General Archives | Page 3 of 9 | When World War II Came to Bell Island, Newfoundland

Sailor’s shoe on P.L.M. 27 shipwreck

A sailor’s shoe sits on the deck of the shipwreck of P.L.M. 27. (Purple slime worms are now growing on the shoe.) Small artifacts such as this shoe […]

Bell Island Attacks: Event of Provincial Significance

The U-boat attacks on the Bell Island ore ships in 1942 were designated as an Event of Provincial Significance by the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador in June […]

Navy divers handling unexploded artillery shell

Canadian Forces clearance divers from the Fleet Diving Unit – Atlantic lift an unexploded artillery shell recovered from the SS Rose Castle shipwreck. The divers are Leading Seaman […]

Navy diver clearing unexploded ammunition from Rose Castle shipwreck

A Canadian Forces clearance diver from Fleet Diving Unit – Atlantic shows an unexploded artillery shell (lower right) on the S.S. Rose Castle shipwreck. The Royal Canadian Navy […]

Multibeam sonar imagery of four Bell Island shipwrecks

A rotating sonar image of four 1942 shipwrecks sitting on the seafloor of Bell Island Tickle in Newfoundland, Canada. The shallow areas of seafloor are colored red and […]

Eyewitness account of Rose Castle sinking by survivor Gordon Hardy

Eyewitness account of Gordon Walter Hardy from Ingonish, Nova Scotia, who survived the sinking of SS Rose Castle on November 2, 1942: “I joined the [Canadian] Merchant Navy […]

Multibeam sonar image of four Bell Island shipwrecks and seafloor

High-resolution multibeam sonar image of the four shipwrecks off Bell Island. It shows the location of the shipwrecks relative to Lance Cove and Bell Island. Saganaga and Lord […]

Multibeam sonar image of P.L.M. 27 shipwreck

High-resolution multibeam sonar image of P.L.M. 27 shipwreck. Shallower features shown in yellow, deeper objects in blue and purple. The bow of the ship is on the left, […]

Multibeam sonar image of Saganaga shipwreck

High-resolution multibeam sonar image of the Saganaga shipwreck. Shallower features shown in red and orange, deeper objects in blue and purple. The bow of the ship is on […]

Barry and Marita Collings visit Seaman’s Memorial in Lance Cove

Barry and Marita Collings visiting the Seaman’s Memorial in Lance Cove, Bell Island in July 2010. The memorial commemorates the sailors killed in two U-boat attacks at Bell […]

Marita and Barry Collings donate U-boat Commander’s artifacts

Marita Collings (right) and Barry Collings (centre) donating Rolf Rüggeberg’s Navy medals, badges and photographs to the Bell Island Community Museum on July 6, 2010. Rüggeberg was commander […]

Rolf Rüggeberg’s German Navy medals and insignia

From left to right: brass Viking ship emblem of U-513, U-boat War Badge, bronze U-boat Combat Clasp, two Iron Cross (first class) medals All belonged to Rolf Rüggeberg […]