Overview

This book is an account of a disaster at sea, the sinking by a German submarine of the passenger liner Athenia sailing from Liverpool to Montreal, loaded with Americans, Canadians, and Europeans, attempting to cross the Atlantic before the outbreak of war. Although 112 people were lost, of whom 30 were the first Americans killed in the war, 1,306 were rescued. Housewives, children, college students, scientists, actresses, and Jewish refugees were among the victims, and even young John F. Kennedy was called on to give assistance. The drama, tragedy, and triumph of their experiences are a central part of the story. But of course the book is also about war and politics. Indeed, this is actually where the Second World War began. Here Germany, having already invaded Poland in what was expected to be a limited war, first struck the western Allies, Britain and France. This was the first blow, fired without warning, just hours after war was declared. For Britain, the sinking of the Athenia was seen as both a violation of international law and a return to the kind of total war Germany had waged in the Great War. The sinking of the Athenia immediately pushed Britain to adopt convoys to protect shipping, and it served from the first to shape British public opinion toward the war. In Canada the sinking of the ship and particularly the death of the innocent, ten year old Margaret Hayworth, became emotional issues around which much of the nation could rally in support of the decision of Parliament to go to war. In the United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt was too wary to make the sinking of the Athenia the counterpart of the sinking of the Lusitania in the First World War. However, the Athenia exposed Germany in the public mind as a serious threat to Americans, and provided the opportunity for President Roosevelt to open direct communication with Winston Churchill. The Athenia helped to change public opinion in the United States sufficiently to amend the existing Neutrality Laws to allow the country to sell munitions and supplies to Britain and France-a supportive first step to meeting the Nazi threat directly. So the sinking of the Athenia is a tale full of meaning and passion that deserves to be known. ILLUSTRATIONS: 40 b/w

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9781781591710

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On the evening of 3rd September 1939, just hours after World War II was declared, passengers on board the ocean liner Athenia were enjoying their Sunday were enjoying their Sunday dinner when the ship was rocked by explosions. Germany had struck its first blow of the war by firing a torpedo without warning from a submarine, U-30 launching the Battle of the Atlantic. Athenia was a British ship loaded with Americans, Canadians, and Europeans attempting to cross the Atlantic from Liverpool to Montreal before the outbreak of war. As the ship sank, 1306 were rescued but 112 people were lost, including thirty Americans. The outcome of this disaster served as a catalyst to shape the British public opinion of the war. In Canada, the death of a ten year old passenger caused by the sinking became an emotional issue and the country supported Parliament's decision to enter the war. In the United States, the attack exposed Germany as a serious threat and changed public opinion enough to allow the country to sell munitions and supplies to great Britain and France. This is an excellent book on a ship too rarely covered. I would very highly recommend it. Shipping - Today and Yesterday

Author Information

Francis M. Carroll, Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba, was educated at Carleton College, the University of Minnesota, and Trinity College Dublin. He has published ten books and is the winner of the J.W. Dafoe Prize and the Albert B. Corey Prize. He lives in Manitoba, Canada.

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