The Battle of the St. Lawrence involved a number of submarine and anti-submarine actions throughout the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of the St. Lawrence from May to October 1942 and, briefly, again in October and November, 1944. During this time, German U-boats sank a number of merchant marine ships and three Canadian warships. Combatants Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy United States Navy (1941–5) Kriegsmarine Regia Marina (1940–3) Commanders Sir Percy Noble Sir Max K. Horton Percy W. Nelles Leonard W. Murray Ernest J. King Erich Raeder Karl Dönitz Casualties 30,248 merchant sailors 3,500 merchant vessels 175 warships 28... Combatants Germany United Kingdom New Zealand Commanders Hans Langsdorff Henry Harwood Strength 1 heavy cruiser 1 heavy cruiser 2 light cruisers Casualties 1 heavy cruiser damaged 36 dead 60 wounded 1 heavy cruiser heavily damaged 2 light cruisers damaged 72 dead 28 wounded For other uses, see The Battle of... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... SC-7 was a World War II convoy of 35 merchant ships which sailed eastbound from Sydney, Nova Scotia for Liverpool, England and other British ports on October 4, 1940. ... HX-84 was a World War II convoy of 38 ships which sailed eastbound from Halifax, Nova Scotia for Liverpool, England on 28 October 1940. ... Convoy HX-106 consisted of some 41 ships, eastbound from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Liverpool, England. ... Operation Berlin was the commerce raid performed by German warships KM Scharnhorst and KM Gneisenau between January and March, 1941. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Operation Rheinübung. ... Combatants Royal Navy Kriegsmarine Regia Marina Strength 62 U-boats Casualties 95 merchant ships sunk 24 warships sunk 62 U-boats lost The Mediterranean U-boat Campaign went on and off from September 21, 1941 to May 1944 during World War II. The Nazi Kriegsmarine aimed at isolating Gibraltar, Malta... Operation Cerberus (German: Zerberus after Cerberus the three-headed dog of Greek mythology who guards the gate to Hades) was the name given to the break-out during World War II of the Kriegsmarines ships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Prinz Eugen and a number of smaller ships from Brest to their... The Laconia incident was a 1942 incident during World War II when RMS Laconia, carrying some 80 civilians and 268 British soldiers, and about 1800 Italian POWs with 160 Polish soldiers on guard, was struck by a torpedo from a German U-boat off the coast of West Africa and... PQ-17 was a World War II convoy carrying war materiel from Britain and the USA to the USSR. PQ-17 sailed in June-July 1942 and suffered the heaviest losses of any Russia-bound (PQ) convoy, with 25 vessels out of 36 lost to enemy action. ... Combatants United Kingdom Nazi Germany Commanders Rear-Admiral Robert L. Burnett Captain Robert St. ... Combatants Nazi Germany United Kingdom Commanders Erich Bey† Bruce Fraser Strength 1 battlecruiser 5 destroyers 1 battleship 1 heavy cruiser 3 light cruisers 9 destroyers Casualties 1 battlecruiser sunk 1 battleship lightly damaged 1 heavy cruiser lightly damaged 1 light cruiser lightly damaged 1 destroyer lightly damaged In the World... TheSaint Lawrence River (In French: fleuve Saint-Laurent) is a large west-to-east flowing river in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ... Bathymetry of the Gulf, with the Laurentian Channel visible Gulf of Saint Lawrence (French: golfe du Saint-Laurent), the worlds largest estuary, is the outlet of North Americas Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ...

In the inter-war years, poor economic conditions had resulted in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) being reduced to a half dozen destroyers, and incapable of defence of its coastal waters. For history after 1968, see Canadian Forces Maritime Command The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was the navy of Canada from 1911 until 1968 when the three Canadian armed services were unified to form the Canadian Forces. ...

Spring 1942

The Kriegsmarine had made no plans to attack in the St Lawrence, despite its activities off Halifax, Nova Scotia so early attacks were ad hoc and opportunistic. The first sinkings were by U-553, of the British freighter Nicoya a few kilometres off Anticosti Island on June 10, 1942 and then of the Dutch freighter Leto, a couple of hours later. The U-553 then returned to the Atlantic. The Kriegsmarine (or War Navy) was the name of the German Navy between 1935 and 1945, during the Nazi regime, superseding the Reichsmarine. ... Motto: Template:Unhide = E Mari Merces (Wealth from the Sea) Logo: Location City Information Established: April 1, 1996 Area: (former city) 79. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit(Latin) One defends and the other conquers Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis - Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 11 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... Anticosti - Landsat photo Anticosti Island (French, lÎle dAnticosti) is a rocky, forest covered island at the outlet of the Saint Lawrence River into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, in Quebec, Canada, between 49° and 50° N., and between 61° 40 and 64° 30 W.. It is separated on...

Before these sinkings, the St. Lawrence had been guarded by only four RCN warships, a Bangor class minesweeper, two Fairmile Marine Motor Launches and an armed yacht, clearly inadequate for the task, if challenged. They were reinforced by five Flower class corvettes after the U-boat attacks, but it remained inadequate. HMS Bangor (J00) Bangor Class Minesweepers were employed as Fleet (i. ... Motor Launch is a small military vessel of British design. ... The Flower class corvettes were a class of 267 corvettes developed by the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy specifically for the protection of shipping convoys during the Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945) in World War II. They were a stop-gap measure in the war against the German...

The incident revealed that the RCN simply did not have the resources to deal with the situation and there were political repercussions in Canada with suggestions that RCN ships allocated to the Atlantic convoys should be recalled for home waters protection. The priority remained, however, of the protection of convoys to Britain, Russia and North Africa.

Several RN escorts were attached to the RCN for several months during 1942, with convoys in the St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence being formed between RCN facilities in Quebec City, Gaspé, and Sydney. RCAF aircraft patrolled from operations squadrons based at RCAF stations such as Mont-Joli, Bagotville, Chatham, Summerside and Debert. Motto: Don de Dieu feray valoir (I shall put Gods gift to good use; the Don de Dieu was Champlains ship) Coordinates: , Country  Canada Province  Quebec Agglomeration Quebec City Statute of the city Capitale-Nationale Administrative Region Capitale-Nationale Founded 1608 by Samuel de Champlain Constitution date 1833... Gaspé Ville is a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in eastern Quebec, Canada. ... Downtown Sydney, Nova Scotia. ... The RCAF Roundel is based on that of the British Royal Air Force with a maple leaf, a symbol of Canada in the centre. ... Mont-Joli Airport, (ICAO CYYY, IATA YYY), is located 1. ... Canadian Forces Base Bagotville (IATA: YBG, ICAO: CYBG) (also CFB Bagotville), is a Canadian Forces Base located approximately 4. ... Canadian Forces Base Chatham or CFB Chatham was a Canadian Forces Base located immediately south of the town of Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada. ... Canadian Forces Base Summerside was a Canadian air force base located in St. ... Canadian Forces Station Debert (also CFS Debert) was the location of a Canadian air force, army, and military communications facility in Debert, Nova Scotia. ...

Residents along the Gaspé coast and the St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence were terrified at the sight of maritime warfare off their shores, with ships on fire and explosions rattling their communities, while debris and bodies floated ashore. The Canadian government's wartime secrecy saw censors forbid media reporting of incidents so the only news came from local gossip. Blackouts were strictly enforced and army units were sent out on coastal patrols along roads and railway lines.

Summer 1942

On July 6, U-132 sank three freighters off the Gaspé coast and damaged another on July 20, each time escaping attack by the Bangor class minesweeper HMCS Drummondville. There were further German attacks in August, on harbours in Labrador and Newfoundland and on a convoy in the Strait of Belle Isle. NASA satellite image of the Gaspé Peninsula. ... Labrador (also Coast of Labrador) is a region of Atlantic Canada. ... For other uses, see Newfoundland (disambiguation). ... The Strait of Belle Isle (French: Détroit de Belle Île), sometimes referred to as Straits of Belle Isle or Labrador Straits) is a waterway in eastern Canada that separates the Labrador Peninsula from the island of Newfoundland, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ...

In September, three U-boats made a joint raid on the St. Lawrence. The U-517 sank nine ships and damaged another in a two week period, escaping escort vessels each time; one of the casualties being HMCS Charlottetown on September 11. The U-165 was less successful: although it sank the armed yacht HMCS Raccoon, it was harassed by the Royal Canadian Air Force and had no more success. The HMCS Charlottetown (FFH 339) is the tenth of the Halifax-class line of frigates. ... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces. ...

The continued attacks caused the St. Lawrence to be closed to all trans-Atlantic shipping, allowing only coastal trade. In practice, although this embargo strained the rail system to Halifax, it simplified the management of Atlantic convoys. The embargo lasted until early 1944. A convoy is a group of vehicles traveling together for mutual support. ...

Fall 1942

In October, the ferry SS Caribou was torpedoed by the U-69, in Cabot Strait, between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, with heavy loss of life. . The U-boat escaped attacks by the minesweeper HMCS Grandmère. In November, the U-518 sank two freighters and damaged another in Conception Bay, Newfoundland, en route to the Gaspé where, despite an attack by an RCAF aircraft, it successfully landed a spy at Point de New Carlisle, Quebec. The SS Caribou a passenger ferry used by the Newfoundland government ferry service between Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and North Sydney, Nova Scotia was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sunk in the Cabot Strait October 14, 1942. ... Cabot Strait is a strait in eastern Canada approximately 110 kilometres wide between Cape Ray, Newfoundland Island and Cape North, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit(Latin) One defends and the other conquers Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis - Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 11 - Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... Conception Bay bounded by Cape St. ... , Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Official languages French Government - Lieutenant-Governor Pierre Duchesne - Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 75 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area  Ranked 2nd - Total 1,542,056 km² (595...

The Kriegsmarine then redeployed its U-boats in the Atlantic convoy routes, withdrawing from the St. Lawrence. The RCAF successfully harassed them from Canadian coastal waters and the RCN had grown in numbers and effectiveness. The St.Lawrence was reopened to shipping in April 1944.

Fall 1944

In late 1944, the was a resurgence of U-boat activity, using submarines equipped with snorkel, a telescopic breathing system usable without surfacing. The U-1223 entered the St. Lawrence undetected, seriously damaged the frigate HMCS Magog on October 14 and sunk the Canadian freighter SS Fort Thompson on November 2. Three weeks later, in Cabot Strait, the U-1228 sank the corvette HMCS Shawinigan on November 24, 1944. These German attacks were the last of the Battle of the St. Lawrence. Snorkel, may refer to: Swimmers snorkel Submarine snorkel Vehicle snorkel, for motor vehicles Fume hood Sargeant Snorkel, a character in Beetle Bailey comics Hydraulic platform, a type of fire apparatus Category: ... His Majestys Canadian Ship Magog, K673 was a Canadian River Class frigate launched on September 22, 1944 commissioned May 7, 1944. ... Cabot Strait is a strait in eastern Canada approximately 110 kilometres wide between Cape Ray, Newfoundland Island and Cape North, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. ... is the 328th day of the year (329th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

In May 1945, at the end of the war, the U-889 and U-190 surrendered to the Royal Canadian Navy, at Shelburne, Nova Scotia and Bay Bulls, Newfoundland. The Cox Warehouse on Dock St. ... Bay Bulls (, NST) is a small fishing community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. ... Motto: Quaerite Prime Regnum Dei (Latin: Seek ye first the kingdom of God) Anthem: Ode to Newfoundland Capital St. ...

After the war, it was shown that mingling of fresh and salt waters, plus temperature variations, disrupted wartime sonar systems. The St. Lawrence's fog and bad weather also hampered air patrols and activity. The F70 type frigates (here, La Motte-Picquet) are fitted with VDS (Variable Depth Sonar) type DUBV43 or DUBV43C towed sonars SONAR (SOund Navigation And Ranging) â€” or sonar â€” is a technique that uses sound propagation under water (primarily) to navigate, communicate or to detect other vessels. ...

See also

• Attacks on North America during World War II

Attacks on North America during World War II by the Axis Powers were rare, mainly due to the continents geographical separation from the central theaters of conflict in Europe and Asia. ...

External references

• Detailed article on Battle of the St Lawrence
• Accounts of U-boat attacks in 1942

v • d • e U-boats
U-boat  ·   Battle of the Atlantic (1914–1918)  ·   Battle of the Atlantic (1939–1945)  ·   Operation Deadlight U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... The First Battle of the Atlantic (1914–1918) was a naval campaign of World War I, largely fought in the seas around the British Isles and in the Atlantic Ocean. ... Combatants Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy United States Navy (1941–5) Kriegsmarine Regia Marina (1940–3) Commanders Sir Percy Noble Sir Max K. Horton Percy W. Nelles Leonard W. Murray Ernest J. King Erich Raeder Karl Dönitz Casualties 30,248 merchant sailors 3,500 merchant vessels 175 warships 28... Operation Deadlight was the code name for the scuttling of U-boats surrendered to the Allies after the defeat of Germany near the end of World War II. Of the 154 U-boats surrendered, 121 were scuttled in deep water off Lisahally, Northern Ireland or Loch Ryan, Scotland in late...
U-boat lists	Types · All · Successful · Never deployed · Austrian · Foreign captured · Uncompleted projects
Flotillas (Unterseebootsflottillen)	List · 1. · 2. · 3. · 4. · 5. · 6. · 7. · 8. · 9. · 11. · 13. · 29.
Commanders	Successful · Aces of the Deep · Erich Raeder · Karl Dönitz
Wolf packs	Blücher · Eisbär · Endrass · Hai · Hecht · Lachs · Pfadfinder · Steinbrock Tümmler · Vorwärts · Wolf U-47 returning to port after sinking the Royal Oak. ... List of U-boat types contains lists of the German U-boat types (submarine classes) used in World War I and World War II. The anglicized word U-boat is usually only used as reference for German submarines in the two World Wars and therefore postwar submarine in the Bundesmarine... The list of U-boats includes all U-boats built or operated by Germany. ... Categories: U-boats ... During the Second World War, Nazi Germany built over a thousand U-boats or submarines for service in the Second Battle of the Atlantic in the Kriegsmarine. ... Foreign U-Boats was the title for a special section created by the Nazi German Kriegsmarine that adopted 14 captured allied submarines into the U-Boat corp. ... During World War II the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) considered a number of submarine designs for specialized operations or improving U-boat performance. ... A flotilla (from Spanish, meaning a flota of small ships, and this from French flotte), or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. ... List of U-boat flotillas contains lists of the German U-boat flotillas in the two World Wars. ... 1. ... 2. ... 3. ... 4. ... 5. ... 6. ... The emblem of Unterseebootsflottille Wegener, adopted in 1941. ... 8. ... 9. ... 11. ... The 13. ... 29. ... Commander is a military rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. ... List of successful U-boat commanders contains lists of the most successful German U-boat commanders in the two World Wars based on total tonnage. ... The Aces of the Deep were the ten German U-Boat commanders during World War II who sunk the most enemy merchant ships during their naval services, ranked according to the total tonnage of the ships they sunk. ... Erich Raeder. ... Karl Dönitz (IPA pronunciation:  ); September 16, 1891–December 24, 1980) was a German naval leader, who was in command of the Kriegsmarine during World War II and was President of Germany for 23 days after Adolf Hitlers suicide. ... The term wolf pack refers to the mass-attack tactics against convoys used by U-boats of the Kriegsmarine during the Battle of the Atlantic and submarines of the United States Navy against Japanese shipping in the Pacific Ocean in World War II. Karl Dönitz used the term Rudel... Blücher was a wolf pack of German U-boats in World War II. Named after Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher (1742 - 1819) who led Germany in the wars against Napoleon Bonaparte, this pack was operational from 12 August to 20 August 1942. ... Eisbär (english: Polar Bear) was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated from August 23 to August 29, 1942 in World War II. This pack was assembled to operate in the South Atlantic off Cape Town which was considered to be virgin waters. ... Endrass was a wolf pack of German U-boats during World War II. It was operational from 12 June to 21 June 1942 attacking the convoy HG-84 that comprised 23 ships. ... Hai (english: Shark) was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated from July 8 to July 21, 1942 in World War II. U-116 U-136 U-201 U-572 U-582 U-752 http://uboat. ... Hecht was a wolf pack of German U-boats that sank 13 Allied ships from 12 May to 18 June 1942 in World War II. U-94 U-96 U-124 U-406 U-569 U-590 http://uboat. ... Lachs (english: Salmon) was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated from August 15 to September 27, 1942 in World War II. U-174 U-176 U-216 U-221 U-256 U-258 U-356 U-373 U-438 U-569 U-595 U-596 U-605... Pfadfinder was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated from 23 May to 27 May 1942 in World War II. U-135 U-213 U-404 U-432 U-455 U-566 U-578 U-653 http://uboat. ... Steinbrock was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated from August 1 to August 7, 1942 in World War II. U-43 U-71 U-164 U-210 U-217 U-511 U-552 U-553 U-597 U-607 U-704 http://uboat. ... Tümmler (english: Dolphin) was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated from October 1 to October 11, 1942 in World War II. This pack was sent into the Mediterranean Sea from their French bases and all of them succeeded in getting through the Strait of Gibraltar safely. ... Vorwärts (english: Lets go!) was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated from August 27 to September 27, 1942 in World War II. U-91 U-92 U-211 U-407 U-409 U-411 U-604 U-609 U-659 U-756 http://uboat. ... Wolf was a wolf pack of German U-boats that operated from July 13 to July 21, 1942 in World War II. U-43 U-71 U-90 U-379 U-552 U-597 U-704 http://uboat. ...
Major engagements	Convoy SC-7 · Convoy PQ-17 · Mediterranean · Battle of the St. Lawrence · Black May · Bismarck chase SC-7 was a World War II convoy of 35 merchant ships which sailed eastbound from Sydney, Nova Scotia for Liverpool, England and other British ports on October 4, 1940. ... PQ-17 was a World War II convoy carrying war materiel from Britain and the USA to the USSR. PQ-17 sailed in June-July 1942 and suffered the heaviest losses of any Russia-bound (PQ) convoy, with 25 vessels out of 36 lost to enemy action. ... Combatants Royal Navy Kriegsmarine Regia Marina Strength 62 U-boats Casualties 95 merchant ships sunk 24 warships sunk 62 U-boats lost The Mediterranean U-boat Campaign went on and off from September 21, 1941 to May 1944 during World War II. The Nazi Kriegsmarine aimed at isolating Gibraltar, Malta... ‘Black May’ refers to a period (May 1943) in the Battle of the Atlantic campaign during World War II, when the German U-boat arm (Ubootwaffe) suffered high casualties with fewer Allied ships sunk; it is considered a turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Operation Rheinübung. ...
Capital ships sunk	HMS Royal Oak · HMS Barham · HMS Courageous · HMS Ark Royal · HMS Audacity · HMS Avenger · HMS Eagle · USS Block Island The capital ships of a navy are its important warships; the ones with the heaviest firepower and armor. ... HMS Royal Oak was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy, sunk early in World War II. She was laid down at Devonport on 15 January 1914 and launched on 17 November of that year. ... HMS Barham was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship of the Royal Navy named after Admiral Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham, built at the John Brown shipyards in Clydebank, and launched in 1914. ... HMS Courageous was a warship of the Royal Navy. ... HMS Ark Royal (91), was the third ship of the Royal Navy to carry the name and the second to be an aircraft carrier. ... Originally a German Banana boat named Hanover and captured by the Royal Navy during 1939/40, HMS Audacity was the very first escort carrier. ... HMS Avenger (D 14) was an escort aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy during World War II. Avenger was one of four motorships laid down under Maritime Commission contract (Hull Sun-59), by the Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Company at Chester, Pennsylvania, and launched on 27 November 1940. ... HMS Eagle was an aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy sunk during World War II. The Eagle was laid down at the Armstrong yards at Newcastle-on-Tyne on February 20, 1913. ... The second USS Block Island (CVE-21) (previously AVG-21 then later ACV-21) was launched 6 June 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. ...
Technology	Asdic · Leigh Light · Q-ship · Schnorkel · Elektroboot