The Battle of the Atlantic

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for a crew of some 60 sailors were terrible. Nevertheless, thesesmall ships were invaluable in the anti-U-boat war. Of the123 corvettes that served in the RCN, ten were lost to enemyaction.As enemy U-boats began to probe farther west, the Britishcountered by establishing new bases for ships and aircraftin Iceland and Newfoundland. The Newfoundland baseswould become a Canadian responsibility. On May 31, 1941,Commodore Leonard Murray, RCN, was appointed commanderof the Newfoundland Escort Force reporting to the BritishCommander-in-Chief, Western Approaches. A few days later,the first Canadian corvettes joined his command. In June,Canadian destroyers in British home waters returned to servewith the Newfoundland force. By July, the NewfoundlandEscort Force totalled 12 groups of Canadian and Britishwarships and was escorting convoys as far as 35 degrees west.SUPERMARINE FLYING BOAT OF THE RCAF ESCORTING CONVOY, APRIL 1941.The Battle of the Atlantic 10
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), meanwhile, had beenflying patrols over Newfoundland’s waters and coasts since1939 and the first maritime patrol squadron had beenstationed at Gander since 1940. Reinforced by other RCAFsquadrons, it now provided air support to the NewfoundlandEscort Force and was an integral part of the RCAF’s EasternAir Command. In the eastern Atlantic, the convoys wereguarded by the Royal Air Force (RAF) Coastal Commandwhich included RCAF squadrons. At this time, however,aircraft lacked the range to cover the central part of the Atlanticocean, an area that became know as the “Black Pit” because ofthe heavy losses the U-boats were often able to inflict there.PERSONNEL HANDLING TORPEDO IN HMC DOCKYARD, HALIFAX. (LAC PA104147)The Campaign Moves to North American WatersAlthough officially neutral, the United States had becomeincreasingly involved in the war at sea. In September 1941Canadian naval forces came under American "co-ordinatingsupervision." This arrangement replaced control by the Britishcommander-in-chief, based in England, with an Americancommander who was much closer to the situation in the11 The Battle of the Atlantic
Page 1 and 2: Remembrance Series
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Page 6 and 7: CONVOY ASSEMBLED IN THE BEDFORD BAS
Page 8 and 9: important and vulnerable routes was
Page 10 and 11: In September of 1940, for the first
Page 14 and 15: western Atlantic. However, when the
Page 16 and 17: ANTI-SUBMARINE GRENADE LAUNCHED INT
Page 18 and 19: A CONSOLIDATED VLR LIBERATOR PROVID
Page 20 and 21: DEPTH CHARGES BEING DROPPED BY HMCS
Page 22 and 23: PAINTING BY JACK NICHOLS. TAKING SU
Page 24 and 25: Canada’s Merchant Navy Veterans b
Page 26 and 27: about 290,000 tonnes and manned by
Page 28: Halifax MemorialThis memorial in No

The Battle of the Atlantic

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