Charitable support

Mersey Maritime’s Nominated Charity: The International Memorial for the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945

With its close and historic links to the city of Liverpool, Mersey Maritime is pleased to offer its long-term support for a UK charity, The Battle of the Atlantic Memorial (BOAM). The charity launched a campaign to build a permanent and international recognised memorial to one of the principal campaigns of World War Two in January 2018 at a press conference in Liverpool, attended by BOA veterans.

The concept is to provide an appropriate memorial of international significance that recognises the totality and importance of the battle and to commemorate the sacrifice and contribution of all the men and women of all nationalities who served supporting the Battle of the Atlantic (BOA) on land, at sea and in the air. Secondly, to recognise the important part played by Merseyside as the hub of the operation.

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PQ-17 Arctic Convoy, June-July 1942. The covering forces of the PQ-17 Convoy (British and American ships) at anchor in the harbor at Hvalfjord, Iceland, May 1942.

Pictured is Gary Doyle formally a Royal Navy Commodore and now Group Harbour Master at Peel Ports has taken over the chairmanship of the Battle of the Atlantic Memorial (BOAM) from Mike Gretton Picture Jason Roberts Photography

The development of a supporting Heritage trail that links sites across the area physically and virtually and internationally to support what is seen as the key educational role of the memorial. This will also be achieved by working closely with the Western Approaches Museum and the Merseyside Maritime Museum. With further enhancement, the aim is to possibly develop an academic centre where institutions, researchers and interested parties can visit to access information and learn more about the Battle.

Background

THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC WAS THE DOMINATING FACTOR ALL THROUGH THE WAR. NEVER FOR ONE MOMENT COULD WE FORGET THAT EVERYTHING HAPPENING ELSEWHERE, ON LAND AT SEA OR IN THE AIR, DEPENDED ULTIMATELY ON ITS OUTCOME.—WINSTON CHURCHILL

The name “Battle of the Atlantic” was coined by Winston Churchill in February 1941. It has been called the “longest, largest, and most complex” naval battle in history. The campaign started immediately after the European war began, during the so-called “Phoney War“, and lasted six years, until the German Surrender in May 1945. It involved thousands of ships in more than 100 convoy battles and perhaps 1,000 single-ship encounters, in a theatre covering thousands of square miles of ocean. The situation changed constantly, with one side or the other gaining advantage, as participating countries surrendered, joined, and even changed sides in the war, and as new weapons, tactics, counter-measures, and equipment were developed by both sides. The Allies gradually gained the upper hand, overcoming German surface raiders by the end of 1942 and defeating the U-boats by mid-1943, though losses due to U-boats continued until war’s end.

Permanent memorial campaign

The Battle of the Atlantic was the most important campaign of World War II as, without success, other campaigns would have not been possible, particularly the landings in Europe in June 1944. It was the longest continuous campaign of the war, lasting from the declaration of war in 1939 until Victory in Europe in May 1945.

The toll was high on all sides: more than 3,500 merchant ships were sunk; over 36,000 merchant seamen and 36,200 allied naval personnel lost their lives; and 70% of German submariners did not return to their home bases.

Despite its significance, the Battle of the Atlantic does not have an overall memorial in the United Kingdom unlike other major campaigns of World War 2. Thus, a project has been set up to create an appropriate memorial and fill that gap.

Mersey Maritime support for the campaign

Each year, at its annual Mersey Maritime Industry Awards event, Mersey Maritime designates a charity of choice to receive the proceeds of donations given by attendees on the evening. In 2020 this was shared jointly between The Battle of the Atlantic Memorial and the Jubilee Sailing Trust. Mersey Maritime have now decided to make its relationship with the BOAM charity a more long term venture and is delighted to do so for this year and beyond.

How to donate

To donate directly in support of the charity online, click here Donate

For other ways to donate, visit: https://battleoftheatlantic.org/how-to-donate/

For more information about the battle and the charity

Visit the charity website for extensive information about the events it aims to commemorate and work it is engaged with: https://battleoftheatlantic.org/

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