Reloading Motor Launch ML 139 with Depth Charges

This photograph shows motor launch ML 139 (right) being reloaded with depth charges, anti-submarine weapons.

Motor launches were fast boats that patrolled the English Channel and other European waters to counter German submarines, called U-Boats. Depth charges were containers filled with high explosives. Projected from a ship, they sank into the water and exploded at a pre-set depth. A direct hit could destroy a U-Boat, while a nearby explosion could cause damage, forcing the submarine to the surface to face its pursuers. Douglas Urry, a Canadian who served with the Royal Naval Motor Boat Reserve, kept this photograph in his album.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20030213-002_28