RCN Victory’s/Losses Battle Of Atlantic in WWII
1939 to 1945
By: Roger Litwiller ©
1939
26 August 1939 -Admiralty signals FUNNEL to Commonwealth & British navies. Commonwealth merchant ships placed under naval control.
31 August 1939 -HMCShips FRASER & ST. LAURENT ordered “With Dispatch” from Esquimalt to Halifax. Arrive in time to escort first convoy WWII from Halifax.
1 September 1939 -Britain & France give Germany an ultimatum after invading Poland. All Members of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), Royal Canadian Navy Reserve (RCNR) & Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) are placed on active service.
3 September 1939 -England & France declare war on Germany. Within two hours U30 torpedoes & sinks SS Athenia sailing from the Glasgow and Liverpool in the UK to Montreal, QC. On board were 1,103 passengers, including about 500 Jewish refugees, 469 Canadians, 311 US citizens, 72 UK subjects, and 315 crew. One hundred and eighteen passengers and crew were killed, including 54 Canadians. The Battle Of Atlantic had begun.
Stewardess Hannah Baird was a crew member in Athenia at the time and was killed. She is recognized as the first Canadian Merchant sailor killed in the Second World War.
7 September 1939 -RCN informed by British Admiralty convoys should begin Halifax to UK immediately, Senior Officer (SO) Halifax to provide ships for escorts.
10 September 1939 -Canada Declares War on Germany. First time Canadian Parliament declares war independently from Britain.
16 September 1939 -First Convoy of WWII leaves Halifax for UK waters, consisting of 15 merchant ships and designated HX-1, under escort of HMCShips SAGUENAY and ST. LAURENT.
23 October 1939 -HMCS SAGUENAY intercepts German tanker Emmy Friederich in the Yucatan Channel; the merchant crew scuttle their ship to avoid having it captured.
10 December 1939 -HMCShips OTTAWA, RESTIGOUCHE, FRASER, ST LAURENT and Royal Navy battleships, HMShips REPULSE and RESOLUTION escort first Troop Convoy TC-1 out of Halifax. 7400 soldiers from 1st Canadian Division were embarked in the liners Aquitania, Duchess of Bedford, Empress of Australia, Empress of Britain and Monarch of Bermuda.
1940
8 March 1940 -HMCS ASSINIBOINE & RN light cruiser HMS Dunedin capture German merchantman Hanover as a prize, off Dominican Republic & escort her to Kingston, Jamaica.
12 May 1940 -HMCS YPRES run down and sunk by the Royal Navy battleship HMS REVENGE while opening the Halifax boom defense, without loss of life.
7 June 1940 -HMCS BRAS D’OR intercepts and seizes Italian freighter Capo Noli in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. She is taken into Canadian Merchant Service as SS Bic Island.
25 June 1940 -HMCS FRASER evacuating soldiers from French Coast during OpDYNAMO is sunk in collision with RN cruiser HMS CALCUTTA. Sixty RCN sailors are killed. SEE Details.
15 August 1940 “First convoy departs from Sydney, Cape Breton to the UK, consisting of 40 merchant ships and designated SC-1, under escort of HMCS REINDEER, Animal class yacht and five RN ships.
25 September 1940 -HMCS PRINCE ROBERT intercepts and captures German freighter Weser off Mexico. She is taken into Canadian merchant service and renamed SS Vancouver Island.
19 October 1940 -HMCS BRAS D’OR foundered in Gulf of St. Lawrence, no survivors from crew of 30. SEE Details.
22 October 1940 -HMCS MARGAREE, lost in collision with SS Port Fairy, North Atlantic, 142 RCN sailors killed. SEE Details.
6 November 1940 -HMCS OTTAWA shares in sinking Italian submarine Faa di Bruno, North Atlantic, 1st submarine sunk by RCN in WWII.
1941
26 March 1941 -HMCS OTTER, armed yacht, destroyed by accidental fire & explosion, off Halifax. Of her ship’s company of 41, nineteen are killed. SEE Details.
1 April 1941 -HMCS PRINCE HENRY intercepted freighters München and Hermonthis off the coast of Peru. To avoid capture, the German crews set fires and scuttle their ships.
25 May 1941 -Seven Royal Canadian Navy corvettes under the command of Commander J. D. “Chummy” Prentice, RCN, arrive in St. John’s Newfoundland as the first units of the Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF).
27 May 1941 -HMCS ST.CLAIR in company with three RN destroyers is attacked by five German bombers west of Galway Ireland. ST. CLAIR sinks the capsized hulk of HMS MASHONA after picking up her survivors.
28 August 1941 -HMCS NIAGARA takes off crew of German submarine U-570 after their surrender to a Coastal Command aircraft south of Iceland.
10 September 1941 -HMCShips CHAMBLY & MOOSE JAW attack U-501 with Depth Charges, guns and then ramming. One RCN sailor killed after boarding the sinking U-Boat.
10 September 1941 -HMCS KENOGAMI, while escorting convoy SC-42, attacks and damages German submarine U-85, forcing the U-Boat from the battle.
19 September 1941 -HMCS LEVIS is torpedoed and sunk by U-74 off Greenland while escorting convoy SC44, 18 RCN sailors are killed. SEE Details.
7 December 1941 -HMCS WINDFLOWER lost in collision with SS Zypenberg in dense fog off St. John’s NF, 23 RCN sailors are killed. SEE Details.
20 December 1941 -HMCS ADVERSUS, Patrol Vessel, grounds in a gale and is lost off Shelburne NS. There are no casualties from her ships company of sixteen. SEE Details.
1942
12 January 1942 -HMCS RED DEER rescues 93 survivors from the British SS Cyclops, torpedoed by U-123, 125 miles southeast of Cape Sable, killing 88 merchant sailors. Cyclops is the first victim of Operation DRUMBEAT, the un-restricted U-boat campaign off the coast of Canada and the US.
10 February 1942 -HMCS SPIKENARD, while escorting Convoy SC-67, is torpedoed by U-136, mid-Atlantic. The corvette sinks in five minutes, only 8 sailors survive, 57 are killed. SEE Details.
3 March 1942 -German U-587 fired three torpedoes into the cliff at the harbour entrance to St. John’s NF, in a failed attempt to cause the cliff to collapse and block the harbour. Fortunately for the ships in the harbour, the solid granite rock was unaffected by the explosions.
10 March 1942 -HMCShips ST. LAURENT, SWANSEA & OWEN SOUND while escorting HX280, assist in sinking U-845 with Depth Charges, Hedgehog & guns, mid-Atlantic, 42 submariners rescued and taken Prisoner of War (POW).
10 April 1942 -In a spectacular display, HMCS CHEDABUCTO sinks with gunfire, ammunition ship SS Trongate on fire and in danger of exploding in Halifax harbour, adverting repeat of 1917 Halifax explosion.
11 May 1942 -SS Nicoya, sailing from Montreal to Liverpool, UK is the first merchant ship sunk in the Battle of the St. Lawrence. The British merchant ship is struck by two torpedoes from U-553 off Cape des Rosiers, Gaspé, sinking in a few minutes. Six merchant sailors were killed.
13 May 1942 –German U-213 lands a German Agent identified as Leutnant (MA) Langbein near Saint Johns, NB at Melvin’s Beach. Given the alias Alfred Haskins and a large sum of American money, Langbein-Haskins buried his uniform and radio transmitter and made his way to Saint Johns. With no intention of pursuing espionage, he travels Canada. Arrested once in a brothel, using a fictitious name, he paid his fine and was released. When funds ran out, he surrendered to Naval Intelligence on 1 November 1944 and spent the rest of the war as a POW.
24 July 1942 -HMCS ST CROIX attacks and sinks U-90 with Depth Charges in the North Atlantic, while escorting convoy ON-113.
31 July 1942 -HMCS SKEENA and HMCS WETASKIWIN sink U-588 after several Depth Charge attacks, while escorting convoy ON-115, in the North Atlantic.
28 August 1942-HMCS OAKVILLE in a running battle, attacks U-94 in the Caribbean Sea with guns, Depth Charges and ramming, some of the ship’s company throw Coke bottles at the submariners attempting to fire on the corvette. Once the submarine was stopped, two sailors board her and force entry into the conning tower, capturing the now sinking U-boat.
1 September 1942 -While escorting convoy SC-97, HMCS MORDEN attacks with Depth Charges, sinking German submarine U-756, in the North Atlantic
7 September 1942 -HMCS RACCOON while escorting convoy QS-33 is torpedoed and sunk by U-165 in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The entire ships company of 37 RCN sailors are killed.
11 September 1942 -HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN is torpedoed and sunk by U-517 in the St. Lawrence River near Cap Chat, QC. Ten RCN sailors are killed, 54 survivors.
13 September 1942 -HMCS OTTAWA torpedoed and sunk by U-91 while escorting convoy ON-127, mid-Atlantic south of Greenland, 141 RCN sailors are killed.
8 November 1942 -Submarine U-518 lands German agent, Alfred Janowski near New Carlisle, QC. He is captured by Quebec Provincial Police the next day.
27 December 1942 -HMCShips ST.LAURENT, BATTLEFORD, CHILLIWACK and NAPANEE share in the destruction of U-356 in the North Atlantic during the Battle for Convoy ONS-154.
1943
13 January 1943 -HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC, in a precise lightning attack, sinks U-224 in just 10 minutes, using Depth Charges, machine guns and rams the German U-Boat, west of Algiers.
19 January 1943 -HMCS PORT ARTHUR while escorting Convoy MKS-6, attacks and sinks Italian submarine TRITONE off Bougie, Algeria in Mediterranean during OpTORCH. The corvette’s ship’s company share a $1000 prize given by their namesake community of Port Arthur, ON.
6 February 1943 -HMCS LOUISBURG is bombed and sunk by Italian Aircraft east of Oran, Mediterranean while escorting convoy from Gibraltar to Bone, Algeria. Of her ship’s company of 84, forty are killed. SEE Details.
8 February 1943 -HMCS REGINA attacks and sinks Italian submarine AVORIO, in the western Mediterranean north of Phillipville, Algeria.
22 February 1943 -HMCS WEYBURN -while supporting OpTORCH is sunk after striking a mine laid by U118, off the Strait of Gibraltar, eight RCN sailors killed, 68 are rescued. SEE Details.
2 March 1943 -HMCS ASSINIBOINE damages her stern, attacking an unidentified U-Boat, when depth charges are set to shallow requiring four months for repairs.
4 March 1943 -HMCShips ST. CROIX and HMCS SHEDIAC, following a 2 hour attack with Depth Charges, sink German submarine U-87, off Portugal while escorting KMS-10 from the UK to Algiers.
13 March 1943 -HMCS PRESCOTT while escorting MKS-9 from North Africa to the UK, attacks U-163 with Depth Charges. Credit for sinking the U-Boat was not given until the 1980’s during post-war re-assessment.
30 April 1943 -Canadian Northwest Atlantic Command was given to Rear-Admiral Leonard Murray, RCN. Murray became the only Canadian to command a Theatre of War during WWII and became Commander-in-Chief of the area from the Gulf of Maine to Baffin Island, ranging out to mid-Atlantic.
2 May 1943 -German U-Boat U-262 arrives off North Point, PEI in 30 meters of water waiting to rendezvous with escaped German Naval POW’s from Camp 70 near Fredericton, NB. With no contact from the POW’s U-262 departed the area on 6 May. The mass escape had been discovered following a failed escape attempt earlier at Camp 70.
27 August 1943 -HMCS ATHABASKAN severely damaged by German glider bomb off Spanish Coast, Bay of Biscay, killing 5 & wounding 36 sailors.
1 June 1943 –German U-Boat U-119 lays 66 mines off Halifax, the first enemy minefield to be laid in Canadian waters since World War One. Two ships struck the mines, sinking MV Halma on 3 June 1943 and damaging SS John A. Poor on 26 July 1943.
21 August 1943 -HMCS CHEDABUCTO, lost in collision with cableship Lord Kelvin in the St. Lawrence River, 1 RCN sailor killed. SEE Details.
20 September 1943 -HMCS ST CROIX is sunk by at GNAT acoustic torpedo fired by U-305 while in the North Atlantic. Eighty-one survivors were rescued by HMS ITCHEN. A few hours later ITCHEN with ST. CROIX’s survivors and a lone survivor from HMS POLYANTHUS was herself torpedoed with a GNAT from U-666. Of the three ships company’s, there were only three survivors, two from ITCHEN and one from ST. CROIX, a total of 148 sailors from ST. CROIX were killed. This was first use of an acoustic torpedo. SEE Details.
9 October 1943 –German U-220 lays sixty-six mines off St. John’s harbour. On 19 October 1943 convoy WB-65 departed Belle Island, NF for Sydney, Cape Breton, SS Penolver struck a mine off St. John’s and sank in three minutes. SS Delisle stopped to rescue survivors and struck a mine fifteen minutes later. Twenty-three merchant sailors in Penolver were killed.
22 October 1943 –A German automatic weather station, code named Kurt, is set up by U-537 in Martin Bay, Labrador. It was not found until 1977 when a civilian archaeology team mistook the weather station for Canadian Military instillation.
24 September 1943 –German U-536 enters Baie des Chaleurs and lies in wait off Pointe de Maisonette for a rendezvous with escaped German U-Boat POW’s from Camp 30 in Bowmanville, Ontario. Remaining submerged during the day and surfacing at night to charge batteries, with no contact from the POW’s, the U-Boat departs during the night of 28 Sept. The mass escape plan had been discovered by the RCMP and the RCN had developed a plant to capture/sink U-536. The U-Boat escaped the trap by hugging the coast, hampered only by becoming temporarily caught in a fishing net. One POW did manage to escape from Camp 30 independently from the group and was captured near the rendezvous point.
20 November 1943 -HMCShips CALGARY, SNOWBERRY and HMS NENE attack and sink German submarine U-536 with Depth Charges and gunfire, north of the Azores. U-536 had earlier escaped a trap set for her by the RCN in the Baie de Chaleurs. (HMS NENE transferred to RCN six months later)
1944
8 January 1944 -HMCS CAMROSE with HMS BAYNTUN press home eight depth charge attacks over 2 hours, sinking German U-757 in the North Atlantic.
24 April 1944 -HMCS WASKESIU while escorting convoy SC-153 mid-Atlantic, attacks U-257 with Depth Charges and hedgehog forcing U-Boat to surface, then sinks it with gunfire. Nineteen submariners are rescued and taken POW by WASKISIU & HMS NENE.
6 March 1944 -HMCShips CHAUDIÈRE, GATINEAU, ST. CATHARINES, CHILLIWACK and FENNEL from 2nd Canadian Escort Group (EG) while escorting convoy HX-280, share in sinking German U-744. During the 32 hr battle, 291 DC’s were dropped forcing sub to surface. Thirty-nine submariners are rescued and taken POW.
13 March 1944 -HMCS PRINCE RUPERT with US Naval units, USAF and British aircraft, attacks & sinks German sub U-575, in the North Atlantic.
31 March 1944 -HMCShips SIOUX and ALGONQUIN escort task force deployed to destroy German battleship, Tirpitz in Norwegian Fjord in #OpTUNGSTEN. Canadians command two squadrons of carrier-based fighter aircraft in the raid. Fourteen hits are scored on the German battleship.
14 April 1944 -HMCS SWANSEA and HMS PELICAN with a coordinated creeping Depth Charge attack, force U-448 to the surface, then sink U-Boat with gunfire in Mid North Atlantic. The two ships picked up 42 German POW’s, nine submariners killed.
22 April 1944 -HMCShips MATANE & SWANSEA attack and sink U-311, North Atlantic. Credit was not given until post war assessment. This was SWANSEA’s 3rd U-boat in 4 weeks.
26 April 1944 -HMCShips ATHABASKAN, HURON and HAIDA attack three German destroyers in a night battle off French Coast near Ushant, sinking T29 with gunfire.
29 April 1944 -HMCShips HAIDA and ATHABASKAN attack with guns German destroyers T24 and T27. HAIDA drives T27 onto rocky French coast. T24 was damaged, escaping after firing torpedoes. HMCS ATHABASKAN was struck by one of the torpedoes and sunk. Of ATHABASKAN’s ships company of 261 RCN sailors, 128 are killed, 86 become Prisoners Of War and 44 are rescued by HAIDA. SEE Details.
6 May 1944 -HMCS VALLEYFIELD torpedoed and sunk by German U-548, 50 miles south east of Cape Race. There were 38 survivors, 125 RCN sailors were killed.
6 June 1944 -D-Day the invasion of Normandy, 110 RCN ships and 10,000 sailors take part in Op NEPTUNE, landing 14,000 Canadian soldiers on Juno Beach in the invasion of France.
7 June 1944 -HMCShips OTTAWA (II) and KOOTENAY after a prolonged attack, sink U-678 in the English Channel.
9 June 1944 -10th Destroyer Flotilla (DF) ships HMCS HAIDA and HMCS HURON attack and sink German destroyer Z32 in a running gun battle, off Ile de Bas, France.
10 June 1944 -HMCS TEME, frigate is severely damaged in collision with escort aircraft carrier, HMS TRACKER.
14 June 1944 -65th Canadian Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB) Flotilla attack a German convoy off St. Malo, France, sinking two merchant ships and setting minesweeper M133 on fire.
24 June 1944 -HMCS HAIDA with HMS ESKIMO attack and sink U-971 in Bay of Biscay, fifty-one German sailors rescued and taken POW.
2 July 1944 -RCN MTB 460, struck mine in the English Channel, 11 of her 17 sailors are killed. SEE Details.
6 July 1944 -HMCShips KOOTENAY and OTTAWA (II) assist in sinking German submarine U-678 with Depth Charges and Hedgehog, south of Brighton.
6 July 1944 -HMCShips QU’APPELLE, RESTIGOUCHE, SASKATCHEWAN and SKEENA attack three U-boat escorts off Brest, sinking two and setting the third on fire.
8 July 1944 -RCN MTB 463 (29th Canadian MTB Flotilla) strikes mine while patrolling off Sword Beach, five of her crew were wounded.
20 July 1944 -HMCS MATANE damaged by German glider bomb off Brest, 3 sailors are killed. She is towed to Plymouth by HMCS MEON, repairs require 8 1/2 months.
26 July 1944 -HMCS ALBERNI successfully shoots down a German Junkers 88 aircraft, that was attacking the corvette off the coast of France.
14 August 1944 -HMCS IROQUOIS with 10DF attack two German Naval Forces in Bay of Biscay. In the first attack an armed merchant ship & destroyer are damaged. Later, three minesweepers are attacked, driving 2 ashore and a third, M385 is sunk by IROQUOIS.
15 August 1944 -HMCShips PRINCE DAVID and PRINCE ROBERT land infantry in southern France, #OpDRAGOON, including 279 soldiers from the Devils Brigade.
18 August 1944 -HMCShips KOOTENAY, CHAUDIÈRE and OTTAWA (II) assist in sinking the German submarine U-621, off LaRochelle, France.
21 August 1944 -HMCS ALBERNI torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-480, SE of Isle of Wright, 59 RCN sailors are killed.
22 August 1944 -Canadian manned escort aircraft carrier, HMS NABOB is torpedoed by U-354, in Barents Sea. HMCS ALGONQUIN takes off 203 of NABOB’s ships company, twenty-one sailors are killed. The remaining RCN sailors save their ship, NABOB returns to Scapa Flow under her own power, were she is considered a total constructive loss.
22 August 1944 -HMCS IROQUOIS with HMS URSA and MAURITIUS attack several German ships off Biscay coast, sinking one and driving another ashore.
1 September 1944 -HMCShips SAINT JOHN and SWANSEA hunt U-247, attacking with Depth Charges and Hedgehog, eventually sinking German sub, off Land’s End.
9 September 1944 -HMCShips DUNVER and HESPELER attack and sink U-484 with Depth Charges, Hedgehog and Squid Mortars, south of the Hebrides.
4 October 1944 -HMCS CHEBOGUE torpedoed in her stern by U-1227 mid-Atlantic, 7 sailors killed. Her remaining ships company save their ship and she is towed 800 miles to port.
8 October 1944 -HMCS MULGRAVE is damaged by mine and beached near LaHavre, FR. Not repaired considered a total constructive loss.
14 October 1944 -HMCS MAGOG lost 60 feet of her stern from a torpedo fired by U-1223, near Pointe des Monts, St. Lawrence River. Three of her ships company are killed and three wounded.
16 October 1944 -HMCShips ANNAN & LOCH ACHANALT sink U-1006 south of Faeroes Islands; forty-six submariners become POW. Eight RCN sailors in ANNAN are wounded.
17 October 1944 -HMCShips PRINCE HENRY & PRINCE DAVID take part in OpMANNA, landing liberation forces in Athens, Greece.
25 October 1944 -HMCS SKEENA drags her anchor in a gale and is lost by grounding off Reykjavik, Iceland. Fifteen sailors are killed. SEE Details.
12 November 1944 -HMCS ALGONQUIN and 26th DF attack a seven ship convoy off Norway, sinking one naval escort and grounding/capsized another, five merchant ships are sunk/grounded during the battle.
24 November 1944 -HMCS SHAWINIGAN torpedoed by U-1228 in the Cabot Strait, off Port-aux-Basques, NF. No Survivors from her ships company of 91. SEE Details.
17 December 1944 -HMCS MONTREAL rescues survivors U-1209 when U-boat wrecked on Wolf Rock, Near Land’s End.
24 December 1944 -HMCS CLAYOQUOT was torpedoed by U-806 off Halifax, sinking in 10 minutes. Eight RCN sailors are killed. SEE Details.
27 December 1944 -HMCShips ST. THOMAS and SEA CLIFF attack and sink German U-Boat U-877 using Squid Mortar, while escorting convoy HX-237 in the North Atlantic.
1945
14 February 1945 -29th Canadian MTB Flotilla is destroyed in a catastrophic fire at Ostende Harbour, Belgium. 26 RCN sailors are killed & boats 459, 461, 462, 465 & 466 are lost. SEE Details.
16 February 1945 -HMCS SAINT JOHN sinks German submarine U309, in Moray Firth, UK following a persistent attack with Depth Charges & Hedgehog.
22 February 1945 -HMCS TRENTONIAN torpedoed by U-1004 off Falmouth, sinking in 10 minutes, six sailors are killed, 95 survivors. TRENTONIAN the last of all corvettes to be sunk in action in Battle Of Atlantic, WWII. SEE Details.
7 March 1945 -Frigates of Canadian 25th EG, HMCShips LA HULLOISE, STRATHADAM and THEDFORD MINES attack with Depth Charges & Hedgehog sinking U-1302, near St. George’s Channel, UK.
17 March 1945 -HMCS GUYSBOROUGH is torpedoed and sunk by U-878 off Ushant, France. Of her ship’s company of 92, fifty-one RCN sailors are killed. She is the last RCN ship lost overseas in WWII. SEE Details.
20 March 1945 -HMCS NEW GLASGOW sinks U-1003 by “Other Means.” Frigate accidentally collides with and sinks the German submarine off Lough Foyle. This is the last U-Boat destroyed by RCN in Battle Of Atlantic, WWII.
29 March 1945 -HMCS TEME is torpedoed by German U-246 in the English Channel, escorting convoy BTC 111. Losing 60 feet of her stern, the frigate’s ships company save the ship. Later she is declared a total constructive loss and not repaired.
11 April 1945 -Six RCN sailors in HMCS STRATHADAM are killed when a hedgehog projectile explodes prematurely during attack on a sonar contact.
16 April 1945 -German minesweeper FGi 07 surrenders to HMCS THUNDER with the 31st Canadian Minesweeping Flotilla while clearing mines off France.
16 April 1945 -HMCS ESQUIMALT is torpedoed by U-190 off Halifax, sinking in 4 min, forty-four RCN sailors are killed. The Bangor class minesweeper is the last RCN ship lost in the Battle Of Atlantic. SEE Details.
8 May 1945 -Germany formally surrenders and Admiral Donitz orders the German U-Boats to surface and surrender, ending the Battle Of Atlantic.
9 May 1945 -Canadian Naval Wireless stations received first surrender message from U-805 in mid-Atlantic. This is followed by nine more U-Boats that day and eight more the next.
10 May 1945 -German submarine U-889 surrenders to the RCN and HMCShips ROCKCLIFFE and DUNVEGAN are diverted to intercept the U-Boat. The two RCN ships had to return to their convoy and were relieved by HMCShips BUCKINGHAM and INCH ARRAN, escorting U-889 Shelburne, NS arriving on 13 May 1945.
11 May 1945 -The German submarine U-190 surrenders to the RCN and is met by HMCS VICTORIAVILLE and HMCS THORLOCK and escorted to Bay Bulls, NF arriving on 12 May 1945. U-190 sank HMCS ESQUIMALT.
11 May 1945 -HMCS THETFORD MINES arrived at Lough Foyle, Ireland escorting eight surrendered German U-Boats.
27 May 1945 -HMCS EASTVIEW escorts the last west bound convoy of the Second World War; HX-358 departs St. John’s.
27 May 1945 -HMCS JONQUIÈRE escorts the last east bound convoy of the Second World War, ON-305 departs UK.
28 May 1945 –Signal sent from Admiralty, discontinuing all convoys on the north and south Atlantic, Arctic Ocean, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea and St. Lawrence. One by one, merchant ships began turning on navigation lights and then sailing in full illumination, causing the final convoys to shine like bright cities on the water.
Cover Photo: HMCS ALBERNI shooting down a German Junkers 88 aircraft, that was attacking the corvette off the coast of France on 26 July 1944. Painting by Marc Magee.
Related Posts:
- Canada and the Battle Of Atlantic
- Royal Canadian Navy -Victory’s/Losses WWII
- Royal Canadian Air Force -Victory’s/Losses WWII
- Canadian and Newfoundland Merchant Navy Losses WWII
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