Athenia Torpedoed: The U-Boat Attack that Ignited the Battle

On the evening of September 3, 1939, just hours after WW II was declared, passengers on board the ocean liner Athenia were enjoying their Sunday dinner when the ship was rocked by explosions. Athenia listed to the port side, and dishes, glasses, and silverware fell to the floor as chairs and tables began to slide. The windows and portholes had been painted black to avoid detection at night and with the loss of power the dining room was left in complete darkness. Shock and terror for the passengers must have soon followed. Germany had just struct its first blow of the war by firing a torpedo without waning from a submarine U-30 launching the Battle of the Atlantic. Athenia, a British ship was loaded with Americans, Canadians and Europeans attempting to cross the Atlantic from Liverpool to Montreal before the outbreak fo the war. As the ship sank, 1.306 were rescued but 112 people were lost, including thirty Americans. Housewives, children, college students, scientists, actresses, and Jewish refugees were among the victims. Athenia Torpedoed is the first book in English inver fifty years to study this maritime disaster. Based on extensive new research, it tells the dramatic story of tragedy and triumph as historian Francis Carroll recounts the survivors' experiences and explains how the incident shaped policy in the United States, Great Britain, and Canada. For Great Britain, the sinking was seen as a violation of international law and convoys were immediately sent to protect shipping. The aggressive act also served as the catalyst to shape British public opinion toward the war. In Canada, Athenia's sinking and the resulting death of ten-year-old passenger Margaret Hayworth became an emotional issue around which much of the nation could rally in support of Parliment's decision to enter the war. In the US the attack exposed Germany as a serious threat and changed public option enough to allow the country to sell munitions and supplies to the allies.