The Battle of the Atlantic: The Corvettes and Their Crews- An Oral History

Description

As John Terraine has written, "There has been nothing quite like the Battle of the Atlantic and it is improbable that there ever will be." Sir Winston Churchill for one did not underestimate its importance: he called it 'the dominating factor all through the war'. The true story of what the Battle of the Atlantic was really like is here told through the words and photographs of the crew members of the 'Flower' class corvettes. This remarkable class of ships was originally designed for coastal convoys but, because of an acute shortage of escorts, they were ordered to protect the vital American supply in their passage across the North Atlantic. The corvettes, immortalized in Nicholas Monsarrat's The Cruel Sea, became the backbone of the Battle of the Atlantic, bearing the brunt of the long campaign. They were simple ships, with very basic equipment and accomodation. Nevertheless, they proved to be excellent seaboats, surviving the mountainous seas of the mid-Atlantic. They had, however, a very lively motion which is still vividly remembered by all who served in them. The corvette crews were close-knit companies who often served together for long periods and the comradeship forged in such harsh conditions has survived to this day. These first-hand accounts offer a glimpse of life on board the corvettes both off-watch and in battle. The include discussion of such topics as the recruitment, training and structure of the crews, the pattern of the convoys, and the general conditions on board, highlighting all too clearly the stresses and anxieties experienced by crew members. The personal testimonies and original photographs serve as a lasting tribute to the robustness of these small ships and the courageousness of their crews.