Canada's Naval History

Second World War
Battle of the Atlantic - The Battle of the St. Lawrence

The struggle on the Atlantic between Allied navies and German U-Boats (submarines) brought the naval war into Canada, turning the river and Gulf of St. Lawrence into a battleground. From 1942, German U-Boats sank 23 merchant and naval ships; improvements in anti-submarine defences ultimately stemmed these losses.

HMCS Raccoon

A civilian yacht converted for military service, HMCS Raccoon was one of several Royal Canadian Navy ships sunk during the battle of the St. Lawrence.

The German submarine U-165 sank Raccoon in the early morning of 7 September 1942 during an attack on a convoy near Pointe-au-Père, Quebec. In the confusion, Raccoon's loss was not realized until later in the day. Little trace of the ship and its 37 crew was ever found, aside from some wreckage and the body of its captain, R.H. McConnell.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20070195-008b_front