St John S And The Battle Of The Atlantic

During World War II St. John's, Newfoundland, played a critical role in the fight against Nazi Germany. Seamen from all over the world sailed to and from the old seaport, chosen for duty because it was closest to Europe and because its people knew both the peril and glory of the North Atlantic. In his introduction to this absorbing collection of stories, Bill Rompkey examines the city's yeoman service to one of the most famous battles in military history and the effect it had on the people of St. John's. The stories that follow provide an inside look at life in Newfoundland during this challenging time.

The stories and memories of those who lived through the Second World War in Newfoundland.

A brilliant work of naval history, Deadly Seas tells the dramatic story of the birth, life, and death of two wartime vessels, one Allied, the other Axis, and, through them, the larger story of the epic Battle of the Atlantic itself.

Begin a journey through wartime St. John's, Newfoundland, as Margaret Duley unveils the remarkable tale of 'The Caribou Hut'. Amidst the chaos and influx of soldiers and sailors from diverse allied nations, this historical account unveils the efforts to restore order and create a sanctuary for those far from home. Delve into the profound impact of the Second World War on the city, as the lives of courageous men and the dedicated volunteers of the Caribou Hut intertwine.

The picturesque Port of St. John's is an enduring symbol of Newfoundlanders' inextricable link to the sea. Indeed, it was the geographic features of St. John's harbour that encouraged initial settlement here, the starting point from which the city expanded. But the legacy of the growth of the port is a unique history unto itself. Playing a major role in the international salt fish trade, the port has been a safe haven for fishermen in the North Atlantic since at least the 1500s, and it later proved a strategic position in WWII during the Battle of the Atlantic. Since then, it has successfully evolved for newer industries and technologies, most notably as a supply base for offshore oilfields as well as the largest containerized cargo handling port in Newfoundland and Labrador. Commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the port's incorporation under the federal government's jurisdiction, this book traces the oral history of the port in the twentieth century. Adapted from over a dozen recorded interviews with those who have most intimately seen and shaped the port's evolution, A Beautiful Sight is a unique glimpse into one of the most storied harbours in North America. In the fifty years since its incorporation as a federal government port, the Port of St. John's has undergone remarkable change. Within the past three decades, the port has reinvented itself as a base for the oil industry and a major cargo terminal, a remarkable transformation for a port that credited its existence to the salt fish trade for five centuries. For years the port had hosted the arrival and departure of the spring seal fishery, which brought men from all over the island to the harbourfront in hopes of securing a berth at sea. Fishermen from all over the world relied upon the Port of St. John's as the only safe haven in the North Atlantic, and many foreign sailors became intimately acquainted with the people and geography of St. John's. In particular, the annual visit of the Portuguese White Fleet helped strengthen a special cultural relationship that is still nurtured today. For centuries of seamen who worked on these frigid waters, the port was their St. John's. Stories collected from: Robert Innes David Fox John Crosbie Miller Ayre Captain Sid Hynes Ches Sweetapple Glenn Critch Len Kenny J. P. Andrieux Ed Anthony Albert Burgess Bill Rompkey Rob Strong

"Remarkable...a feat of historical reconstruction."—Paul Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous campaign of World War II, climaxed in 1943, when Germany came closest to interrupting Allied supply lines and perhaps winning the war. In March of that year, German U-boats scored their last great triumph, destroying nearly 150,000 tons of supplies and fuel. • Blow-by-blow account of the largest convoy battle of the war • Analyzes the tactics, technology, and intelligence of both sides

THE FIRST COMPLETE, THOROUGHLY DOCUMENTED ACCOUNT OF THE PIVOTAL CAMPAIGN OF WORLD WAR II--THE GERMAN ATTEMPT TO SEVER ALLIED SUPPLY LINES IN THE ATLANTIC.

Enduring great danger and often terrible conditions in heavy seas, the Rescue Tug Services worked tirelessly to bring to port damaged vessels and keep up the supply of food and essential items during two world wars.They were first deployed towards the end of the First World War to support and if necessary to salvage merchant shipping that had been damaged by U-boat attacks. During the Second World War they were needed even more urgently when ships bringing food and other essential supplies to a beleaguered Britain were attacked by both air strikes and submarines. Although part of the Royal Navy, the contribution of the Rescue Tug Service remained curiously absent from the naval history of the Second World War. Yet the Service had developed what a wartime American newspaper called 'a new type of naval vessel – the British fighting escort tug' and had saved millions of tons of shipping, both warships and merchant ships, not to mention the crews and the precious cargoes. The official history of the Merchant Navy did not mention the Service either, nor did numerous other books on the war at sea. In 2014 author Ian Dear was given access to the archives of the Deep Sea Rescue Tug Service which were about to be disbanded. His research, here and elsewhere produced a view of the war at sea from an entirely new angle. The result, The 'Tattie Lads' explores why the service might have been omitted from the official story, and reveals its fascinating history in a full-length book for the first time.