Michael Vincent Anderson – Merchant Navy - S.S. Sheaf Mead

 Deck Boy Michael Vincent Anderson – Merchant Navy, S.S. Sheaf Mead

Michael Vincent Anderson was born in 1924 in Swansea, the son of Henry Anderson and Julia Donovan, who married earlier that year. His early childhood was marked by tragedy: his mother Julia died in 1927, when Michael was only three years old. The following year, his father Henry remarried, taking Gladys Mary Roberts as his second wife and providing stability for the young family during a difficult time.

Family Records

Merchant Seamen Deaths

Little documentation survives concerning Michael’s early life. He does not appear in census records due to his birth year, and no school or employment records have yet been traced. The one significant surviving record is the Merchant Seamen Deaths register, which identifies him as a resident of 27 Clare Street, Manselton, Swansea—a working-class district with close ties to the maritime trades and Swansea Docks.

Service in the Merchant Navy

Despite his young age, Michael followed the path of many Swansea boys who joined the Merchant Navy during the early years of the Second World War. He served as a Deck Boy, the most junior deck rating, responsible for assisting Able Seamen, handling ropes, serving on lookout duty, and carrying out general tasks under supervision. Many Deck Boys in this period were only 15 or 16 years old, and Michael was likely in his mid-teens when he first went to sea.

The S.S. Sheaf Mead

Michael served aboard the S.S. Sheaf Mead, a British steam cargo vessel of 5,008 tons, originally built in 1924 as the Gretaston by Robert Duncan & Co., Port Glasgow. Later operated by the Sheaf Steam Shipping Co. Ltd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the Sheaf Mead transported essential goods such as coal, grain, and supplies that were crucial to Britain’s survival during wartime.
Like many merchant vessels, she often sailed unescorted and remained highly vulnerable to U-boat attacks in the Atlantic approaches.

U-37 – The Attacking Submarine

The submarine responsible for sinking the Sheaf Mead was U-37, a German Type IXA U-boat commissioned in 1938. U-37 became one of the most successful submarines of the early Battle of the Atlantic, completing eleven combat patrols and sinking more than 200,000 tons of Allied shipping between 1939 and 1941. Commanded at different times by several accomplished officers, including Kapitänleutnant Victor Oehrn—its commander during the attack on the Sheaf Mead—the submarine operated extensively in the Atlantic and off the coasts of Britain, Spain, and Portugal.
After early wartime successes, U-37 was reassigned as a training vessel from 1941 onward and was eventually scuttled by its crew in May 1945 to prevent capture, before being raised and scrapped in 1946.

Final Voyage and Sinking

On 27^th May 1940, the Sheaf Mead was sailing unescorted and in ballast from Swansea to Philadelphia when she was intercepted by U-37. At 15:51 hours, a torpedo struck the stern of the ship, and just minutes later a boiler explosion caused her to capsize and sink rapidly. The attack occurred approximately 180 miles off Cape Finisterre.
The loss of life was severe: the master, 30 crew members, and one DEF gunner were killed. Only five survivors were rescued.

Deck Boy Michael Vincent Anderson, still in his mid-teens, was among those lost in the sinking. As with many wartime losses in open waters, no remains were recovered.

Commemoration

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

Michael is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London, which honours the merchant seafarers who died during both world wars and have no known grave but the sea. His name is inscribed among those of his shipmates from the Sheaf Mead, ensuring that their sacrifice remains recorded for future generations.

Legacy

Michael’s short life is a poignant reminder of the many young boys who served in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War. Despite their youth, they carried out essential and often dangerous duties, helping to keep Britain supplied during its most desperate years.
Although few records survive about him, his service and sacrifice are permanently honoured on the Tower Hill Memorial, forming part of Swansea’s rich maritime history and the wider story of the Merchant Navy’s contribution to the war effort.