Imagine yourself winning the Second World War. You’re “standing a watch” on the open bridge of a tiny ship that is heaving on the storm-ravaged North Atlantic. You’re cold, wet, exhausted, and responsible for protecting dozens of merchant ships and hundreds of lives from the feared U-boats out there in the dark. You’re also seasick because until now you’ve never been on any water bigger than Okanagan Lake or the Assiniboine River.

Donald Graves’ In Peril on the Sea is the story of the critical role and painful maturation of Canada’s fledgling navy in the Battle of the Atlantic. The Battle of the Atlantic is as much a part of Canadian history as a part of the history of the Second World War. The victory was an important contribution to Canada’s emerging de facto sovereignty. By the end of the war, Canada’s navy, which had grown from 13 vessels and 3,000 personnel to 434 vessels and 92,000 personnel, was the third largest in the world.

The book, intended for a general audience, is a windfall from the efforts of the Canadian Navy Memorial Trust to establish an educational resource web site for high-school history teachers and students. Eventually, the material will be on the Web, but the book serves as an introduction and companion. Aside from the solid history, there are hair-raising personal accounts, informative sidebars, and dozens of photographs, illustrations, and maps.