Battle of the Atlantic

1939-1945 From Success to Failure

During the Second World War the Atlantic Ocean became one of the most important scenes of conflict, if not the most critical. For six years nearly every existing class of ship from the countries involved took part in the fighting in some way.

The conflict centered mainly around the endless columns of large Allied convoys carrying supplies across the Atlantic, and the German U-boats, whose task it was to intercept and destroy them.

Huge surface ships such as the Bismarck, the Hood, the Scharnhorst, the Gneisenau, the Rodney and the King George V also played their part in the history of warfare in the Atlantic, as did aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers and numerous small escort ships.