Battle of the St. Lawrence
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| Atlantic Campaign |
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| River Plate – Altmark – SC-7 – HX-84 – HX-106 – Berlin – Denmark Strait – Bismarck – Mediterranean – Channel Dash – St. Lawrence – Laconia – PQ-17 – Barents Sea – North Cape |
The Battle of the St. Lawrence involved a number of submarine and anti-submarine actions throughout the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of the St. Lawrence from May to October 1942 and, briefly, again in October and November, 1944. During this time, German U-boats sank a number of merchant marine ships and three Canadian warships.
In the inter-war years, poor economic conditions had resulted in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) being reduced to a half dozen destroyers, and incapable of defence of its coastal waters.
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[edit] Spring 1942
The Kriegsmarine had made no plans to attack in the St Lawrence, despite its activities off Halifax, Nova Scotia so early attacks were ad hoc and opportunistic. The first sinkings were by U-553, of the British freighter Nicoya a few kilometres off Anticosti Island on June 10, 1942 and then of the Dutch freighter Leto, a couple of hours later. The U-553 then returned to the Atlantic.
Before these sinkings, the St. Lawrence had been guarded by only four RCN warships, a Bangor class minesweeper, two Fairmile Marine Motor Launches and an armed yacht, clearly inadequate for the task, if challenged. They were reinforced by five Flower class corvettes after the U-boat attacks, but it remained inadequate.
The incident revealed that the RCN simply did not have the resources to deal with the situation and there were political repercussions in Canada with suggestions that RCN ships allocated to the Atlantic convoys should be recalled for home waters protection. The priority remained, however, of the protection of convoys to Britain, Russia and North Africa.
Several RN escorts were attached to the RCN for several months during 1942, with convoys in the St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence being formed between RCN facilities in Quebec City, Gaspé, and Sydney. RCAF aircraft patrolled from operations squadrons based at RCAF stations such as Mont-Joli, Bagotville, Chatham, Summerside and Debert.
Residents along the Gaspé coast and the St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence were terrified at the sight of maritime warfare off their shores, with ships on fire and explosions rattling their communities, while debris and bodies floated ashore. The Canadian government's wartime secrecy saw censors forbid media reporting of incidents so the only news came from local gossip. Blackouts were strictly enforced and army units were sent out on coastal patrols along roads and railway lines.
[edit] Summer 1942
On July 6, U-132 sank three freighters off the Gaspé coast and damaged another on July 20, each time escaping attack by the corvette HMCS Drummondville. There were further German attacks in August, on harbours in Labrador and Newfoundland and on a convoy in the Strait of Belle Isle.
In September, three U-boats made a joint raid on the St. Lawrence. The U-517 sank nine ships and damaged another in a two week period, escaping escort vessels each time; one of the casualties being HMCS Charlottetown on September 11. The U-165 was less successful: although it sank the armed yacht HMCS Raccoon, it was harassed by the Royal Canadian Air Force and had no more success.
The continued attacks caused the St. Lawrence to be closed to all trans-Atlantic shipping, allowing only coastal trade. In practice, although this embargo strained the rail system to Halifax, it simplified the management of Atlantic convoys. The embargo lasted until early 1944.
[edit] Fall 1942
In October, the ferry SS Caribou was torpedoed by the U-69, in Cabot Strait, between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, with heavy loss of life. . The U-boat escaped attacks by the minesweeper HMCS Grandmère. In November, the U-518 sank two freighters and damaged another in Conception Bay, Newfoundland, en route to the Gaspé where, despite an attack by an RCAF aircraft, it successfully landed a spy at Point de New Carlisle, Quebec.
The Kriegsmarine then redeployed its U-boats in the Atlantic convoy routes, withdrawing from the St. Lawrence. The RCAF successfully harassed them from Canadian coastal waters and the RCN had grown in numbers and effectiveness. The St.Lawrence was reopened to shipping in April 1944.
[edit] Fall 1944
In late 1944, the was a resurgence of U-boat activity, using submarines equipped with snorkel, a telescopic breathing system usable without surfacing. The U-1223 entered the St. Lawrence undetected, seriously damaged the frigate HMCS Magog on October 14 and sunk the Canadian freighter SS Fort Thompson on November 2. Three weeks later, in Cabot Strait, the U-1228 sank the corvette HMCS Shawinigan on November 24, 1944. These German attacks were the last of the Battle of the St. Lawrence.
In May 1945, at the end of the war, the U-889 and U-190 surrendered to the Royal Canadian Navy, at Shelburne, Nova Scotia and Bay Bulls, Newfoundland.
After the war, it was shown that mingling of fresh and salt waters, plus temperature variations, disrupted wartime sonar systems. The St. Lawrence's fog and bad weather also hampered air patrols and activity.
