Battle of Bell Island

Battle of the Bell islands
	Part of the American Theater and the Battle of the St. Lawrence of World War II
Date	August 1942 – November 1942
Location	Bell Islands, Newfoundland
Result	Indecisive
Belligerents
Canada; Newfoundland	Germany
Commanders and leaders
	Kapitän-Leutnant Rolf Ruggeberg; Kapitän-Leutnant Friedrich Wissmann; Werner von Janowski
Strength
SS Lord Strathcona ; SS Saganaga ; SS Evelyn B ; SS Anna T ; Flyingdale ; SS Rose Castle ; SS Caribou ; PLM 27 ; HMCS Drumheller ; 2 Fairmile fast motor boats	German submarine U-513; German submarine U-518
Casualties and losses
SS Lord Strathcona (29 killed) ; SS Saganaga ; SS Evelyn B ; SS Rose Castle (28 killed) ; SS Caribou (137 killed) ; PLM 27 (12 killed)	Spy captured

In 1942, the German U-boats attacked Bell Island two times which led to four ore boats sinking, and more than 60 men dead, making it one of the few places in the Dominion of Newfoundland raided during the Second World War. The Germans also tried to capture St. John's, the capital of Newfoundland.[1] These engagements are considered part of the larger Battle of the St. Lawrence. Bell island is an island in Conception Bay, Newfoundland and the waters were part of an important Atlantic convoy route that allowed supplies to flow from the United States to its allies in Europe. Many ships brought supplies in these waters to Britain's troops, but many of them were cut off by the German U-boats. Later in the war, many other ships sunk which led to the death of more than 137 people.

The German U-boat Attacks

On the night of September 4, 1942 The German boat, U-513, which was under the command of Kapitänleutnant Rolf Ruggeberg, followed the iron ore carrier Evelyn B to Conception Bay. There, they spent the night under twenty meters of water. The next morning on September 5, the U-513 attacked and sank the SS Lord Strathcona and the SS Saganaga. A total of twenty-nine men who were all on the SS Saganaga died. Right after the attack, the U-513 left the fight following Evelyn B. On November 2 at 3 a.m., the waters off Bell Island saw a second attack, this time executed by the U-518. Commanded by Kapitänleutnant Friedrich Wissmann, and it was at the southern end of Bell Island in an area known as “The Tickle,” also known as Wabana Anchorage. Over the course of an hour, it fired a torpedo at the 3,000 ton Anna T. It missed and went under the SS Flydingdale which then exploded towards the loading dock. This explosion startled many in Bell Island. Wissman fired twice more. The torpedoes went straight towards SS Rose Castle, and the ship immediately sank, killing twenty-eight men with it. Another vessel was the PLM 27. It was also attacked, and right after it was hit, sank losing twelve men. After these shootings, the U-518 escaped even though there were two patrol boats nearby. This whole attack lasted ten minutes. Governor of Newfoundland Admiral Humphrey Walwyn, was angered by these sinkings. Upon his return to St. John's, he called the Chief of Staff, Captain F.L. Houghton, and said “It was madness to let ships lie unprotected”. However, Houghton felt that it was better for the ships to be left alone in St. John's.

Aftermath

After all the attacks had happened, the result was indecisive. Many Newfoundlanders wittnesed the aftermath of the raids. Evidence of the battle persist to today. Many pictures were taken of the ruins from the battle. Later on in 1942, On October 13, the ship SS Caribou, departed from Sydney at 9:30 p.m. The next morning, the boat U-69 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Ulrich Gräf, raided the vessel and it sunk in the Gulf of St. Lawrence taking 137 people with it, including women and children.

References

[2]

Paul Collins. "Bell Island Sinkings". Retrieved Oct 28, 2019.
Collins , Paul W. “The Battle for Bell Island.” The U-Boat Attacks on the Bell Island Ore Ships in 1942, 2011,http://www.seethesites.ca/designations/the-u-boat-attacks-on-the-bell-island-ore-ships-in-1942.aspx Archived 2017-07-16 at the Wayback Machine

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[1] Paul Collins. "Bell Island Sinkings". Retrieved Oct 28, 2019.

[2] Collins , Paul W. “The Battle for Bell Island.” The U-Boat Attacks on the Bell Island Ore Ships in 1942, 2011,http://www.seethesites.ca/designations/the-u-boat-attacks-on-the-bell-island-ore-ships-in-1942.aspx Archived 2017-07-16 at the Wayback Machine