The Caribou

The Caribou

In the dark early hours of October 14, 1942, one of Newfoundland's greatest wartime tragedies unfolded in the Cabot Strait.

The passenger ferry SS Caribou had departed Sydney, Nova Scotia, the night before, bound for Port aux Basques, Newfoundland. On board were 237 people, including 73 civilians, 11 of whom were children, 118 military personnel, and a crew of 46.

Knowing the dangers of wartime travel, Captain Benjamin Tavenor had already instructed passengers on emergency procedures before departure.

Escorting the ferry was the Royal Canadian Navy minesweeper HMCS Grandmere. The night was moonless and black. Unknown to those aboard, the German submarine U-69 lay directly in the Caribou's path.

At 3:40 a.m., disaster struck. A torpedo slammed into the starboard side of the Caribou. The explosion threw passengers from their bunks and sent people scrambling through smoke, darkness, and chaos. Lifeboats were destroyed or could not be launched. Families became separated as they desperately searched for one another. Many were forced to jump into the icy Atlantic.

The Grandmere immediately moved to attack the submarine, dropping depth charges and attempting to destroy U-69. But the U-boat escaped beneath the waves while survivors struggled in the freezing water.

Survivers of The Caribou

When the search finally ended, the loss was devastating. Of the 237 people aboard, 136 had perished. Among the dead were 49 civilians, 57 military personnel, and 31 crew members. Of the eleven children on board, only one survived—a fifteen-month-old boy from Halifax.

Entire families were wiped out. Communities across Newfoundland mourned, particularly in Port aux Basques, where many crew members lived. Funeral processions stretched for kilometres as hundreds gathered to honour the victims.

The sinking of the SS Caribou shocked the nation and became a powerful reminder that the Second World War had reached Canada's shores.

Today, the tragedy remains one of the most significant wartime losses in Newfoundland and Labrador's history.