Casco Bay, 1939-1945: The Battle of the Atlantic

Discover the hidden WWII battle off Maine's coast. Uncover secret war diaries detailing U-boat hunts, Casco Bay defenses, and intense Atlantic fleet battles.

World War II’s fiercest battle lasted six years and brought Nazi submarines to the United States coast. By the time the war began in 1941, the long battle had already started.

In response, the U.S. Navy created a fleet anchorage at Casco Bay. The buildup was tremendous as the Army and Navy worked together to create the most heavily defended port in the United States weapons arsenal.

As warships trained for war in Maine’s coastal waters, German U-boats patrolled within sight of shore triggering submarine hunts that lasted days and involved dozens of vessels just offshore of the populated Maine ports of Rockland, Bar Harbor, and Portland.

Patrol planes from Brunswick Naval Air Station joined destroyers from the Navy’s Atlantic fleet which were anchored in Portland Harbor; together they flushed out the Nazi ships using detection devices, depth charges, and heavy guns. There were losses on both sides as U.S. forces fought to preserve the American way of life.

Using previously unpublished information gleaned from secret war diaries and reports that were declassified in 2012, this book examines the intense buildup, submarine hunts, fierce battles and controversial events that took place during this extremely volatile period in Maine history.