Dear Editor:
How many North Vancouver residents know the amazing story of the role our city played in the Second World War? Visualize the site at the foot of Lonsdale where Burrard Dry Dock, with its 14,000 workers, worked 24 hours a day to build a 10,000 ton cargo ship every 100 days.The ships in production stretched half a kilometre along the waterfront on the east side of Lonsdale. It was said a person could travel over the ships without ever touching the ground.
German U-boats patrolled the Atlantic sinking the cargo ships with the supplies so desperately needed by England. The American Liberty Ships and the Canadian Victory Ships replaced the sunken vessels and armed and fed England.
The cargo included food, tanks, aircraft bombs, bullets, lumber, complete bombers cut in sections, and enough aluminium to build 310 medium aircraft bombers.
The war would have been lost without these supply ships. There would have been no invasion of Europe without the supplies. No Juno.
Burrard Dry Dock produced just under half of the 351 ships built in Canada, making it the most productive shipyard of the Canadian cargo shipbuilding industry.
The small city of North Vancouver was instrumental in winning the war.
Remember this story when it comes time to donate to build our new museum. The story deserves to be told.
Pat Kotush
North Vancouver
