Thomas James Webber – Merchant Navy, S.S. Ocean Traveller (Liverpool)

Fireman & Trimmer Thomas James Webber – Merchant Navy, S.S. Ocean Traveller (Liverpool)

Early Life

Thomas James Webber was born in 1916, the son of William Edward Webber and Hannah Beatrice Harris. His early childhood was marked by loss: his mother Hannah died in 1920, leaving William to raise the remaining children with the support of extended family.

1921 Census

1921 Census

By the 1921 Census, the Webber family were living at 65 Clase Road, Morriston. Devon‑born William Edward Webber, aged 34, was employed as a Kiln Fireman (Silica Brick) with the Morriston Silica Brick Co. Ltd, though recorded as out of work at the time of the census. His children present were Evelyn Thomas (9), Sarah Jane (8), and Thomas James (4)—all attending school. Also residing in the household was Catherine Maria Webber, aged 59, who served as the family’s housekeeper.

S.S. Ocean Traveller – British Ocean‑Class Cargo Ship

Construction and Identity

Thomas’s final ship, S.S. Ocean Traveller, was one of the Ocean‑class cargo ships, a fleet of sixty steel merchant vessels built in the United States between October 1941 and November 1942 for the British Ministry of War Transport. These ships were constructed rapidly under wartime emergency contracts and formed a crucial part of Britain’s mid‑war merchant fleet.

Built at Todd‑Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corporation, South Portland, Maine, the Ocean Traveller followed the standard class design: 416 feet long, 7,174 gross tons, powered by a triple‑expansion steam engine. The Ocean‑class design later evolved into the famous Liberty ships.

Technical Documentation

Surviving Lloyd’s Register documents confirm the vessel’s construction and inspection history, including:

• Half Midship Section Plan (25 November 1940)

• Boiler Reports (May–October 1941)

• Steam Reciprocating Engine Machinery Reports (July–October 1942)

• Electrical Equipment Report (10 October 1942)

• First Entry Memo for Lloyd’s Register (13 January 1943)

These records demonstrate the vessel’s formal classification and its readiness for wartime service.

Operational Role

As an Ocean‑class cargo ship, Ocean Traveller operated under the Ministry of War Transport, carrying essential wartime cargoes—coal, grain, machinery, munitions, and general stores—across the Atlantic and to Allied ports. The class suffered heavy losses: 18 ships to enemy action and 8 to accidents, reflecting the danger faced by Merchant Navy crews such as Thomas.

Clarification of Vessel Identity

Search records also reference a Canadian fishpacker named Ocean Traveller (I) built in 1939, later seized and renamed H.M.C.S. Billow. This vessel is not the same ship. Thomas served on the British Ocean‑class cargo ship, not the Canadian fishboat.

Death and Burial

Merchant Seamen Deaths

Thomas James Webber
Morriston Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Thomas died on 23 April 1945, during the closing months of the war. The Merchant Seamen Deaths records state that Thomas died from illness, bringing an end to his service with the Merchant Navy. He was laid to rest at Morriston Cemetery, where his grave forms part of the wartime burials recorded for 1945.