1939First Merchant Ship Sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic

The British freighter SS Bosnia becomes the first merchant s...
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1943

💥 First Merchant Ship Sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic

The British freighter SS Bosnia becomes the first merchant ship sunk in the battle of the Atlantic when it gets targeted off the coast of Portugal by the U-boat U-47.
First Merchant Ship Sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic (1939)
Battle of the AtlanticU-boatsNaval WarfareMerchant ShipsSS BosniaSubmarine WarfareAtlantic Ocean

🚢 SS Athenia Torpedoed, Beginning of the Battle of the Atlantic

Within hours of the British declaration of War, SS Athenia, a British cruise ship en route from Glasgow, UK, to Montreal, Canada, is torpedoed by the German submarine U-30 250 miles (400 km) Northwest of Ireland. 112 passengers and crew members are killed. The "Battle of the Atlantic" starts.
SS Athenia Torpedoed, Beginning of the Battle of the Atlantic (1939)
Battle of the AtlanticU-boatsGermanyWorld War IINaval WarfareAtlantic OceanWar CrimeSubmarine Warfare

🚢 Heavy Convoy Losses to U-boats

Heavy convoy losses to U-boats in the Atlantic.
AtlanticU-boatsGerman NavyConvoy WarfareNaval WarfareSubmarine WarfareBattle of the AtlanticMerchant Ships

🚢 German U-boat Offensive Gains Success

German U-boat offensive in the Atlantic is now increasingly successful.
U-boatsAtlantic OceanNaval WarfareSubmarine WarfareBattle of the AtlanticWar at SeaMerchant Shipping

🚢 U-boats Withdraw from US Atlantic Coast

Battle of the Atlantic: German Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz orders the last U-boats to withdraw from their United States Atlantic coast positions in response to an increasingly effective American convoy system.
U-boats Withdraw from US Atlantic Coast (1942)
Atlantic OceanU-boatsBattle of the AtlanticConvoysUS NavyGermanyNaval WarfareWar

🚢 U-boat Activity Increases in the Atlantic

Devastating convoy losses in the Atlantic due to increased U-boat activity; the middle of the Atlantic is apparently not sufficiently covered by planes or ships.
Atlantic OceanU-boatsConvoy WarfareNaval WarfareSubmarine WarfareSupply LinesBattle of the AtlanticLogistics