Frederick John Haywood – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Amethyst

Fireman Frederick John Haywood – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Amethyst

Early Life and Family Background

Frederick John Haywood was born in Swansea in 1910, the son of William Frederick Haywood and Elizabeth Jane Pritchard, who had married in the town in 1906. 

1911 Census

At the time of the 1911 Census, the Haywood family were living at 3 Williams Court, James Street, Swansea. William, aged 28 and Southampton‑born, was working as a Fisherman, while Elizabeth, aged 25, kept the home. Their children were William (3), Arthur (2), and Frederick, then seven months old. Also present in the household was a boarder, George Pritchard, aged 27.

The Haywood Family in 1921

1921 Census

By the 1921 Census, the family remained at 3 Williams Court. William, now 37, was employed as a Rigger on Board with the British Tanker Company at the Queen’s Dock, Swansea. Elizabeth Jane, aged 35, was at home with their growing family. The children recorded were Arthur (13), Fred (10), Bessie (9), and George (7)—all attending school—along with the youngest, David, aged one.

Marriage and Civilian Life

1933 Register

In 1933, Frederick John married Beatrice M. Barnard in Swansea. By the time of the 1939 Register, the couple were living at 81 Neath Road, Swansea. Frederick was employed as a Ship’s Fireman, while Beatrice undertook the household duties.

Service in the Merchant Navy

During the Second World War, Frederick John served with the Merchant Navy, holding the rank of Fireman aboard the S.S. Empire Amethyst, a British tanker operated by the Ministry of War Transport. Tankers such as the Empire Amethyst were among the most vital—and most vulnerable—vessels at sea. Carrying the fuel that powered Allied naval, air, and ground operations, they sailed under constant threat. Their flammable cargo meant that a single torpedo strike could engulf a ship in flames within seconds, leaving crews with little chance of survival.

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

On 14 April 1942, the Empire Amethyst was sailing independently from New Orleans to Freetown when she came under attack in the South Atlantic. The German submarine U‑154, operating deep in the mid‑Atlantic during the expanding U‑boat campaign, fired a torpedo that struck the tanker with devastating force.

The explosion ignited the ship’s highly flammable cargo almost instantly. Within moments, the vessel was engulfed in flames, the fire spreading across the surrounding sea. The crew had virtually no chance to escape. The tanker sank rapidly, and many of those on board were lost in the inferno and the burning waters around her.

The destruction of the Empire Amethyst was one of many tragedies suffered by unescorted merchant ships during this phase of the Battle of the Atlantic, underscoring the extreme dangers faced daily by Merchant Navy personnel.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Deaths

Frederick John Haywood
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

According to the Merchant Seamen Deaths records, Fireman Frederick John Haywood, of 16 Odo Street, Hafod, lost his life on 14 April 1942 when the Empire Amethyst was sunk. Like so many Merchant Navy men who died at sea with no known grave, he is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London, which honours the thousands of merchant seafarers who gave their lives during both world wars.