U-190 & U-889

Early in the morning of April 16th, 1945 HMCS ESQUIMALT, a Bangor class minesweeper, was conducting a routine patrol off the Sambro lightship at the entrance to Halifax harbour. Her ASDIC (sonar) equipment picked up a possible submarine contact but before she could investigate further a torpedo hit her starboard side - she sank in four minutes. Out of her crew of 71, 44 men managed to make their way into Carley floats as the ship went down. Unfortunately, there had been no time to get off a distress call so shore-based authorities had no idea that the ESQUIMALT had been torpedoed.

Approximately six hours later, HMCS SARNIA arrived on the scene and discovered the Carley floats. By this time, only 27 were left alive due to the bitter cold of North Atlantic waters. In an ironic twist, it was not even ESQUIMALT's turn to be out. HMCS MAHONE, also a Bangor class minesweeper, had been scheduled to make that trip but had developed engine troubles. ESQUIMALT had been sent in her place.

After sinking ESQUIMALT, U-190 made her way up to the waters around Newfoundland to hunt for more ships. On the 8th of May, she received instructions to surrender - for Germany, the war was over. She surfaced and was intercepted by Canadian corvettes 500 miles off Cape Race, NF on the 11th. Her Captain signed a document of unconditional surrender and, under Canadian escort, sailed into Bay Bulls, Newfoundland on the 14th of May, 1945, with the white ensign flying. Her crew were taken as prisoners and transported to Halifax before being sent to a prisoner-of-war camp near Gravenhurst, Ontario.

The second U-Boat to surrender to Canada was U-889, 250 miles off the Flemish Cap. Two days after receiving the message ceasing hostilities, U-889 was overflown by a Liberator from the Royal Canadian Air Force. It took two low passes before a flag was seen - the Liberator had been arming the depth charges and setting the bombsight when the submarine surrendered. The Liberator stood by until HMC Ships ROCKCLIFFE, DUNVEGAN, SASKATOON and OSHAWA arrived on the scene.

Twenty-four hours after the interception, U-889 was turned over to HMC Ships INCH ARRAN and BUCKINGHAM and escorted to Shelburne, Nova Scotia, where formal articles of surrender were signed on the 13th of May. The following day, His Majesty's Canadian Submarine U-889 was formally commissioned in the Royal Canadian Navy.

The allies agreed amongst themselves, however, that only a certain number of U-Boats would be retained by the victors, the rest being destroyed. As a result, U-889 was assigned to the United States and U-190 was assigned to Great Britain. In January 1946, a crew of Canadians sailed HMCS U-889 to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and turned her over to the USN. She was later torpedoed and sent to the bottom.

A different fate was in store for U-190. Great Britain turned the boat over to the RCN and, like U-889, it carried out a ceremonial tour of communities along the St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence. It made stops in many places, including Montréal, Trois Rivières, Québec City, Gaspé, Pictou, and Sydney before returning to Halifax and being used as an anti-submarine training vessel until 24 July 1947.

On the 21st of October, 1947, U-190 was taken to the location where she she had torpedoed HMCS ESQUIMALT two years previously. HMC Ships HAIDA, NOOTKA and NEW LISKEARD were present as RCAF aircraft launched a rocket attack that sent U-190 to the bottom. To this day, both vessels lie in close proximity to each other.