At night, the lights on Bill EmberlyB次元官网网址檚 merchant navy cargo ship were blacked out, to ward off attack from German u-boats skulking in the ocean.

It took three harrowing weeks for convoys of ships to transport goods and personnel from Canada to Britain during the Second World War.

The veterans of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 merchant navy fleet played a vital role in the Battle of the Atlantic, a six-year endeavour that helped ensure victory for the Allied forces in Europe.

B次元官网网址淭he reason weB次元官网网址檙e all here is that six-year battle in the Atlantic for the convoys. If we didnB次元官网网址檛 win that battle ... weB次元官网网址檇 have lost the war,B次元官网网址� Emberly says.

For that reason, Emberly, who joined the merchant navy as a teen, is on a quest to create a Battle of the Atlantic monument that would be unique to the Island.

It would pay homage to CanadaB次元官网网址檚 civilian merchant navy, the Royal Canadian Navy vessels that escorted the merchant ships and the Royal Canadian Air Force bomber planes that patrolled the skies above.

The average merchant navy veteran is 88, Emberly says, and there are 95 veterans living in Greater Victoria.

B次元官网网址淣ationally, we lost around 70 (merchant navy vets) last year.B次元官网网址�

One of the most lasting memories for Emberly occurred during a 150-ship crossing in an area of the North Atlantic known as B次元官网网址渢he black pit.B次元官网网址�

The convoy used a flashing light system for communication in the darkness. Emberly sat in the flying bridge at the top of the ship and was responsible for reading the signals. If his attention waned for even a moment, it could mean the difference between life and death.

B次元官网网址淚t was a dark night; you couldnB次元官网网址檛 see a thing. We were towing a little skiff behind us in the water, and the fluorescence in the water lit it up, but that was all you could see,B次元官网网址� he recalls.

A German B次元官网网址渨olf packB次元官网网址� of U-boats was detected and a signal was relayed to increase speed. Emberly communicated the message to the shipB次元官网网址檚 captain, who misread the light signal and instead made a 45-degree turn.

B次元官网网址淲e cut right across a convoy of 150 ships and never touched a damn thing. It is utterly amazing,B次元官网网址� he says.

When morning came, the merchant shipB次元官网网址檚 captain realized his mistake B次元官网网址� and his luck B次元官网网址� when the crew found themselves alone in the Atlantic. They spent the next two days playing catchup.

While the crew eventually found their convoy, there were many merchant mariners who never made it through the war.

ItB次元官网网址檚 difficult to overstate the significance of the Canadian navy in the success of the war effort, Emberly says.

B次元官网网址淏y the end of the war, Canada had the third-largest navy in the world. There were only about 10 million people in Canada at that time and we put 1.3 million in uniform. We really made a name for ourselves.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址� With files from Erin McCracken

dpalmer@vicnews.com