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Battle Of The St Lawrence
On May 11, 1942, a German U-boat torpedoed SS Nicoya, violently ending a peace in Canada’s waters that stretched back to 1812. By the end of 1944, another 18 merchant ships and four Canadian warships would be destroyed. More than 300 men, women and children—including at least 260 Canadians—died by explosion, fire or icy drowning.
Drawing on numerous first-hand accounts from both Canadians and Germans, respected writer and historian Nathan Greenfield has penned a lively, revealing narrative, the first popular account of World War II in Canadian waters. This is a must-read for military history enthusiasts, veterans and their families.
Drawing on numerous first-hand accounts from both Canadians and Germans, respected writer and historian Nathan Greenfield has penned a lively, revealing narrative, the first popular account of World War II in Canadian waters. This is a must-read for military history enthusiasts, veterans and their families.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
241 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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35 people want to read
About the author
Nathan M. Greenfield
11 books8 followersNATHAN M. GREENFIELD, PhD, is the Canadian correspondent for The Times Educational Supplement and is a contributor to Maclean’s, Canadian Geographic and The Times Literary Supplement. He is the author of The Damned, which was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Non-Fiction; Baptism of Fire, which was a finalist for the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction; and the widely praised The Battle of the St. Lawrence. Greenfield lives in Ottawa.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 25, 2015
This was a part of Canada’s participation in World War II that I was completely unaware of – the sinking by German U-boats of Allied ships in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River almost as far inward as the town of Rimouski, Quebec. Due to these U-boat killers hundreds of men, women and children lost their lives in these frigid cold waters.
Some of the boats were sunk in very remote areas like the Strait of Belle Isle which is off Northern Newfoundland/Labrador. The attacks are very poignantly described by Mr. Greenfield who uses many eye-witness accounts. Of particular sadness are the following:
The HMCS Shawinigan went down in a matter of seconds on November 25, 1944. Its’ entire crew of 91 perished near Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland.
The HMCS Raccoon went down September 7, 1942 with its’ entire crew of 31 off the Gaspe coast.
The SS Caribou was a ferry used to transport civilians between Sydney, Nova Scotia and Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland. It was sunk October 14, 1942 with 136 men, women, and children dying; many succumbing in the icy water after the Caribou went down. There were 104 survivors. One can readily imagine the impact these tragedies had on these small towns. There is a memorial plaque in Port Aux Basques to pay homage to the victims. (see http://www.sjrh.k12.nf.ca/legionmemor...)
In many of these cases the captain went down with his ship ensuring that as many of his crew could safely exit the sinking ship. It must also be remembered that the torpedo caused such destruction to the ship that many lifeboats were rendered useless. So amid the carnage, the destruction and explosions, the incoming freezing water, the boiling waters of the engine room bursting – the survivors, many disabled and injured, had to cope with a Dante’s inferno.
All this is well depicted in this book – and it illustrated once again the savagery of this war and its world-wide scope – the relentlessness of a foe travelling thousands of miles to bring wanton destruction in Canadian waters( I acknowledge that Newfoundland at the time was part of Great Britain; it joined Canada in 1949). It should also be noted how much of this happened near small isolated communities – but the news travelled quickly of the U-boat menace as survivors gathered to recoup in the coastal towns. Many of these towns have memorials to the fallen.
I had a few issues with the map provided – it should have shown where Port Aux Basques was.
Some of the boats were sunk in very remote areas like the Strait of Belle Isle which is off Northern Newfoundland/Labrador. The attacks are very poignantly described by Mr. Greenfield who uses many eye-witness accounts. Of particular sadness are the following:
The HMCS Shawinigan went down in a matter of seconds on November 25, 1944. Its’ entire crew of 91 perished near Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland.
The HMCS Raccoon went down September 7, 1942 with its’ entire crew of 31 off the Gaspe coast.
The SS Caribou was a ferry used to transport civilians between Sydney, Nova Scotia and Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland. It was sunk October 14, 1942 with 136 men, women, and children dying; many succumbing in the icy water after the Caribou went down. There were 104 survivors. One can readily imagine the impact these tragedies had on these small towns. There is a memorial plaque in Port Aux Basques to pay homage to the victims. (see http://www.sjrh.k12.nf.ca/legionmemor...)
In many of these cases the captain went down with his ship ensuring that as many of his crew could safely exit the sinking ship. It must also be remembered that the torpedo caused such destruction to the ship that many lifeboats were rendered useless. So amid the carnage, the destruction and explosions, the incoming freezing water, the boiling waters of the engine room bursting – the survivors, many disabled and injured, had to cope with a Dante’s inferno.
All this is well depicted in this book – and it illustrated once again the savagery of this war and its world-wide scope – the relentlessness of a foe travelling thousands of miles to bring wanton destruction in Canadian waters( I acknowledge that Newfoundland at the time was part of Great Britain; it joined Canada in 1949). It should also be noted how much of this happened near small isolated communities – but the news travelled quickly of the U-boat menace as survivors gathered to recoup in the coastal towns. Many of these towns have memorials to the fallen.
I had a few issues with the map provided – it should have shown where Port Aux Basques was.
October 2, 2022
The writing didn't quite flow, but the info presented is valuable.
January 1, 2015
An interesting account of a little known aspect of WWII. This book brings home the reality that shipping faced in the St. Lawrence. Greenfield does take licence with some details in order to make the book appeal to a wider audience and this hurts it academically. The manuscript could also have benefited from a proofreader, as I noticed several mistakes in continuity that I attribute to sloppiness rather than poor research.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews