INTRODUCTION
The achievements and sacrifices of Canadians duringthe Second World War were great and covered a broadspectrum of efforts. Wartime was often a time of greatdanger, but the danger was not faced only by thosein military uniform. Those who served in Canada’sMerchant Navy, our country’s fleet of transport shipsthat carried desperately needed equipment, fuel, goodsand personnel to Europe and around the world, hadto do their vital job knowing that their ships wereprime targets for enemy action.
Most of those who served in the Merchant Navywould find themselves as participants in the Battle ofthe Atlantic, the struggle between the Allies and theGermans for control of the Atlantic Ocean. Merchantmariners showed tremendous bravery on this ocean“battlefield”, demonstrating the heroism of ordinaryCanadians who chose to risk so much to help protectthe rights of others.
■ A total of 12,000 men and women served inCanada’s Merchant Navy.
■ More than 25,000 merchant ship voyages weremade during the war.
GOING TO WAR
It was known right from the beginning that Canada’smerchant ships would have an important role to playin the war effort. In fact, early information gatheredby British intelligence agents about German shipmovements led Canada to conscript all merchantships two weeks before the war actually began. On
Veterans AffairsCanada
Anciens CombattantsCanada
August 26, 1939 the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)took control of all shipping. Despite the fact thatmerchant crews were not compelled to sail on thedangerous ocean passages, most indeed did.
■ When the war began, Canada had 38 ocean-goingmerchant vessels. By war’s end 410 merchant shipshad been built in Canada.
■ Because so many merchant sailors experienced thedangers of mines and submarines during the FirstWorld War, they knew firsthand the dangers ofwartime shipping.
■ Merchant crews were given training at specialschools such as the Marine EngineeringInstructional School in Prescott, Ontario.
FACING THE “WOLF PACKS”
“Wolf-packs” of German submarines, known asU-boats, preyed on merchant ships, causing heavylosses and high mortality rates for merchant crews.The term U-boat is from the German word forsubmarines, Unterseebooten (undersea boats).
■ To help protect merchant ships, the Royal CanadianAir Force (RCAF) supplied air escorts and theRoyal Canadian Navy (RCN) organized merchantships into convoys that were accompanied by armednaval escorts. These escorts included speciallydesigned boats such as corvettes that couldoutmaneuvre submarines.
■ German production of U-boats was so efficientthat for a time they could turn out U-boats fasterthan the Allies could sink them.
Photo: V
iew from
R.C
.A.F. aircraft of convoy m
erchant ships in the North A
tlantic. National A
rchives of Canada/P
A 115005
solve the problem by building flight decks onmerchant ships, and even creating MerchantAircraft Carriers (MACs) - tankers or grain carriersequipped with a deck and three or four aircraft.
■ The Battle of the Atlantic was a battle of technologyas well as guns. When the Germans developedacoustic torpedoes that homed in on the noisemade by a ship’s propellers, Allied scientistsresponded in 17 days with a noise-making devicetowed behind a ship that fooled the torpedo,diverting it harmlessly away.
■ Merchant mariners bore much of the brunt of theBattle of the Atlantic. The casualty rate was onein seven, a higher percentage of total casualtiesthan those suffered by any of Canada’s fightingservices. Approximately 1,500 Canadians died,including eight women. As well, 59 Canadian-registered merchant ships were lost.
THE LEGACY
The collective experiences and stories of all Canadiansduring the Second World War, including those in theMerchant Navy, provides us with a proud and lastinglegacy that will continue into the country’s future.To learn more about the role our country played inthe Second World War, please visit the Veterans AffairsCanada Web site at: www.vac-acc.gc.ca orcall 1-877-604-8469 toll-free.
■ The German Navy continued to improve submarinetechnology during the war. For example, Germanscientists invented the “schnorkel”, a breathingdevice that allowed U-boats to charge their batteriesunderwater and stay submerged for up to ten days.Previously, the submarines had to resurfacefrequently. This fact helped the U-boats in theface of the Allies’ air superiority and radar systems.
THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
From the very beginning of the war, Germansubmarines tried to cut supply routes across theAtlantic, threatening the transportation of vital goodsand personnel to Britain. Along with the RCN andthe RCAF, the Merchant Navy played a key role inthe six-year campaign to clear the Atlantic of U-boats.It was far from easy - they faced fierce attacks byGerman submarines and hazardous, life-threateningweather conditions in the North Atlantic - but theyput themselves in harms way in the quest for peaceand freedom in the world.
■ The Battle of the Atlantic was the only battle ofthe Second World War that was waged close toNorth American shores. German U-boats attackedcoastal shipping from the Caribbean to Halifax.During the summer of 1942, they even penetrateddeep into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and sank ships.
■ Early in the war, many merchant ships were lostbecause escorting aircraft reached the limits of theirflight capacity and had to turn back before theships reached their destinations. The navy helped
Pho
to: C
onso
lidat
ed 'L
iber
ator
' G.R
. V a
ircra
ft of
R.A
.F. C
oast
al C
omm
and
esco
rtin
g tr
ans-
Atla
ntic
con
voy,
ca.
194
3. N
atio
nal A
rchi
ves
of C
anad
a/P
A -
107
907
