The Battle of the Atlantic

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CONVOY ASSEMBLED IN THE BEDFORD BASIN, HALIFAX, N.S., APRIL 1942.(LAC PA112993)Europe, from the northern tip of Norway to the Pyrenees, theGermans set out from every harbour and airfield in westernEurope to sever the lifelines to Britain.For six long years the RCN, the Canadian Merchant Navy andthe RCAF were central participants in what was to be knownas the Battle of the Atlantic.The sea lanes of the North Atlantic formed a grim battleground.Navigation was hazardous, and sailors in the navy and merchantmarine died not only from enemy attack, but from exposureand accidents in the fog and winter gales. Nor was protectionsufficient to prevent heavy losses. There were too few navalvessels and maritime patrol aircraft available, as well as a severelack of training and modern equipment and technology.The Battle of the Atlantic 4
In 1939, Canada possessed only a few dozen Canadianregisteredmerchant ships, six destroyers, five small minesweepers,two training vessels, and a single squadron of modern militaryflying boats. No one would have predicted that, from this tinybeginning, Canada’s forces would go on to play a large andsignificant part in the Atlantic war, and that the CanadianMerchant Navy would carry cargoes around the world.BOATLOAD OF SEAMEN FROM TORPEDOED MERCHANT SHIP COMING ALONGSIDEHMCS RED DEER OFF HALIFAX, 1942. (LAC C54474)Bridging the Atlantic was the key to strategic supply, andit was in maintaining the Atlantic lifeline that Canadiannaval and air personnel played an increasingly vital role.To transport safely the vast amounts of goods and troopsthat were needed, ship movements had to be organized andcontrolled. In August 1939, Canadian-registered merchantships and ships in Canadian ports passed from the controlof their owners into the control of the RCN, which woulddetermine routes and departures. Shipping on the more5 The Battle of the Atlantic
Page 1 and 2: Remembrance Series
Page 4 and 5: The Battle of the AtlanticGeneratio
Page 8 and 9: important and vulnerable routes was
Page 10 and 11: In September of 1940, for the first
Page 12 and 13: for a crew of some 60 sailors were
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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