German U-Boat Attacks At Bell Island (1942) National Historic Event
Bell Island, Newfoundland and Labrador
Damage cause by a german torpedo
(© Lt Gerald M. Moses / Canada. Dept. of National Defence | Ministère de la Défense nationale / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA-188854)
Address :
Bell Island, Newfoundland and Labrador
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2019-08-16
Dates:
-
1942 to 1942
(Significant)
Other Name(s):
-
German U-Boat Attacks At Bell Island, 1942
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2019-15-A
Importance:
Commemoration of the attacks by German U-Boat at Bell Island during the Second World War
Plaque(s)
Approved Inscription:
During the Second World War, this island was the target of two deadly torpedo strikes by U boats. U 513 and U 518 disrupted the supply of iron ore to Canadian and British steel mills by targeting this strategically significant mining and shipping centre, which was vital to the war effort. The 1942 attacks resulted in damage to the Scotia pier, the sinking of four ships, and the deaths of Allied sailors, bringing the war home to Newfoundlanders. In the weeks that followed, the governments of Newfoundland and Canada worked together to install anti-torpedo nets around the ore-loading piers and increase patrols in Conception Bay.