Canada in Battle of the Atlantic
The Longest-Running Battle of WWII Took Place in the Atlantic Ocean
With the sinking of SS Athenia - bound for Quebec - Canada joined World War Two in September 1939. Canadians fought German U-boats for freedom of ocean transportation.
Under the dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean during World War Two, submarines prowled in packs, stalking their prey, waiting for the right moment to strike. Cutting off supplies to starve the British was an essential part of the German war plan and sinking merchant marine ships accomplished the mission. When the passenger ship SS Athenia was sunk off the coast of Ireland on September 3, 1939 on its way to Montreal, Quebec, Canada was drawn into the hostilities.
“Canada was a critically important source of food and industrial resources for Britain,” said Dr. Roger Sarty in his book, The Battle of the Atlantic, “and these goods were carried in ships that sailed from Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, St. John, New Brunswick,” and from areas along the St. Lawrence River. Ships carrying supplies from the American east coast also passed through the Canadian Maritimes on their way to England.
The merchant ships formed large convoys to sail under escort of large British and French destroyers and cruisers. While the British and French fleets were able to overcome the surface enemy, they were thwarted by “unterseebooten”, the German U-boats, causing heavy losses to the Allies in lives, ships and supplies. Shipping routes were reorganized many times as the U-boats found the weak points and attacked over and over. “As spring 1941 approached,” Veterans Affairs Canada stated, “the enemy stepped up the scale of attack and shipping losses reached grave proportions.” In one month, “over 500,000 tons of shipping were lost to U-boats.”
Royal Canadian Navy Not Battle-Ready
Canada joined the war with few ships and personnel – 13 ships of which only six were destroyers, and 3,500 sailors in the Royal Canadian Navy, nearly half of whom were part-time reservists. Needing more ships, especially protective escorts for the convoys across the ocean, Canada accepted the daunting task of building new vessels in a hurry. The Corvette fit the bill.
A smaller ship of about 60 metres in length and armed with fewer weapons than the destroyer or frigate, the Corvette’s strength was its ability to out-manoeuver the lurking U-boats. While suitable for the initial duties of coastal patrol, the ships were also known for miserable conditions. Sent on convoy escort, the small vessels were tossed wildly on the deep ocean waves, causing seasickness for days and weeks at a time. The sea water washed over the tops, leaked into hatches and soaked everything inside.
Even though supplies were lacking and instructors to train crews were scarce, by 1943 Canadian ship builders mass-produced well over 100 Corvettes. Merchant and other ships were also rapidly built. From 38 merchant ships in 1939, Canadian shipyards built 410 vessels by 1945. During the same years, the German war machine was also in production, increasing U-boats from 27 to 463, and equipping them with better air-circulation devices and improved torpedoes.
Corvette Crews Rescued Survivors
Canadian troops, by the middle of the war, were providing nearly half of the convoy escorts required to get supplies across the ocean. But no matter the growing numbers of Canadian vessels, the U-boats were able to slip away into the deep after launching deadly torpedo attacks. The Corvette crews were left to provide emergency rescue. “These brave men cannot but feel helpless,” said the Juno Beach Centre, “when ships under their protection are blown up before their eyes or when they see the lights on the lifejackets of shipwrecked sailors fade away into the night.”
Under Rear Admiral L.W. Murray, a turning point was reached in May 1943 when the Allies took the upper hand for supremacy of the Atlantic. New and better equipment, well-trained seamen and support of the Royal Canadian Air Force made a difference, plus strategy changed, from a defensive stance to hunter, searching out and destroying the U-boats before they could attack. In the first half of 1943, U-boats were sinking 300 merchant ships a month; by July, said Dr. Sarty, they were only able to destroy 20 ships per month. The RCN and allies managed to sink over 50 U-boats.
By war’s end, the RCN had become the world’s third-largest navy with 373 ships and over 110,000 members. The losses at sea included 1,600 Canadians of the Merchant Marine, eight of them women. Over 2,000 members of the Royal Canadian Navy were lost with the sinking of 24 warships. More than 900 army and air force members were also killed in the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest-running battle of World War Two.
Source:
The Battle of the Atlantic: The Royal Canadian Navy’s Greatest Campaign 1939-1945, by Dr. Roger Sarty, Access to History Series #9, published by CEF Books, 2001
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
