An exhibit about the U-Boat attacks at Bell Island is now online.
How a virtual museum exhibit on World War II shipwrecks in Newfoundland came about:
How many Canadians know that two German U-boats attacked and sank four merchant ships on the
shores of Bell Island, Newfoundland in 1942? The Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland & Labrador
wanted to make this wartime story more available as an online museum exhibit. The Shipwreck Society
partnered with the Bell Island Heritage Society and worked for two years gathering archival documents and
photographs from Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Folklorists interviewed Bell Islanders to
collect family stories of the rescue and care of the surviving sailors from the torpedoed ships. Researchers
found documents that showed the number of sailors killed in the attacks was actually 65. Those sailors came
from Newfoundland, Canada, England, France and French colonies in Africa and Asia. Underwater
archaeologists with the Shipwreck Society generated 3D multibeam sonar imagery of the four shipwrecks,
while underwater filmmakers Jill Heinerth and Seaproof.tv generously shared their video “Exploring Bell Island”
and underwater photographs of divers exploring the four shipwrecks. Memorial ceremonies to the lost
seamen, artifacts from the shipwrecks and commemorative artwork of the sinkings were photographed for the
exhibit. The exhibit closes with the names of the Merchant Navy sailors and Royal Navy gunners lost in the
sinkings. Neil Burgess of the Shipwreck Preservation Society says “These horrendous U-boat attacks happened
on the doorstep of Bell Island and Newfoundland. The brave response of Bell Island residents saved the lives of
dozens of sailors, who were floundering in the cold North Atlantic after their ships were torpedoed and sunk.
This story is an important part of our wartime heritage and deserves to be more widely known by
Newfoundlanders and Canadians.
How many Canadians know that two German U-boats attacked and sank four merchant ships on the
shores of Bell Island, Newfoundland in 1942? The Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland & Labrador
wanted to make this wartime story more available as an online museum exhibit. The Shipwreck Society
partnered with the Bell Island Heritage Society and worked for two years gathering archival documents and
photographs from Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Folklorists interviewed Bell Islanders to
collect family stories of the rescue and care of the surviving sailors from the torpedoed ships. Researchers
found documents that showed the number of sailors killed in the attacks was actually 65. Those sailors came
from Newfoundland, Canada, England, France and French colonies in Africa and Asia. Underwater
archaeologists with the Shipwreck Society generated 3D multibeam sonar imagery of the four shipwrecks,
while underwater filmmakers Jill Heinerth and Seaproof.tv generously shared their video “Exploring Bell Island”
and underwater photographs of divers exploring the four shipwrecks. Memorial ceremonies to the lost
seamen, artifacts from the shipwrecks and commemorative artwork of the sinkings were photographed for the
exhibit. The exhibit closes with the names of the Merchant Navy sailors and Royal Navy gunners lost in the
sinkings. Neil Burgess of the Shipwreck Preservation Society says “These horrendous U-boat attacks happened
on the doorstep of Bell Island and Newfoundland. The brave response of Bell Island residents saved the lives of
dozens of sailors, who were floundering in the cold North Atlantic after their ships were torpedoed and sunk.
This story is an important part of our wartime heritage and deserves to be more widely known by
Newfoundlanders and Canadians.
