Hollywood itself could hardly have scripted a better battle. According to eyewitnesses, a German U-boat lurking off the shores of North Point, Prince Edward Island, laid a trap for an unsuspecting convoy transitting the Northumberland Strait. On 7 May 1943, the trap was sprung, Canadian naval escorts and aircraft did their best to defend the beleaguered convoy from a brazen and unorthodox attack that was unlike any other. There could only be one conclusion: the German commander was half-mad. Just like the fictional Captain Ahab, he was willing to take unwarranted risks with his boat and men to destroy his white whale that came in the form of a troop ship at the centre of the convoy. His obsession led to a stunning three hour engagement that was brought to a dramatic end as the Canadians scored a direct hit forcing the U-boat’s bow to rise sharply out of the water before sinking. The problem is that there is no evidence that this battle ever took place