Frank Jones - SS Ceramic - December 6th 1942

Laid down in 1912 at the world famous shipyard of Harland & Wolff in Belfast, the ocean liner, SS Ceramic was to become the pride of the White Start Line on its Liverpool - Australia route.

She saw service during WW1 and was attacked by U-Boats on numerous occasion but was always able to return back to port, the torpedoes either missed their intended target or she was able to outrun surfaced U-Boats that gave chase to her.

SS Ceramic

On November 6th 1942, the Ceramic left Liverpool bound for Australia, she was carrying 377 passengers and a crew of 264.

Rochdale born Frank Jones was onboard, travelling to the Antipodes.

Ceramic sailed as part of Convoy ON149 until it dispersed as planned in the North Atlantic with SS Ceramic continuing her journey alone.

At midnight on 6th December, in and rough seas in the mid-Atlantic, U-515 hit the Ceramic with a single torpedo, three minutes later she was attacked again by two more that hit her engine room, stopping her engines and her electric lighting. The liner radioed a distress signal, which was picked up by a Royal Navy cruiser - HMS Enterprise.
The crippled liner stayed afloat and her passengers & crew began to abandon ship.

About three hours later U-515 fired two more torpedoes, which broke the ship's back and sank her immediately, the weather had by now taken a turn for the worse, it was very stormy and raining. The heavy sea capsized some of the lifeboats and left many people struggling in the water.

The following morning U-515 returned to the area of the sinking and picked up a lone survivor.

Frank Jones was 30 years of age at the time of his death, he lived at 3 Abbott Street, Castleton with his parents William and Nellie Jones.

Lest we forget.