The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous battle of the Second World War and one in which Canada played a central role. 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.

Beginning the war with a mere 13 vessels (only 6 were ocean-going ships) and 3,500 personnel, the Royal Canadian Navy grew to become one of the largest navies in the world. At war’s end, the RCN comprised 434 commissioned vessels and more than 95,000 men and women in uniform. To this end, around 90,000 men and 26,000 women from B.C. had enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces, the highest rate of enlistment per capita in Canada.

All but a handful of the RCN ships were built in Canada—an accomplishment of critical importance to the Allied cause. Though BC was separated from the U-Boat threat by 5,000 km, our Province’s contribution to the war effort was remarkable. Burrard Dry Dock Company & North Van Ship Repairs produced the vast majority of the 255 vessels built in British Columbia.

The cost of victory was high; most of the 2,000 RCN officers and men who died during the war were killed during the Battle of the Atlantic.