In Peril on the Sea The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle of the Atlantic

by Graves E., Donald

• ISBN13: 9781896941325
• ISBN10: 189694132X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-07-15
• Publisher: Robin Brass Studio, Inc.

Summary

This is the story of a forgotten fighting service. During the Second World War the Royal Canadian Navy expanded from a tiny force of ten warships in 1939 to the third largest Allied navy by 1945. The RCN's primary wartime role was convoy escort in the North Atlantic, and Canadian warships served in this grim theatre, where the weather was an enemy almost as dangerous as the U-boats, for nearly six years. In Peril on the Sea is the story of the Canadian navy and its important contribution to Allied victory in the Battle of the Atlantic -- the most crucial battle of the Second World War. Much of this fascinating saga is presented through the personal accounts of 65 eyewitnesses -- British, Canadian, German... sailors, submariners and merchant seamen -- who participated in the Second World War's longest operation. In Peril on the Sea contains nearly 200 photographs, drawings, maps, graphics and ship profiles which bring to life with compelling immediacy the grim but courageous struggle to preserve the sea lanes of freedom between 1939 and 1945. Commissioned by the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust and written by one of Canada's foremost historians, In Peril on the Sea will appeal to general and specialist readers alike. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Donald E. Graves, one of Canada's best known military historians, is the -author or editor of 20 books primarily on the War of 1812 and the Second World War. His studies on the battles of Lundy's Lane (Where Right and Glory Lead!) and Crysler's Farm (Field of Glory) are established classics of musket-period warfare.

Table of Contents

Foreword	9	(2)
Rear Admiral D.W. Piers
Introduction	11	(2)
Vice Admiral Hugh MacNeil
Acknowledgements	13	(4)
Canada and the Sea: 1600-1918	17	(16)
The Early Days to 1918	27	(6)
Long, Slow Years: The Royal Canadian Navy between the Wars, 1919-1939	33	(16)
The Interwar Period	43	(6)
Opening Rounds: The Royal Canadian Navy at War, September 1939--May 1941	49	(26)
The First Months of War, 1939-1940	66	(9)
Time of Trial: The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle of the Atlantic, May 1941--May 1942	75	(28)
1941	91	(12)
``If we lose the war at sea, we lose the war:'' The Ordeal, May--November 1942	103	(26)
1942	120	(9)
``The Battle of the Atlantic is getting harder:'' Victory in Mid-Ocean, December 1942--May 1943	129	(28)
1943	144	(13)
The Royal Canadian Navy Comes of Age: June 1943--April 1944	157	(28)
1944	177	(8)
Victory: May 1944--May 1945	185	(46)
1945	204	(7)
Epilogue: Triumph and Tragedy: The Legacy of the Battle of the Atlantic	211	(7)
The Aftermath	218	(5)
Welcome on board HMCS Sackville	223	(8)
Appendix A: The Royal Canadian Navy in 1939 and 1945	231	(2)
Appendix B: Vessels of the Royal Canadian Navy in Commission, 10 September 1939 to 8 May 1945	233	(8)
Endnotes	241	(6)
Bibliography	247	(2)
Index	249