Ultimate sacrifice of the 'Four Chaplains'

3rd February 1943: Tragedy and heroism at sea as the SS Dorchester is torpedoed in the North Atlantic with great loss of life

Painting of the rescue of SS Dorchester survivors by USCGC Escanaba (WPG-77) on 3 February 1943 in the North Atlantic Ocean.

The U-boat war was now entering a critical phase. Just as more and more men and munitions were leaving America and Canada to join the fight in Britain and North Africa, the U-boat packs were intensifying their efforts to sink them. Whilst a wide range of new technical measures and tactics were transforming the anti U-boat campaign, and having increasing success, the Battle of the Atlantic was far from won.

The SS Dorchester. Once a luxury coastal liner, the 5,649-ton vessel had been converted into an Army transport ship but was not an official United States Army Transport (USAT),

The SS Dorchester was passing through the freezing seas off Newfoundland when her captain learnt of a U-boat nearby, located by land-based radio direction finding. There was little they could do about it, apart from keeping especially alert and staying close to the convoy. None of the escorts possessed radar so U-223 was able to surface in the darkness and fire one torpedo at 0055 on the 3rd.