Peter Michael Dahl – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Amethyst

Able Seaman Peter Michael Dahl – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Amethyst

Early Life

Peter Michael Dahl was born in 1896 in Withnania, Lithuania. No further records have been found regarding his early life or his arrival in Britain, but by the time of the Second World War he was living in Swansea and serving in the Merchant Navy.

Service in the Merchant Navy

Peter served as an Able Seaman aboard the S.S. Empire Amethyst, a British tanker operated by the Ministry of War Transport. Tankers such as the Empire Amethyst played a vital role during the war, transporting fuel supplies essential to Allied operations across the world’s oceans.

Sinking of the S.S. Empire Amethyst – 14^th April 1942

The S.S. Empire Amethyst was sailing independently from New Orleans to Freetown when she was attacked in the South Atlantic on 14^th April 1942. The German submarine U‑154 fired a torpedo that struck the tanker with devastating force. The explosion ignited the ship’s highly flammable cargo, and within moments the vessel was engulfed in flames.

The crew had almost no chance to escape as the burning tanker sank rapidly. Many of those on board were lost, including Able Seaman Peter Michael Dahl. The attack was one of many inflicted on unescorted merchant ships during this period, highlighting the extreme dangers faced by Merchant Navy personnel throughout the Battle of the Atlantic.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Deaths 

Peter Michael Dahl
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

According to the Merchant Seamen Deaths register, Able Seaman Peter Michael Dahl, who resided with Mrs. Parker at 54 Oxford Street, Swansea, lost his life on 14^th April 1942 when the Empire Amethyst was sunk.

As with so many Merchant Navy men who died at sea with no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, ensuring that his service and sacrifice are remembered