home
Explore History

The Second World War
The Merchant Navy  - Serving with the Merchant Navy

During the Second World War, Canadian and Allied merchant mariners faced the constant hard work of operating and maintaining their ships, the threat of enemy attack, and the dangers of accidents and storms.

Storm Damage, SS Joel R. Poinsett
Storm Damage, SS Joel R. Poinsett

This June 1944 photograph shows the torn hull of the American merchant ship SS Joel R. Poinsett after it broke in a storm.

Enemy action was not the only danger faced by merchant mariners. The Joel R. Poinsett split in two in a March 1944 storm. The fore part of the ship sank, but the after part remained afloat because the watertight bulkheads (left, inside hull) held. A lengthy search and difficult recovery by the salvage tug Foundation Franklin saved the rest of the ship, which was towed back to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where it became a floating depot.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19720151-016





Merchant Navy War Service Badge, Somer Oscar James
Painting a Life Raft, SS Temagami Park
Engine Room, SS Kelowna Park (CAN)
Shaft Tunnel, SS Kelowna Park (CAN)
Merchant Navy Uniform, Clovis Ira Bordeleau
Balaclava, Clovis Ira Bordeleau
Christmas Card, SS Lady Rodney
Identity Bracelet, Robert Bush
Torpedoed, North Atlantic
Burning Oil Tanker
Torpedo Damage, SS Samtucky
Torpedo Damage, MS Kronprinsen
Storm Damage, SS Joel R. Poinsett
MV Nipiwan Park
Memorial Cross, Third Engineer Alfred Henry Perry, SS Fort Longueuil
Rescuing Survivors
HMCS Longueuil Rescues Survivors
Port of New York Identity Card, Ernest Shackleton
Ordinary Seaman Somer Oscar James
Telegram, Percy Kelly, SS Lady Hawkins
Chief Officer Percy Kelly