaham Harbour, County Durham. Several members of her crew were killed, including Second Engineer John George Edward Harris, the first Swansea casualty of the sinking, and First Engineer Joseph Alexded Williams, the second Swansea casualty. The loss of the Llwyngwair stands as a stark reminder of the constant dangers faced by merchant seafarers, who operated in perilous waters even within sight of Britain’s own coastline.

German Submarine SM UC-64

SM UC-64 was a Type UC II minelaying submarine of the Imperial German Navy, commissioned on 22^nd February 1917. Measuring 51.85 metres in length and displacing 422 tons surfaced and 504 tons submerged, she carried a crew of 26 men. Heavily armed for both mine warfare and direct attacks, the submarine carried six mine tubes capable of deploying 18 mines, three torpedo tubes with seven torpedoes, and an 8.8 cm deck gun.

Operating largely in the North Sea and English Channel, UC-64 conducted 15 patrols and was credited with sinking 26 ships before her own destruction. On 20^th June 1918, the submarine struck a mine in the Dover Strait and sank with all hands. Her attack on the S.S. Llwyngwair illustrates the lethal threat posed by German U-boats to Britain’s merchant seafarers—men who sailed without the protection or defensive armament afforded to naval vessels.

Commemoration

S.S. Llwyngwair
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - findagrave

With no known grave but the sea, First Engineer Joseph Alexded Williams is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, which honours members of the Mercantile Marine who lost their lives in both World Wars with no known resting place. His name stands alongside thousands of merchant seafarers who perished while keeping Britain supplied during wartime.

Legacy

Joseph’s death demonstrates the often-overlooked sacrifices made by merchant engineers, whose technical skill was essential to every ship afloat yet whose positions below deck placed them at extreme risk. His service aboard the S.S. Llwyngwair reflects the bravery and professionalism of Swansea’s merchant seamen, many of whom faced enemy attack with no means of defence. Joseph’s legacy endures through the remembrance of Swansea’s wartime maritime community and his inclusion on the Tower Hill Memorial.