William Voyle – Mercantile Marine - S.S. Lodaner
Able Seaman William Voyle – Mercantile Marine, S.S. Lodaner
Early Life and Background
Very few records survive regarding William Voyle, but
the Commonwealth War Graves Commission confirms that he was born in Swansea
in 1852. No census entries or family documents have yet been located, and
nothing is recorded of his early working life or his path into the Mercantile
Marine. Like many seamen of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, his life appears
in surviving records only at the moment of his loss.
Service at Sea – Able Seaman, S.S. Lodaner
William served as an Able Seaman aboard the S.S. Lodaner,
a role requiring significant experience, capable seamanship, and physical
endurance. Able Seamen carried out essential duties such as cargo handling,
steering, lookout duty, and working aloft—tasks made far more dangerous during
wartime, when merchant ships sailed through waters patrolled by German U-boats.
On 14th April 1918, during the final year
of the First World War, the Lodaner was attacked and sunk by the German
submarine UB-73. William Voyle was among those who lost their
lives in the disaster.
The S.S. Lodaner
The S.S. Lodaner was a British merchant
steamship engaged in coastal and near-continental trade during the late stages
of the First World War. Like many vessels of the Merchant Navy, she transported
essential materials and foodstuffs that kept Britain functioning during the
height of the U-boat campaign.
By 1918, merchant ships such as the Lodaner faced
extreme danger on every voyage. German submarines were by then operating with
renewed aggression in an effort to sever the United Kingdom’s supply chain. On 14th
April 1918, the Lodaner was torpedoed and sunk by UB-73,
with heavy loss of life. The ship went down rapidly, and many of her crew—
including Able Seaman William Voyle—had no chance of escape.
German Submarine UB-73
UB-73 was a Type UB III submarine of
the Imperial German Navy, launched in 1917 and designed for long-range patrols
in the Atlantic approaches and Irish Sea. Displacing 519 tons surfaced and
649 tons submerged, the submarine measured 55.3 metres in length
and carried a crew of around 34 men.
She was armed with five torpedo tubes, up to ten
torpedoes, and a deck gun, giving her the ability to strike merchant
vessels swiftly and lethally. UB-73 operated in some of the busiest and most
dangerous shipping lanes around the British Isles, where merchant ships—often
unarmed—were especially vulnerable.
Her attack on the S.S. Lodaner formed part of
Germany’s final major effort to cut Britain’s supply lines in 1918. The
submarine survived the war but struck a mine and sank in April 1918,
with the loss of all hands.
Commemoration
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| S.S. Lodaner Tower Hill Memorial, London credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources: The Merchant Navy Memorial |
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| S.S. Lodaner Tower Hill Memorial, London credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources: The Merchant Navy Memorial |
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| S.S. Lodaner Tower Hill Memorial, London credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources: The Merchant Navy Memorial |
Legacy
The story of William Voyle represents the many
merchant sailors whose daily labour and sacrifice were essential to Britain’s
wartime survival. Remarkably, William was serving at sea well into his
sixties—an age by which most men had long retired—demonstrating exceptional
resilience and dedication. His death aboard the Lodaner is a reminder of
the immense dangers faced by the Merchant Navy, whose ships and crews remained
on the front line of the war at sea despite constant threats from U-boats. His
legacy lives on through his name’s inclusion on the Tower Hill Memorial and as
part of Swansea’s enduring maritime heritage.
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