The Battle of Atlantic was the longest continuous battle of the Second World War. The battle began on the opening day of the war in September 1939 and ended almost six years later with Germany’s surrender in May 1945. More than 1,600 Merchant Navy personnel from Canada and Newfoundland were killed. The casualty rate was higher than those of any of Canada’s fighting services during the Second World War — one out of every seven Merchant Navy sailors who served was killed or wounded. The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) also paid a high toll in the Battle of the Atlantic. Most of the 2,000 RCN officers and men who died during the war were killed during the Battle of the Atlantic, as were 752 members of the RCAF.
This weekend, the RCN will mark this battle with a Ceremonial Anchorage of six ships in Plumper Sound. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is planning to keep the anchorages in Plumper Sound open and available to the RCN ships until the event is complete on May 3 at 1300.
