© S M Jones
Content is free for most uses - see legal stuff. Last update 5 Jun 2020
Steve and Pauline Jones’ Family History
If you don’t know where you came from,
you won’t know where you are going.
You have to study your history. Gil Scott-Heron
Note for Norman James Chapple (1901-1941)
Norman
James
Chapple
(1901-1941)
served
in
the
Merchant
Navy
from
around
1916.
He’s
recorded
as
arriving
in
Boston,
Massachusetts,
on
6/10/1922
aboard
the
SS
Swainby
which
had
sailed
from
Cardiff.
Norman
was
listed
as
a
cook,
height
5’
8”
(1.72m),
weight
140
lbs
(63.5
kg).
On
12/8/1930
he
arrived
in
New
York
aboard
the
Mansepool
which
had
sailed
from
Archangel
on
23/7/1930.
Norman’s
length
of
service
at
sea
was
given
as
14
years. He was the ship’s Steward.
On
5/8/1941,
Norman
(by
now
Chief
Steward)
died
at
sea
as
a
result
of
enemy
action
on
board
the
SS
Swiftpool.
Between
01:50
and
01:59
hours
on
5
August
1941,
U-372
fired
four
single
torpedoes
at
ships
in
convoy
SL-81
west
of
Ireland.
First
the
stern
torpedo
struck
the
Belgravian,
which
burned
out
and
sank
the
next
day.
The
second
torpedo
missed
the
intended
target
but
exploded
on
a
ship
beyond.
The
third
torpedo
was
a
dud
and
the
fourth
hit
an
ammunition
freighter,
which
exploded
and
sank
by
the
bow
in
50
seconds.
The
ship
missed
was
the
British
steam
merchant
Volturno,
but
a
hit
on
another
ship
is
not
confirmed.
The
ship
sunk was the Swiftpool.
The
master,
35
crew
members
and
five
gunners
from
the
Swiftpool
(Master
Harry
Raymond
Clark)
were
lost.
Three
crew
members
were
picked
up
by
HMS
Bluebell
(K
80)
(Lt
Cdr
R.E.
Sherwood,
RNR),
but
one
of
them
died
of exposure and was buried at sea the next day. The survivors were landed at Greenock.
Norman is remembered on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, Panel 105.
Steve & Pauline Jones’ Family History
If you don’t know where you
came from,you won’t know where you
are going.You have to study your history.
Gil Scott-Heron
© S M Jones
Content is free for most uses - see legal stuff. Last update 5 Jun 2020
Note for Norman James Chapple (1901-1941)
Norman
James
Chapple
(1901-1941)
served
in
the
Merchant
Navy
from
around
1916.
He’s
recorded
as
arriving
in
Boston,
Massachusetts,
on
6/10/1922
aboard
the
SS
Swainby
which
had
sailed
from
Cardiff.
Norman
was
listed
as
a
cook,
height
5’
8”
(1.72m),
weight
140
lbs
(63.5
kg).
On
12/8/1930
he
arrived
in
New
York
aboard
the
Mansepool
which
had
sailed
from
Archangel
on
23/7/1930.
Norman’s
length
of
service
at
sea
was
given
as
14
years.
He was the ship’s Steward.
On
5/8/1941,
Norman
(by
now
Chief
Steward)
died
at
sea
as
a
result
of
enemy
action
on
board
the
SS
Swiftpool.
Between
01:50
and
01:59
hours
on
5
August
1941,
U-372
fired
four
single
torpedoes
at
ships
in
convoy
SL-81
west
of
Ireland.
First
the
stern
torpedo
struck
the
Belgravian,
which
burned
out
and
sank
the
next
day.
The
second
torpedo
missed
the
intended
target
but
exploded
on
a
ship
beyond.
The
third
torpedo
was
a
dud
and
the
fourth
hit
an
ammunition
freighter,
which
exploded
and
sank
by
the
bow
in
50
seconds.
The
ship
missed
was
the
British
steam
merchant
Volturno,
but
a
hit
on
another ship is not confirmed. The ship sunk was the Swiftpool.
The
master,
35
crew
members
and
five
gunners
from
the
Swiftpool
(Master
Harry
Raymond
Clark)
were
lost.
Three
crew
members
were
picked
up
by
HMS
Bluebell
(K
80)
(Lt
Cdr
R.E.
Sherwood,
RNR),
but
one
of
them
died
of
exposure
and
was
buried
at
sea
the
next
day.
The survivors were landed at Greenock.
Norman
is
remembered
on
the
Tower
Hill
Memorial,
London,
Panel
105.
