1939 ⟶ SS Athenia Torpedoed, Beginning of the Battle of the Atlantic

Within hours of the British declaration of War, SS Athenia, ...

Year

1939

1941

1942

🚢 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

🇩🇪 German U-boats Ordered to Attack British Ships

German authorities order U-boats to immediately take action against all British ships, but sparing French ships and in strict observance of prize rules.⟶

GermanyU-boatsNaval WarfareAtlantic OceanWorld War IIWar DeclarationSubmarine Warfare

💥 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.⟶

Battle of the AtlanticU-boatsNaval WarfareMerchant ShipsSS BosniaSubmarine WarfareAtlantic Ocean

🚢 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

🚢 Convoy Losses in Mid-Atlantic

Huge convoy losses in mid-Atlantic this week.⟶

convoyAtlantic OceanU-boatsnaval warfareshippingBattle of the AtlanticUnited KingdomWorld War II

🚢 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