''Atlantic Patrol'' is a 1940 Canadian short

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

, part of the ''

Canada Carries On ''Canada Carries On'' () was a series of short films by the National Film Board of Canada which ran from 1940 to 1959. The series was created as morale-boosting propaganda films during the Second World War. With the end of the war, the series los ...

'' series of short films by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

, produced for the Office of Public Information.Ohayon, Albert
"Propaganda cinema at the NFB."
''National Film Board of Canada (NFB.ca)'', July 13, 2009. Retrieved: January 25, 2016. The film documents the role of the

Canadian Merchant Navy Canada, like several other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth nations, created the Canadian Merchant Navy () in a large-scale effort during World War II. A total of 12,000 men and women served in Canada's Merchant Navy. By war's end, 1,500 Can ...

and the convoys that brought troops, munitions and supplies to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

during the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. ''Atlantic Patrol'' was directed and written by

Stuart Legg Stuart Legg (31 August 1910 – 23 July 1988) was a pioneering English documentary filmmaker. At the 14th Academy Awards in 1941, Legg's National Film Board of Canada film '' Churchill's Island'' became the first-ever documentary to win an Oscar ...

and narrated by

Lorne Greene Lorne Hyman Greene (born Lyon Himan Green; February 12, 1915 – September 11, 1987) was a Canadian actor, singer, and radio personality. His notable television roles include Ben Cartwright on the Western ''Bonanza'' and Commander Adama in ...

Synopsis

In 1940, the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

has become a strategic "highway" from the New World to Great Britain. The numerous ships that ply the Atlantic sea lanes during

head for nameless English ports where they unload their precious cargo of troops, war matérial and supplies. Canadian seamen play a vital role in the lifeline for England. From Canadian factories to docks, the endless supply of war materiel is carried aboard freighters that are marshalled into convoys protected by

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

(RCN) destroyers.

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

Supermarine Stranraer The Supermarine Stranraer is a flying boat designed and built by the British Supermarine Aviation Works company at Woolston, Southampton. It was developed during the 1930s on behalf of its principal operator, the Royal Air Force (RAF). It wa ...

seaplanes provide the first aerial protection but once the convoy is out to sea, the RCN destroyers are in charge. The unseen enemy that the convoys face are the

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

s that wait for any stragglers from the convoy. When an alarm is sounded that enemy U-boats are thought to be nearby, the destroyers launch

high-explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...

depth charges A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarines by detonating in the water near the target and subjecting it to a destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use high explosives with a fuze set to deto ...

and charge ahead at full speed, reaching 37 knots, turning back the threat. Once the convoy reaches its destination in England, the Canadian destroyers quickly turn around and head back to their home ports to escort a new convoy, heading for England.

Production

''Atlantic Patrol'' was part of the ''Canada Carries On'' series, produced with the financial backing from the

Wartime Information Board The Wartime Information Board was a Canadian government agency established on 9 September 1942, succeeding the Bureau of Public Information, to coordinate the existing public information service of the government, supervise the release from govern ...

. The documentary was created as a morale boosting

propaganda film A propaganda film is a film that involves some form of propaganda. Propaganda films spread and promote certain ideas that are usually religious, political, or cultural in nature. A propaganda film is made with the intent that the viewer will ad ...

during World War II.Morris, Peter
"Film Reference Library: Canada Carries On."
''Canadian Film Encyclopedia''. Retrieved: January 24, 2016. The narrator of ''Atlantic Patrol'' was

, known for his work on both radio broadcasts as a news announcer at ''

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

'' as well as narrating many of the ''Canada Carries On'' series. His sonorous recitation led to his nickname, "The Voice of Canada", and to some observers, the "voice-of-God".Rist 2001, p. 84. When reading grim battle statistics or as in ''Atlantic Patrol'', narrating a particularly serious topic such as Canadian seaman at war, he was "The Voice of Doom".

Reception

The first of the ''Canada Carries On'' series, ''Atlantic Patrol'' was produced in 35 mm for the theatrical market and was the first short documentary shown in theatres. Each film was shown over a six-month period as part of the shorts or newsreel segments in approximately 800 theatres across Canada. Along with others in the ''Canada Carries On'' series, ''Atlantic Patrol'' received widespread circulation.Rist 2001, p. 124. The NFB had an arrangement with

Famous Players theatres Famous Players Limited Partnership was a Canadian-based subsidiary of Cineplex Entertainment. As an independent company, it existed as a film exhibitor and cable television service provider. Famous Players operated numerous movie theatre locati ...

to ensure that Canadians from coast-to-coast could see the documentary series, with further distribution by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

.Ellis and McLane 2005, p. 122. After the six-month theatrical tour ended, individual films were made available on 16 mm to schools, libraries, churches and factories, extending the life of these films for another year or two. They were also made available to film libraries operated by university and provincial authorities.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Bennett, Linda Greene. ''My Father's Voice: The Biography of Lorne Greene''. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse, Inc., 2004. . * Ellis, Jack C. and Betsy A. McLane. "Theatrical Series". ''New History of Documentary Film''. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005. . * Lerner, Loren. ''Canadian Film and Video: A Bibliography and Guide to the Literature''. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press, 1997. . * Rist, Peter. ''Guide to the Cinema(s) of Canada''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. .

External links

*
''Atlantic Patrol''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantic patrol 1940 films 1940 short documentary films Black-and-white documentary films 1940s English-language films Canadian short documentary films Canadian black-and-white films National Film Board of Canada documentaries Canadian World War II propaganda films Films directed by Stuart Legg Films scored by Lucio Agostini Films set in the Atlantic Ocean Canada Carries On Columbia Pictures short films Quebec films 1940s Canadian films English-language short documentary films English-language war films