Merchant Mariner Monument and Marker - Sydney, Nova Scotia - World War II Memorials / Monuments on Waymarking.com

The inscription on the marker reads:
English
" 'Voyage after voyage, men who had seen a dozen ships go down about them, men who had been torpedoed once, twice, three times, sailed and sailed again.'
—Joseph Schull, Merchant Seaman

During the Second World War, coal, steel, and other important war materials shipped from Sydney were essential ingredients for the Allied war effort in Europe. Early in the war, Sydney became the assembly port for convoys, often described as the lifeline to Europe. The convoys from Sydney most often consisted of merchant ships that were never intended for the open sea. Often old and dilapidated, many considered as "tramps", these ships were hastily pressed into service. With the older ships, the convoys that sailed from Sydney tended to be slower than other convoys. Because of this, the prefix SC (for Slow Convoy) was used to identify each convoy from Sydney.

Because of the demand for manpower for the armed forces, and industry, it was not uncommon to see men in their forties and fifties serving together on merchant ships with teenaged boys, some as young as fourteen. A small number of women also joined

During the Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945) the danger of a merchant ship being torpedoed or bombed remained constant. Often without warning there was an explosion, followed by the cries of merchant sailors struggling to survive in the cold, oil-slicked and often burning waters of the North Atlantic. Ships loaded with fuel or ammunition were particularly dangerous. If torpedoed, there was the flash, then nothing. It was said there were no rats on a tanker, and that on every ship but a tanker, sailors wore a life preserver when they slept. On a tanker there was no point.

For those who survived, they faced hours, even days, on an open raft or in a small boat. Those left in the water did not survive long. A convoy could not stop to rescue survivors. For the fortunate few that were rescued, there were blankets, dry clothes, coffee, and rum. For thousands of others, there was only the eternal sea.

A total of 177 convoys sailed from Sydney during the Battle of the Atlantic, often averaging more than 14 ships per convoy. In one example alone, in October 1940, convoy SC-7 from Sydney lost 20 ships, totaling nearly 80,000 GRT (Gross Register Tonnage). During the Second World War, 48 Sydney convoys were successfully attacked by German U-Boats, resulting in the sinking of 226 ships for a total loss of 995,795 GRT.

While larger ports such as New York and Halifax were well-known assembly points for convoys, the numbers demonstrate that Sydney played an equally significant and important role in securing victory in Europe."

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Français
" 'Voyage après voyage, les hommes qui avaient vu des dizaines de navires couler devant eux, qui s'étaient fait torpiller à maintes reprises, retournaient constamment en mer.'
—Joseph Schull, marin marchand

Pendant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, le charbon, l'acier et d'autres matériaux expédiés de Sydney étaient essentiels à l'effort de guerre des Alliés en Europe. Dès le début, Sydney s'est fait le port de rassemblement de convois, le réseau vital de l'Europe. La plupart du temps, les convois de Sydney étaient formés de bateaux marchands qui n'étaient pas destinés aux eaux libres. Vieux et délabrés, ces navires étaient souvent préparés à la hâte pour la guerre. En raison de leur grand âge, les convois en partance

Compte tenu de la demande de main-d'œuvre des forces armées et de l'industrie, il arrivait souvent sur les bateaux marchands que des hommes dans la quarantaine et la cinquantaine côtoient des jeunes, certains ayant à peine 14 ans. Quelques femmes ont également fait partie de la marine marchande et ont servi pendant la guerre.

Pendant la bataille de l'Atlantique (1939-1945), les navires marchands étaient souvent la cible de torpillages ou de bombardements. Des explosions surgissaient sans mise en garde, faisant place aux cris des marins s'accrochant à la vie dans la marée noire frigide, souvent en feu, de l'Atlantique Nord. Les navires porteurs de combustible ou de munitions étaient dangereux. S'ils se faisaient torpiller, le ciel s'illuminait, puis plus rien. Les rats, apparemment, ne fréquentaient pas ces navires. Et pendant leur sommeil, les marins ne portaient pas de gilet de sauvetage, contrairement aux marins des autres navires, car ils ne servaient à rien.

Les naufragés en avaient pour des heures, voire des jours, à vaciller en mer. Ceux qui restaient dans l'eau n'en avaient pas pour longtemps à vivre. Les convois ne pouvaient leur porter secours. Les rescapés, quoique peu nombreux, avaient droit à des couvertures,

Pendant la bataille de l'Atlantique, 177 convois sont partis de Sydney. Chaque convoi comptait 14 navires en moyenne. En octobre 1940, 20 navires du convoi SC-7 en provenance de Sydney ont coulé, l'équivalent de près de 80 000 en tonnage brut enregistré. Pendant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, les sous-marins allemands ont réussi à attaquer 48 convois de Sydney, d'où l'engloutissement de 226 navires et une perte de 995 795 en tonnage brut.

Même si les grands ports comme ceux de New York et d'Halifax étaient considérés comme d'importants points de rassemblement de convois, les faits prouvent que Sydney a joué un rôle tout aussi important dans la victoire de l'Europe."

Date of Dedication: 04/30/2017 Property Permission: Public Website for Waymark: [Web Link] Location of waymark: Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club Marina, Esplanade & Dorchester St, Sydney, NS Canada Commemoration: The Role of the Sydney Merchant Navy in World War II Access instructions: Not listed Access times: Not listed

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