Thomas Vincent Jones – Merchant Navy, S.S. Stornest

Sailor Thomas Vincent Jones – Merchant Navy, S.S. Stornest

A Swansea Seaman of the Second World War

Another Swansea seaman who lost his life during the Second World War while serving with the Merchant Navy was Thomas Vincent Jones, born in 1922. Only limited records survive regarding his early life, yet the wartime documentation that remains preserves the essential outline of his service and sacrifice.

Merchant Navy Service

S.S. Stornest credit - wrecksite

Thomas served as a Sailor aboard the S.S. Stornest, one of the many merchant vessels operating in dangerous waters during the height of the conflict. He lost his life on 14 October 1942, during a period when merchant ships were suffering heavy losses from U‑boats, mines, and air attack as the Battle of the Atlantic reached its most intense phase. The Stornest was sailing as part of Convoy ONS‑136, but had fallen behind due to heavy weather, leaving her vulnerable to attack.

Thomas Vincent Jones
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

The Loss of the S.S. Stornest

At 04.05 hours on 12 October 1942, the German submarine U‑706 fired a torpedo at the Stornest, commanded by Master Henry Otley Smith, west of Ireland. After 34 seconds, the torpedo struck beneath the aft mast, delivering a fatal blow to the ship. As a straggler from her convoy, the Stornest had no protection when the attack came. The sinking was devastating: the master, 37 crew members, and ten gunners were all lost. Among them was Sailor Thomas Vincent Jones, whose life ended in the cold Atlantic waters during one of the darkest periods of the war at sea.

Commemoration

With no known grave but the sea, Sailor Thomas Vincent Jones is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, where his name stands among those of thousands of Merchant Navy personnel who gave their lives in the service of their country. Though the surviving details of his life are few, his sacrifice remains part of Swansea’s enduring maritime heritage and its profound contribution to the national war effort.