Shortly after sunset on the first day of World War II, a Nazi submarine torpedoed the passenger ship, SS Athenia, on its way from England to Canada.

The ship lurched; lights went out. People were thrown to the deck. More than 50 Americans, Britons, and Canadians were killed or injured by the explosion. 

In shock and horror, passengers scrambled in the darkness to find family members, board lifeboats, and escape the sinking ship. Many more would die before dawn.  

Today, few people remember this tragic event that foretold the terrible price World War II would inflict on innocent people around the world. 

This fateful story is told in a new documentary by people who lived through it as young passengers aboard Athenia’s last voyage.