Why the first U-boat to surrender in North America landed in this N.S. town

Résumé détaillé

Speaking through an interpreter, the U-boat's commander said he would 'very much' like to stay in Canada or the U.S.

After Germany's unconditional surrender in May 1945 during the Second World War, German submarines known as U-boats were ordered to surrender, but whether the crews would comply was a question that worried Allied commanders.

U-boats were to head to the surface of whatever waters they were in and fly a black flag to indicate they were obeying and would not fight anymore. They would then surrender to Allied forces at sea, before being escorted to port.

While the war in Europe was over, it was still ongoing in the Pacific.

"It's a pretty grave concern on the part of Allied commanders, which is what threat do they pose?" said Jeff Noakes, the Second World War historian with the Canadian War Museum.

"And also, are they even going to surrender? Because there is a worry that there might be diehard German submarine commanders who don't want to give up and who might want to keep on fighting."

For U-boats in the Atlantic, most surrendered on the European side, said Noakes.

For ones on the western side, there were four North American ports they could surrender to, with the first landing in Shelburne, N.S., where a throng of reporters interviewed the ship's captain.

A Royal Canadian Navy seaman is shown with the White Ensign on board U-889 on May 13, 1945. (CWM 20070014-017/George Metcalf Archival Collection/Canadian War Museum)

Noakes said the metric the Royal Canadian Navy used in labelling Shelburne as the first was when a surrendered U-boat arrived at a North American port.

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