Battle of the Atlantic Honoured – Plans have been announced for a host of warships, large and small – two thirds of them British – are due to converge on the Mersey in late May 2013 as one of the highlights of commemorations marking the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic.   Four days of events – from solemn services of thanksgiving to action packed combat displays and a wartime swing concert courtesy of the Royal Marines Band – are planned.

The Battle of the Atlantic was waged from the first day of the war in Europe, starting with the sinking of the liner ATHENIA on the 3^rd September 1939) to the last the Norwegian freighter SNELAND torpedoed in the Firth of Forth on 7^th May 1945, the day the Germans signed the act of surrender).       There will be events in London, Liverpool and Londonderry, and major conferences by leading naval historians in the capital and on Merseyside – with one eye on the past and another on the present to stress that, as the motto for 70th Anniversary states, the UK is “a nation still dependent on the sea” – and hence continues to need a Royal Navy.    Liverpool, which was home to the Western Approaches HQ during the War will see the muster of ships on the Mersey between 24^th May until the 28^th May 2013 when the will all sail together for Liverpool.