Military Archives | When World War II Came to Bell Island, Newfoundland

Unexploded shells on a Bell Island shipwreck

Unexploded artillery shells on the stern deck of one of the Bell Island shipwrecks. The shells were collected by clearance divers from the Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving […]

Video of Canadian Forces divers removing unexploded shells

Video of clearance divers from the Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic) removing unexploded artillery shells (also called unexploded ordnance or UXO) from two of the Bell […]

Video of German U-boat attacks at Bell Island in 1942

Video shows German newsreel of U-boat crews attacking Allied merchant ships with torpedoes. Transcript of narration: On September 4th 1942, U-513 under the command of captain Rolf Ruggeberg […]

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 […]

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 […]

Anti-torpedo netting installed at Bell Island

This photos shows the anti-torpedo netting installed in 1943 to protect ships loading iron ore at the Dominion and Scotia piers on Bell Island from submarine attack. This […]

HMCS Drumheller

Flower-class corvette Drumheller was a Royal Canadian Navy warship used for anti-submarine patrols and convoy escort in World War II. It carried a crew of 85, and was […]

Back of Seaman’s Memorial, Lance Cove, Bell Island

The back of the stone monument in the Seaman’s Memorial provides the names of the sailors who died in the U-boat attacks and sinkings of SS Saganaga, SS […]

Portsmouth Naval Memorial

Portsmouth Naval Memorial in Portsmouth, England commemorates Royal Navy sailors lost in wartime with no known grave. Names of the Royal Navy gunners who died in the sinkings […]

Badge of the British Merchant Navy

Badge of the British Merchant Navy. Worn by all sailors and veterans who served in the British Merchant Navy in wartime.

Badge of the Canadian Merchant Navy

Badge of the Canadian Merchant Navy. Worn by all sailors and veterans who served in the Canadian Merchant Navy in wartime.