During World War II, anchored DOSCO cargo ships, along with the loading pier at Wabana, were the target of Nazi U-boats on at least two occasions. The attacks occurred on 5 September 1942, when U-513 sank the British ship SS Saganaga and the Canadian ship Lord Strathcona, and on 2 November when U-518 sank the Free French ship P.L.M. 27 and the Canadian ship Rose Castle. During the first attack, aiming for the anchored ore carriers, a torpedo missed its target and struck the pier, making Bell Island one of the few places in North America to suffer a direct enemy attack (see Attacks on North America during World War II). The wrecks of the four cargo ships sunk during these two attacks are visible at low tide; a memorial on shore is dedicated to the 69 merchant sailors who lost their lives.