The Second World War
The Merchant Navy  - Serving with the Merchant Navy

During the Second World War, Canadian and Allied merchant mariners faced the constant hard work of operating and maintaining their ships, the threat of enemy attack, and the dangers of accidents and storms.

Storm Damage, SS Joel R. Poinsett

This June 1944 photograph shows the torn hull of the American merchant ship SS Joel R. Poinsett after it broke in a storm.

Enemy action was not the only danger faced by merchant mariners. The Joel R. Poinsett split in two in a March 1944 storm. The fore part of the ship sank, but the after part remained afloat because the watertight bulkheads (left, inside hull) held. A lengthy search and difficult recovery by the salvage tug Foundation Franklin saved the rest of the ship, which was towed back to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where it became a floating depot.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19720151-016