Luther Walters
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
He was the son of Samuel Henry and Frances Amelia Walters and the brother of Flortence Ellen and Millicent Ellen Walters of The Foundry, Cossall, Nottinghamshire (1921). Luther Walters and Eileen Henshaw were married in 1935 and they were to have two children - Sheila (1936) and Richard (1940).
PLYMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL Panel 66, Column 3
He was a DEMS Gunner aboard SS Traveller
At 08.42 hours on 26 Jan 1942 the unescorted Traveller (Master Harold Marr Fitz-Simons) was hit amidships by two torpedoes from U-106 and sank within six minutes east of New York. The U-boat reported that a heavy detonation was felt a few minutes after the ship sank. The master, 49 crew members and two gunners were lost.
Roue:New Orleans - Hampton Roads (23 Jan) - Halifax - Holyhead - Liverpool
General cargo, including 600 tons of explosives
DEMS Gunners
Defensively equipped merchant ship (DEMS) was an Admiralty Trade Division programme established in June 1939, to arm 5,500 British merchant ships with an adequate defence against enemy submarines and aircraft. The acronym DEMS was used to describe the ships carrying the guns, the guns aboard the ships, the shore establishment supporting the system and the military personnel operating the guns. These gun crews, consisting of Royal Navy sailors, Royal Marines, and men from the Royal Artillery Maritime Regiment, defended merchant vessels against enemy attacks, primarily German U-boats, during the Battle of the Atlantic. They were a crucial part of the convoy system, helping to supply Allied operations and protect vital shipping routes.
This followed a similar World War I program of defensively armed merchant ships (DAMS).
The program was distinct from armed merchant cruiser program, which were warships converted from civilian vessels, operated by the Royal Navy itself.
No photos