Timeline of the Second Battle of the Atlantic
Encyclopedia
September
September 3, 1939- German submarine U-30 sinks the . This attack is interpreted by the United Kingdom as the start of unrestricted submarine warfareUnrestricted submarine warfareUnrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchantmen without warning, as opposed to attacks per prize rules...
. However, in Germany it leads to stricter controls being issued by the KriegsmarineKriegsmarineThe Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
. Germany at this point had 39 of its 58 U-boatU-boatU-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s at sea, but this was far less than the 300 which Admiral Karl DönitzKarl DönitzKarl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
, chief of German submarine forces, considered to be necessary before the opening of war.
September 5, 1939
- HMS Neptune (20)HMS Neptune (20)HMS Neptune was a Leander class light cruiser which served with the Royal Navy during World War II.Neptune was the fourth ship of its class and was the ninth Royal Navy vessel to carry the name...
stops, evacuates and sinks the German freighter Inn off the Canary IslandsCanary IslandsThe Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
September 14, 1939
- U-39 attacks the British aircraft carrier , but fails to cause any damage. The aircraft carrierAircraft carrierAn aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
's escorts force U.39 to the surface with depth charges and the crew are taken prisoner.
September 16, 1939
- The first Allied convoyConvoyA convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
sets sail from Halifax, Nova ScotiaCity of HalifaxHalifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
. HX-1 contained 18 merchant ships and was escorted by HMCS St Laurent and HMCS SaguenayHMCS Saguenay (D79)HMCS Saguenay was a River-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1931-1945.She was similar to the Royal Navy's A-class and initially wore the pennant D79, changed in 1940 to I79....
to an Atlantic rendezvous with Royal Navy ships HMS BerwickHMS Berwick (65)HMS Berwick was a Royal Navy County class heavy cruiser, of the Kent subclass. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , with the keel being laid down on 15 September 1924...
and HMS YorkHMS York (90)HMS York, pennant number 90, was a heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy built in the late 1920s. She mostly served on the North America and West Indies Station before World War II. Early in the war the ship escorted convoys in the Atlantic and participated in the Norwegian Campaign in 1940...
.
September 17, 1939
- U-29German submarine U-29 (1936)German submarine U-29 was a Type VIIA U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.She was laid down on 2 January 1936 and commissioned on 10 November 1936. During her career U-29 was involved in seven war patrols under the command of Kapitänleutnant Otto Schuhart...
sinks the Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
aircraft carrier .
September 17, 1939
- The first Allied "fast convoy" HXF-1 sets sail from HalifaxCity of HalifaxHalifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
escorted by HMCS Fraser.
September 20, 1939
- U-27 is sunk with depth charges from the British destroyers HMS FortuneHMS Fortune (H70)HMS Fortune was an F class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She sank a U boat in 1939 and was transferred to Canada in 1943, becoming ....
and ForesterHMS Forester (H74)HMS Forester was a F class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, commissioned in 1935, that saw service in World War II, seeing action in Norway, in the Mediterranean, on the Russian and Atlantic Convoys, and during the Normandy landings before being sold for scrap in early 1946.-Construction:The...
.
September 26, 1939
- German media reports the sinking of the British aircraft carrier . However, this report is false: many such reports would be made during the war.
September 30, 1939
- German pocket battleship Graf Spee sinks the first merchant ship of its cruise. Total sinkings for its sortie will total nine vessels totalling 50,000 tons before it becomes embroiled in the Battle of the River PlateBattle of the River PlateThe Battle of the River Plate was the first naval battle in the Second World War. The German pocket battleship had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September 1939...
.
Dec 4
- First U-boat lost to an Allied submarine in the war when sank the U-36 outside Kristiansund in Norway.
October
October 14- U-47, under KapitänleutnantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Günther PrienGünther PrienLieutenant Commander Günther Prien was one of the outstanding German U-boat aces of the first part of the Second World War, and the first U-boat commander to win the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Under Prien's command, the submarine sank over 30 Allied ships totaling about...
, penetrates the British naval base at Scapa FlowScapa Flowright|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, sinking at anchor.
October 16
- Germany begins employing magnetic mines. These cause significant losses to Allied shipping.
November
November 21, 1939- British light cruiser hits a German mine, and is seriously damaged while operating in the Firth of ForthFirth of ForthThe Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
.
November 23, 1939
- A German magnetic mine is recovered successfully by the Allies, leading to the development of effective counter-measures. The German battleship ScharnhorstGerman battleship ScharnhorstScharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
sinks the British armed merchant vessel RawalpindiRawalpindiRawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
. The Scharnhorst and its accompanying GniesenauGerman battleship GneisenauGneisenau was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the second vessel of her class, which included one other ship, Scharnhorst. The ship was built at the Deutsche Werke dockyard in Kiel; she was laid down on 6 May 1935...
are forced to abandon their sortie and return to port.
December
December 10, 1939- The first Allied troop convoy TC-1 set sail from Halifax with 7,400 men of the Canadian First Division.
February
February 14, 1940- The United Kingdom announces armaments will be carried by all passenger ships. Germany responds by announcing that all vessels will be considered warships.
March
March 16, 1940- A German air raid at Scapa FlowScapa Flowright|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
damages a cruiser and causes the first civilian casualties in Britain of the war.
June
June 25, 1940- Canada lost its first navy vessel during an accident off the coast of France, when HMCS Fraser was cut in two by Royal Navy cruiser HMS CalcuttaHMS Calcutta (D82)HMS Calcutta was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the Indian city of Calcutta. She was part of the Carlisle group of the C-class of cruisers.She was laid down by Vickers Limited in 1917, and launched on 9 July 1918...
, with 45 lives lost aboard the Fraser and 19 aboard Calcutta.
August
August 4, 1940- U-52German submarine U-52 (1939)|German submarine U-52 was a Type VIIB U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was initially ordered on 15 May 1937 in violation of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, and laid down on 9 March 1938 at the yards of F. Krupp Germaniawerft AG in Kiel as werk 587...
sinks 3 British merchant steamships.
October
October 22, 1940- HMCS MargareeHMS Diana (H49)HMS Diana was a D-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. Ordered in 1931, the ship was constructed by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, and entered naval service in 1932. Diana was initially assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet before she was transferred to the China Station in early 1935...
, recently acquired to replace HMCS Fraser, was sunk in a collision with the freighter MV Port FairyMV Port FairyMV Port Fairy was a UK merchant vessel built in 1928 for the Commonwealth & Dominion Line Ltd shipping company and sold in 1965 to Embajada Compania Naviera SA of Piraeus...
480 km west of Ireland. 142 men were lost, including the captain and four other officers.
December
December 1. 1940- HMCS SaguenayHMCS Saguenay (D79)HMCS Saguenay was a River-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1931-1945.She was similar to the Royal Navy's A-class and initially wore the pennant D79, changed in 1940 to I79....
was the first Canadian naval vessel hit by torpedo in the Battle of the Atlantic, attacked 300 miles west of Ireland by a submarine while escorting Convoy HG-47.
June
June 13, 1941- Newfoundland Escort ForceNewfoundland Escort ForceThe Newfoundland Escort Force was an Allied formation of escort ships during the Battle of the Atlantic. Created in 1941, the force consisted of ships from the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and United States Navy under the command of Commodore Leonard W. Murray .In June 1941, the British decided...
created under the command of Admiral MurrayLeonard W. MurrayRear Admiral Leonard Warren Murray, CB, CBE was a officer of the Royal Canadian Navy who played a significant role in the Battle of the Atlantic. He commanded the Newfoundland Escort Force from 1941–1943, and from 1943 to the end of the war was Commander-in-Chief, Canadian Northwest Atlantic...
based at St John's NewfoundlandSt. John's, Newfoundland and LabradorSt. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, to provide escort cover from the coast of Canada to Iceland.
July
July 7, 1941- President RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
announces that US warships will henceforth protect US merchant vessels in the North Atlantic, and the USA effectively joined the Battle of the Atlantic.
September
September 10, 1941- Canadian corvettes HMCS MoosejawHMCS Moosejaw (K164)HMCS Moose Jaw was a Royal Canadian Navy which took part in convoy escort duties during World War II, and together with achieved the RCN's first U-boat kill of the war....
and HMCS ChamblyHMCS Chambly (K116)HMCS Chambly was a serving in the Royal Canadian Navy. She was ordered from Canadian Vickers Ltd. in Montreal, laid down on 20 February 1940, launched on 29 July, and commissioned on 18 December 1940, named after the city of Chambly, Quebec...
sank U-501 by depth charges and ramming in the Denmark Strait south of Tasiilaq, Greenland. This was Canada's first U-boat kill of the Battle of the Atlantic.
September 19, 1941
- HMCS LevisHMCS Levis (K115)HMCS Lévis was a Royal Canadian Navy which took part in convoy escort duties during World War II.She was laid down at Davie Shipbuilding & Repairing Co. Ltd., Lauzon on 11 March 1940 and launched on 4 September of that year...
was the first Canadian corvette sunk during the war. Levis was hit by a torpedo while escorting SC-44 off the coast of Greenland.
October
October 31, 1941- HX 156 was being escorted by the United States Navy in October, 1941, when U-552 torpedoed USS Reuben JamesUSS Reuben James (DD-245)USS Reuben James —a post-World War I four-funnel Clemson-class destroyer—was the first United States Navy ship sunk by hostile action in World War II and the first named for Boatswain's Mate Reuben James , who distinguished himself fighting in the Barbary Wars.Reuben James was laid down on 2 April...
. Reuben James was the first United States warship sunk during World War II.
January
January 12, 1942- MV Cyclops is sunk 160 miles south of Halifax, heralding the start of a U-boat campaign that saw approximately 200 merchant vessels sunk within 10 miles of the East coast of the USA.
January 30, 1942
- Convoy SC 67 departed Halifax and picked up a transatlantic escort in Newfoundland, which accompanied the convoy as far as Northern Ireland. This marked the start of the allied end-to-end convoy escort system, which remained in effect until the end of the war.
March 20, 1942
- A new system of BX and XB convoys was initiated between Halifax and Boston, to counter the U-boat campaign along the East coast of the USA.
June
June 10, 1942- U-553, torpedoed and sank the British freighter Nicoya at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River several kilometres off Anticosti IslandAnticosti IslandAnticosti Island is an 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. At in size, it is the 90th largest island in the world and 20th largest island in Canada...
, followed by the Dutch freighter Leto
July
July 6, 1942- U-132German submarine U-132 (1941)German submarine U-132 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 10 August 1940 by Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack, launched on 10 April 1941 and commissioned on 29 May that year. In four patrols, U-132 sank eight ships for a total...
sank three freighters off the GaspéGaspé PeninsulaThe Gaspésie , or Gaspé Peninsula or the Gaspé, is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, extending into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
coast
September
September 14, 1942- HMCS Ottawa was torpedoed by U-91 while escorting Convoy ON-127 500 nautical miles (930 km) east of St. John's, Newfoundland, at 47°55′N 43°27′W / 47.917°N 43.45°W / 47.917; -43.45Coordinates: 47°55′N 43°27′W / 47.917°N 43.45°W / 47.917; -43.45 (German naval grid BC 6191). 114 crew lost their lives, including the commanding officer, while 65 survivors were rescued by nearby vessels.
October
October 14, 1942- Newfoundland RailwayNewfoundland RailwayThe Newfoundland Railway was a railway which operated on the island of Newfoundland from 1898 to 1988. With a total track length of , it was the longest narrow gauge railway system in North America.-Early construction:...
passenger ferry SS CaribouSS CaribouThe SS Caribou was a passenger ferry used by the Newfoundland government's ferry service between Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and North Sydney, Nova Scotia....
was torpedoed by the U-69, in Cabot StraitCabot StraitCabot Strait is a strait in eastern Canada approximately 110 kilometres wide between Cape Ray, Newfoundland and Cape North, Cape Breton Island. It is the widest of the three outlets for the Gulf of Saint Lawrence into the Atlantic Ocean, the others being the Strait of Belle Isle and Strait of Canso...
September
September 8, 1943- Italy surrenders, and Britain starts to redeploy their Mediterranean destroyers to the Atlantic.
December
December 26, 1943- ships of the Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
sank the German battleshipBattleshipA battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Scharnhorst off NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
's North CapeNorth Cape, NorwayNorth Cape is a cape on the island of Magerøya in Northern Norway, in the municipality of Nordkapp. Its 307 m high, steep cliff is often referred to as the northernmost point of Europe, located at , 2102.3 km from the North Pole. However, the neighbouring point Knivskjellodden is actually...
.
1939
- September: Allied shipping losses total 53 vessels. 41 vessels totaling 153,800 tons are lost to submarines. German losses are two submarines.
- October: Allied shipping losses total 196,000 tons. German losses are five submarines.
- November: Allied shipping losses to submarines are 21 vessels totaling 51,600 tons. More than 100,000 tons are lost to German mines.
- December: Allied shipping losses are 73 vessels totaling 189,900 tons. 25 are sunk by submarines. The Germans lose one submarine.
Total Allied losses to mines during 1939 are 79 vessels totaling 262,700 tons.
1940
- January: Allied losses are 73 vessels totaling 214,500 tons, of which 40 vessels totaling 111,200 tons are sunk by submarines. Germany has 38 operational submarines to begin the year.
- February: Allied losses are 226,900 tons, of which 45 vessels totaling 169,500 tons are lost to submarines.
- March: Allied losses are 45 vessels, of which 23 are lost to submarines. Germany loses three submarines.
- October: Massacre of Convoy SC-7Convoy SC-7SC-7 was the code name for a large Allied World War II convoy of 35 merchant ships and six escorts which sailed eastbound from Sydney, Nova Scotia for Liverpool and other United Kingdom ports on 5 October 1940. While crossing the Atlantic, the convoy was intercepted by one of the German Navy's...
1943
- March
- Allied shipping losses were 627,000 tons.
- April: Closing of Mid-Atlantic gapMid-Atlantic gapThe Mid-Atlantic Gap was the gap in coverage by land-based Coastal Command antisubmarine aircraft during the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War. It is frequently known as The Black Pit, as well as the Atlantic Gap, Air Gap, Greenland Gap, or just "the Gap". This resulted in heavy...
- May
- April: Closing of Mid-Atlantic gap
- Allied shipping losses were 157,000 tons, and 37 U-boats were sunk plus 32 damaged.
- U-boats withdrawn Black MayBlack May (1943)‘Black May’ refers to a period in the Battle of the Atlantic campaign during World War II, when the German U-boat arm suffered high casualties with fewer Allied ships sunk; it is considered a turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic.-Background:After February battles around convoys SC 118, ON...
- June: 17 U-boats destroyed
- July: 46 U-boats destroyed
- August: 20 U-boats destroyed
External links
- The Battle of the Atlantic Original reports and pictures from The Times
- Chronology 1939-42 at naval-history.net
- Chronology 1942-45 at naval-history.net