SS. Dayrose

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Her Name Was SS. Dayrose :

At 01.38 hours on 15 Jan 1942 the unescorted Dayrose (Master Arthur Frederick Newman) was torpedoed and sunk by U-552 southwest of Cape Race. Altogether, the U-boat fired five torpedoes of which two struck the vessel and broke her in two. The master, 31 crew members and six gunners were lost. Four crew members (two by each destroyer) were picked up by USS Ericsson (DD 440) and USS Stack (DD 406) and landed at Argentia, Newfoundland.


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Arthur Frederick Newman - Master Mariner.

Arthur Frederick Newman was born 1883 in Suffolk, he later moved to Cardiff, a then Gateway to the Maritime World. He married a local Welsh girl and together had three boys Arthur, Harold and Jeffery.

Arthur Newman was a Captain in the Merchant Navy, he was the Master of the SS. Peerless when it was torpedoed and sunk on 4 Sep 1917, he was taken on board the U 52 (Hans Walther) and was apparently taken around Ireland and Scotland and eventually ended up in a POW camp in Brandenburg, after being torpedoed off the British Coast.

Part of a Report by Captain Arthur Newman, Master of the ship: “One of my gunners H. Payne and myself had only trousers and shirt on when taken and applied for clothing and boots on the submarine and Helogland and Wilhelmshfen but on each occasion was told they had nothing to give prisoners. It was not until we arrived and Brandenburg camp that we were given wooden clogs and some filthy gear which and evidently belonged to dead soldiers”.

Unlike the Royal Navy and Army, whose wives received pay during their captivity, Merchant Seamen were unpaid after being taken prisoner.

Bad enough: to find that pay was stopped the moment a ship was lost – No Ship – no job – no earnings. However, to lose both ship and be interned must have been doubly awful and doubly hard on the families of our Merchant Men. Especially if imprisoned until the end of such conflicts.

Fortunately Captain Arthur Newman survived both WWI and the POW ordeal and went on to Master amongst others the SS. Day Rose. He was sadly lost to further enemy action, this time in WWII. The Day Rose was torpedoed by the U boat U552, off New Found land, entrance to Trinity Bay St Johns on 19/01/1942. His son also called Arthur but was fondly known as Boy was also in the Merchant Navy and served aboard the Narragansett and also lost his life when his ship was torpedoed by U boat 105 (25/03/1942), 207 miles from Hamilton Bermuda.

To have been through so much in the Great War, even to the extent of being held captive, this hero continued in the his chosen career during peacetime and did not hesitate to continue to command during the new hostilities. Fortunately, Captain Arthur Frederick Newman, found time for true love of both his wife and the sea and his children and family. He also made many friends as far away as Argentina and Brazil.

Remembered by his country, friends and family and as a Mason by the Lodge of Wanderers, Santos, Brazil – If blood was the price, these heroes paid in full. K.

SS Dayrose

beehive.thisissouthwales.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=14621

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An enquirer has asked for help and assistance with the following:

My grandfather was william hockborn 3rd eng on the ss dayrose it was apparently his first voyage on this ship having only just returned to sea after recovering from malaria. does anyone have any more information about kenneth holmes and his bravery award....I did contact two veterans from the uss Stack and the uss Erricson that picked up survivors the next day .they both remember 2 survivors each suffering from exposure picked up in fog one remembers they also had a dog on one of the rafts any other information would be greatly appreciated as my family are very interested in my grandads story . thanks paul

I would like to help Paul further and ask for all information on the above. I will pass anything recieved on to him and also learn more myself. This is the first information recieved that mentions survivors. Thanks in advamce for any knowledge etc that you may be able to provide.

Regards K.