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The Far Distant Ships. An Official Account Of Canadian Naval Operations In The Second World War
Book by Joseph Schull
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1950
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About the author
Joseph Schull
44 books3 followersJoseph Schull was a Canadian playwright and historian who wrote more than two dozen books and 200 plays for radio and television.
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February 9, 2023
Far Distant Shores was written and published in 1950 with the approval of the Canadian Ministry of Defense. Access to all necessary naval and government documents was granted the author. My copy was republished in 1987. “Those far distant, storm-beaten ships upon which the Grand Army never looked, stood between it and domination of the world.” These words, written of Napoleon and the ships of Nelson gave the title to this book. They can be said to describe the situation and activities of the allied navies during the Second World War. Although commissioned by the Canadian Ministry of Defense, I do not believe it is the “Official” history of the Canadian Navy in this war. It reads far too easily, with very few footnotes for that role. It reports however on nearly every major activity (multiple ships) and serious engagements (one or more ship) faced by this force.
The book seems to cover Canada’s largest ships including corvettes, motor torpedo boats, mine sweepers and landing ships as well as the obvious frigates, destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers. It feels like every important action is covered including sinkings (ours and theirs), battles, and major damages given and received. The loss of Athabaskan, for instance, covers more than four pages with another page describing how she got into her ultimate battle. Defending the merchant convoys from U-boats was the job of the corvettes and frigates. Destroyers, cruisers and aircraft Carriers were initially directed to wherever they were needed in various surface battles. As they became more numerous later in the war, these ships began to be put on the offensive against the U-boats. The faster ships including motor torpedo boats and destroyers were generally directed towards German coastal shipping. Mine sweepers were used in many roles besides clearing mines. The run up to D-day included a significant effort clearing mines in the North Sea, as well as the off-shore and near-shore defensive mine fields laid by the Germans.
I enjoyed this book more than I expected; it was much lighter than I feared. The text was absent any jargon rendering it accessible to a wide audience. Readers could include anybody who ever had a relative in the navy or in the infantry and was landed in Sicily or Normandy. It could also be of interest to readers studying history in high school or post-secondary institutions. It is simply a good story about Canadians.
Particularly good for those with an interest in Second World War naval battles; four stars.
The book seems to cover Canada’s largest ships including corvettes, motor torpedo boats, mine sweepers and landing ships as well as the obvious frigates, destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers. It feels like every important action is covered including sinkings (ours and theirs), battles, and major damages given and received. The loss of Athabaskan, for instance, covers more than four pages with another page describing how she got into her ultimate battle. Defending the merchant convoys from U-boats was the job of the corvettes and frigates. Destroyers, cruisers and aircraft Carriers were initially directed to wherever they were needed in various surface battles. As they became more numerous later in the war, these ships began to be put on the offensive against the U-boats. The faster ships including motor torpedo boats and destroyers were generally directed towards German coastal shipping. Mine sweepers were used in many roles besides clearing mines. The run up to D-day included a significant effort clearing mines in the North Sea, as well as the off-shore and near-shore defensive mine fields laid by the Germans.
I enjoyed this book more than I expected; it was much lighter than I feared. The text was absent any jargon rendering it accessible to a wide audience. Readers could include anybody who ever had a relative in the navy or in the infantry and was landed in Sicily or Normandy. It could also be of interest to readers studying history in high school or post-secondary institutions. It is simply a good story about Canadians.
Particularly good for those with an interest in Second World War naval battles; four stars.
Displaying 1 of 1 review