July 19, 1942 - German U-boats withdraw from the US coast during the Battle of the Atlantic as the US Navy implements a convoy system. Entering World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States failed to immediately impose a coastal blackout or convoy system. Taking advantage of this, U-boat commanders operating along the US coast as part of Operation Drumbeat enjoyed a "happy time" as they ravaged American coastal shipping. After four months of heavy losses, the US Navy organized a convoy system for coastal waters and the Caribbean as well as imposed a blackout.
Beginning on September 3, 1939, the Battle of the Atlantic saw Allied naval forces and shipping sustain heavy losses as German U-boats attempted to cut Britain off from needed war materials. Ultimately won by the Allies, victory in the Battle of the Atlantic called for the development of a variety of new tactics and technologies. A critical front of the war, Prime Minister Winston Churchill later stated: "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, and amid all other cares we viewed its changing fortunes day by day with hope or apprehension."
World War II at Sea
Photograph Courtesy of the US Naval History & Heritage Command
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