1939 ⟶ First Merchant Ship Sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic
The British freighter SS Bosnia becomes the first merchant s...Year
1939
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1943
💥 First Merchant Ship Sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic
🚢 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.⟶

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.⟶

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