William Hope Tunnah – Merchant Navy, S.S. Cadillac

Chief Officer William Hope Tunnah – Merchant Navy, S.S. Cadillac

Birth and Family Background

William Hope Tunnah was born in 1902 at Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland. He was the son of Thomas Tunnah and Sarah Hope, who were married in 1900 at Newcastle upon Tyne. Sarah had previously married Joseph Lennox in 1878.

Early Life

1911 Census

The 1911 Census records the Tunnah family residing at 10 School Street, Benwell, Northumberland. Thomas Tunnah, aged 62, was employed as a general labourer, while his wife Sarah, aged 54, undertook household duties. Their only child together, William Hope, was 9 and attending school. Also present was George Lennox, aged 27, William’s stepbrother, who worked as a milk deliverer.

Maritime Career

Certificate of Competency as Second Mate (Foreign-Going Steamships Only)

William pursued a career at sea and, in 1923, was awarded a Certificate of Competency as Second Mate (Foreign-Going Steamships Only), qualifying him for senior navigating roles within the Merchant Navy.

Marriage and Civilian Address

William Hope Tunnah and Amy Lenore Browne
marriage certificate
All Saints' Church, Oystermouth

In 1933, William married Amy Lenore Browne at All Saints’ Church, Oystermouth. 

Merchant Seamen Deaths Records

He does not appear in the 1939 Register, but the Merchant Seamen Deaths Records later record his home address as 26 Queens Road, Mumbles.

Merchant Navy Service

William served with the Merchant Navy and attained the rank of Chief Officer, a senior position responsible for navigation, cargo operations, and the supervision of deck personnel.

S.S. Cadillac and Her Loss – 1^st March 1941

S.S. Cadillac

S.S. Cadillac was a British steam tanker of 12,062 tons, built in 1917. On 1^st March 1941, while on passage from Aruba to Avonmouth, she was carrying a cargo of 17,000 tons of aviation spirit, a strategically vital fuel during the Second World War.

During this voyage, Cadillac was torpedoed by the German submarine U-552 and sunk. The attack resulted in the loss of 35 crew members from a total complement of 42, one of the many devastating tanker losses suffered during the Battle of the Atlantic in 1941.

As Chief Officer, William Hope Tunnah would have been among the senior officers on board at the time of the attack, responsible for the ship’s deck operations and emergency procedures.

Death and Commemoration

William Hope Tunnah
Tower Hill Memorial, London
credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources:
The Merchant Navy Memorial

Chief Officer William Hope Tunnah lost his life on 1^st March 1941 as a result of the sinking of S.S. Cadillac. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, which honours Merchant Navy personnel who died at sea during the First and Second World Wars