Canada's Naval History

Second World War
Battle of the Atlantic - The U-Boats Surrender

With Germany's defeat in May 1945, its U-Boats (submarines) were required to surrender to Allied forces. The Royal Canadian Navy was involved in the surrender of U-Boats in European waters, while U-190 and U-889, surrendering to Canadian forces in the Western Atlantic, were brought to ports in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

U-889's Crew

Guarded by Canadian sailors, some of U-889's crew stand on the deck of Fairmile motor launch Q-117.

The Royal Canadian Navy removed U-889's crew following the U-Boat's surrender at Shelburne, Nova Scotia. On this, its first war patrol, the submarine had left Germany in March, stopping in Norway before heading into the Atlantic in early April. It surrendered before it could carry out orders to attack shipping off the port of New York. U-889's crew were fortunate: an estimated 75 per cent of U-Boat crew members did not survive the war.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20070014-016_1