Papers from his career in the Merchant Navy, 1883-1933, mostly relating to the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Co Ltd. Logs of voyages of the CORFE CASTLE, 1913-1916. Owen's report on the torpedo attack on the COMRIE CASTLE, March 1918. Statement by E. Minnett, 3rd Officer of the COMRIE CASTLE, March 1918.

Administrative / biographical background
Owens was born at Liverpool in 1868 and started his career as an apprentice on the sailing vessel BAY OF CADIZ (1879) of London. He qualified as master mariner in 1893 (certificate number 018633). He was master of the passenger/cargo liner COMRIE CASTLE (1903) when this vessel was torpedoed with the loss of nine lives in the English Channel on 14 March 1918. She was beached on Horse Tail Bank, but later salvaged and repaired. He later became Commodore of the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Co Ltd fleet.