80TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION OF THE SINKING OF THE NEWFOUNDLAND FERRY S.S. CARIBOU

OCTOBER 14, 2022

“On this solemn 80th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Caribou off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador by enemy action on October 14, 1942, the RCMP Veterans’ Association respectfully remembers the tragic loss of life of 136 souls, including civilian passengers, military personnel and 31 crewmembers of Canada’s Merchant Navy.

“Only three days prior to the sinking of the SS Caribou in the Cabot Strait, the RCMP schooner St Roch skippered by then RCMP Sgt. Henry Larsen was traversing the same Atlantic waters arriving in Halifax on October 11, 1942 after completing an historic first west to east crossing of the North West Passage; a mission that had wartime military taskings associated with it and that was conducted during the Battle of the Atlantic, facing the risk of German U-boats.

“Hundreds of RCMP members served gallantly within the Canadian military during the Second World War both as members of the RCMP No. 1 Provost Company, as well as in volunteer service with the Army, the RCAF and with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR). Several made the ultimate sacrifice. We remember four (4) who died at sea including three killed directly as a result of enemy action:

Chief Mechanic Daniel Everett GILLIS, Reg 12223 died of exposure in the frigid waters off Halifax on 16 March 1941 when the lifeboat he was aboard capsized after his patrol ship, the HMCS Otter, caught fire and foundered.
Cst Charles James JOHNSTONE, Reg 10063 lost at sea on 1 May 1941 due to an attack by enemy U-boat upon the transport ship Nerissa
Lt. Patrick R.F. MILTHORP, Reg 12168 lost due to enemy action that resulted in the sinking of the HMCS Spikenard on 10 February 1942
L/ Cdr. John Willard BONNER, Reg 12130, lost at sea on 11 September 1942 when the HMCS Charlottetown was sunk by enemy action.

“The RCMP and its Marine Services division has a long proud record of service patrolling Canada’s coastal waterways along the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans. Members serving aboard RCMP patrol vessels support and protect communities and have historically delivered services on behalf of the federal government to villages, hamlets and outposts, and affirmed Canada’s sovereignty over the remote northern regions.

“We honour the courageous contributions of the Merchant Navy throughout their own proud history, and that of the RCN and RCMP Veterans were proud to stand on parade once again this year at the Royal Canadian Navy Monument in Ottawa to commemorate their service. We will remember them.”

– Alexander P. (Sandy) Glenn, National President, RCMP Veterans’ Association

OTTAWA, YESTERDAY – Mr. Stéphane Ouellette, President and Chief Executive Officer, Merchant Navy Commemorative Theme Project (MNCTP), was joined by members of the Royal Canadian Navy, and the RCMP Veterans’ Association, at the Royal Canadian Navy Monument (Ottawa) to remember the sinking of the Newfoundland ferry SS Caribou.

October 14, 2022, marked the 80^th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Newfoundland passenger ferry SS Caribou that was torpedoed in the Cabot Strait on her way to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland: 136 of the 237 souls on board perished.

“Eighty years ago, in the early morning hours of October 14, 1942, the icy autumn waters, off Canada’s East Coast, were to seal the fate of a ship and 136 of her 237 passengers forever.

“Having no premonition of the tragic events about to unfold, the valiant Captain Ben Taverner and his Newfoundland ferry Caribou left the docks of North Sydney, at 1900 Atlantic Standard Time (AST), on October 13, 1942, en route to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland.

“Looming in the distance, shortly before midnight, Captain Ulrich Graf of the German U–boat, U–69, sighted the passenger ship travelling at 10.5 knots, and the escort HMCS Grandmère, identified as a “two-stack destroyer” (KTB). The hydrophones of the HMCS Grandmère, astern, were not able to distinguish U–69’s propeller noise from that of the Caribou’s. Her asdic range, in optimal circumstances, was no more than 1200–1500 yards, and she had no radar.

“Forty miles southwest of Caribou’s destination, at 0221 AST, U–69 fired a torpedo and hit the Caribou 47o 19’ N, 59 o 29’ W, exploding her boilers and sinking her four minutes later.

“During the moments that followed, havoc struck the forsaken vessel. Turbulent explosions jostled victims into a state of chaos and confusion, and with water gushing in, passengers searched frantically for their family members, life belts, and lifeboats.

“One hundred and thirty-six people perished, among them were 73 civilians, including woman and children, and 118 military personnel. Miraculously, a fifteen month–old baby survived the ordeal. He was projected overboard, in a delirious panic, by his mother who then, by jumping in after him, plummeted to her death. The young child was saved on three separate occasions, each by a different rescuer. Out of fifteen children on board, he was the only one to survive.

“Despair permeated the air as HMCS Grandmère returned to begin her rescue operations, after her unrelenting search for U–69, which ended at 0420 AST. Many yachts and fishing vessels came to assist the survivors of the Caribou. They (the survivors) arrived in Sydney at 1640 AST.

“For the survivors and the families of the dearly departed, the psychological ramifications were profoundly grievous. The ruthlessness and abhorrence of war would manifest itself into a shear reality into the deep recesses of their tormented minds forevermore.”