The Battle of the Atlantic Memorial — The Royal Canadian Merchant Navy
Photo Credit: CTV News
During the past year, I have been working with a committee in London, Ontario, Canada to enhance/build a memorial for those Canadians who gave their lives during the Battle of the Atlantic, from 1939-1945. The memorial is now finished and was unveiled to the public at the 80th anniversary of the battle’s end (see the news footage of the event further down). I had the distinct honour of writing the text for one of the panels. I thought I’d share it with you today.
The panel is located along the path that leads to the circle of honour. These focus on those who sacrificed everything in the battle to defeat tyranny: The Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Merchant Navy.
Here’s the text:
———
Canadian Merchant Navy Panel Text — English Version
“Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea.”
— Eternal Father, Strong to Save, or, Royal Navy Hymn by William Whiting (1860)
As the thunder of imminent war rumbled across Europe in the weeks leading to 1 September 1939, the government of Canada recognized the critical need for merchant ships to transport equipment, goods, personnel, and fuel to Europe and around the world. The Royal Canadian Navy took control of Canada’s shipping on 26 August 1939, a week before the outbreak of war. Merchant crews were not forced to sail on dangerous trips across the Atlantic; rather, the crews consisted of brave volunteers who were driven by a common goal: To defeat tyranny, defend the innocent, and protect our freedoms.
Two days after Germany invaded Poland, Britain and France responded with their declarations of war on 3 September. Only hours later, a German U-boat torpedoed the British passenger liner SS Athenia during her voyage to Montreal, killing ninety-three passengers and nineteen crew. This was stark reminder of what loomed on the horizon for our nation, our military, and our merchant sailors.
At war’s beginning, Canada had thirty-eight merchant vessels. By its conclusion in 1945, 410 ships had been built in Canada. Crews trained at special schools, such as the Marine Engineering Instructional School in Prescott, Ontario. There, sailors spent six weeks learning to run ships’ engine rooms. Seaborne trade and transport were absolutely vital for the successful campaign to invade Fortress Europe and defeat Hitler, but the sea lanes across the Atlantic were remote and vulnerable to attack. Merchant ships were fitted with deck guns to combat U-boats and aircraft, however, they were often no match for trained military enemy crews. Early in the war, many ships were also old and unsuitable, having been pressed into service in necessity. Vessels were organized into convoys to aid protection. German crews’ goals were to sever the supply lines across the Atlantic Ocean. U-boats, organized into groups called “Wolf Packs,” attacked shipping in the Atlantic and along Canada’s coastline, even penetrating into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Merchant sailors understood the grim reality of the battle, for they were the principal targets of the Wolf Packs. Early in the Battle of the Atlantic, merchant ships were lost far in the ocean due to a lack of air support from land. As a result, the RCN modified some merchant ships with flight decks and four aircraft, creating Merchant Aircraft Carriers on tankers or ships carrying grain in an attempt to close the air gap. Even with these advances, the dangers were numerous: mines, U-boats, surface attack, and air assaults. This, combined with the hazards of the cold Atlantic such as storms and ice, made each voyage deadly. Even worse, damaged ships, or ships foundering at sea, were often left behind for the good of the convoy. Some drowning sailors watched in misery as their convoy sailed on without them. Death by explosion, steam burns, or drowning in the cold Atlantic waters were common. By 1945, there were 463 German U-boats patrolling the Atlantic and sinking Allied merchant ships to cut the thin tendril of support to Europe.
In the end, 12,000 men and women served in Canada’s Merchant Navy, and more than 25,000 voyages were made during the war. Some crewmembers were as young as fifteen years old — too young to be soldiers, but old enough for the Merchant Navy to serve as seamen or apprentice officers. There were others too old for the Armed Forces; people aged forty or above were common. Occasionally a sailor as old as seventy would be serving on a merchant ship. Merchant navy sailors’ lives were often miserable and filled with dangers daily. Despite this, they forged on with resilience; the sailors were determined and grim, and they contributed enormously to ultimate Allied victory. Many women aided in the war effort, working in shipyards building navy and merchant vessels. One example is The Foundation Maritime Ltd. shipyard in Pictou, NS, which employed 699 women building ships for the efforts to defeat tyranny. There were 4,000 women working in Canada’s shipyards by the end of World War 2.
The casualty rate for our merchant mariners was one in seven, a higher percentage than those our fighting services suffered. At the conclusion of the Battle of the Atlantic, after a long and deadly war, approximately 1,600 Canadian Merchant navy sailors, including eight women, and fifty-nine ships, were lost. They gave their lives in the fight for freedom and for those who could not fight, and in the struggle to defeat tyranny. Every merchant sailor, male or female, regardless of whether they lost their lives or survived the Battle of the Atlantic, knew the stakes and committed themselves totally to the cause.
Of the tonnage sunk during the Battle of the Atlantic, 69% was lost to German U-boats, 13% to air attacks, 7% to surface craft, and another 7% to mines. The remaining losses of 4% were from weather or unknown causes. The merchant sailors have no graves for family to visit; the cold ocean is their grave. The purpose of memorials is clear for history, to teach, and most important, to remember.
We will never forget.
“… For more than five and a half years side by side with the Allied Merchant Navies in the face of continual and merciless attacks by the enemy you have maintained the ceaseless flow of sea traffic on which the life and strength of this country depend … In this historic hour we think with special gratitude of the many merchant seamen who have fallen in the fight and whose service and sacrifice will always be a proud memory.”
— British Admiralty’s message to the Canadian Merchant Navy on 10 May 1945
———
Here’s a short reel describing the purpose of the memorial. This is from my official Instagram account, uploaded to YouTube and embedded here.
Thank you to everyone who has donated to the memorial or has provided work on the enhanced project. Find more information here:
Honorary Captain Jeff Topping discusses the Battle of the Atlantic Memorial
Battle of the Atlantic Memorial Official Site
The new memorial is solemn, beautiful, and profound. Thousands of Canadians gave their lives in the battle from 1939 – 1945. Now there is a place for nearby families to lay wreaths, visit, and to remember.
Lest we forget.
Here is the CTV News story of the memorial’s unveiling:
———
— Timothy S. Johnston, 25 June 2025