B.J.K -- 722-3157

In 1942 World War II was well under way. St. John's was bustling with men from all branches of the service and from many countries. Blackout regulations were strictly enforced and on any day of the week many corvettes and merchant supply vessels could be seen at anchor in the St. John's Harbour. In spite of this ominous military presence, most Newfoundlanders felt secure and protected from the deadly confrontations taking place in Europe and other parts of the world. This sense of security and over confidence was badly shaken when news reports on October 14th revealed that earlier that day, just forty miles south west of Port aux Basques the S. S. Caribou, a Newfoundland railway ferry vessel, had been blasted out of the water by a Nazi U-boat. The Caribou, ostensibly a passenger ferry, was carrying 237 people; 46 of whom were crewmembers, 73 civilians and 118 military personnel. Of this number, 136 men women and children died in the Caribou disaster. 

This tragedy has been the source of much controversy among historians since that time. At the centre of the debate is the question, "Was the Caribou just a target for the Germans?" Some historians have described the act as: "an unprovoked, cowardly attack on a defenseless ferry". This view prevailed for about twenty-five years after the incident. One military historian who felt there was more to the story than history had already recorded was Herb Wells, author of "Under the White Ensign". Wells spent twenty years puzzling over the sinking of the Caribou and seeking out information on the catastrophe. For twenty-five years claims were being made that there were no records among German documents to show that the Caribou had been sunk. But the Commander of the U-boat did keep a logbook and did record the sinking of the Caribou and these record have since been discovered. 

The Caribou was a source of controversy right from its arrival in St. John's on October 22nd, 1925 from Rotterdam, Holland, where it had been built. It was a steel vessel, which accommodated 284 passengers and crew. She was 276 feet long, 41 feet wide, 25 feet deep and had a gross tonnage of 2,222. The Caribou had the capacity to hold 1,100 tons of cargo. She had been launched at Rotterdam on June 9th, 1925 and was destined for service on the Gulf between North Sydney, Nova Scotia and Port aux Basques, Newfoundland. When she set sail from Rotterdam on October 10 for St. John's she was under the command of Captain L. Stevenson. The Caribou was built at a cost of half million dollars and was described as being very well equipped and comfortable.  

The above information is an excerpt from "The Caribou" by Jack Fitzgerald. For the complete story see: 

Newfoundland Disasters, Jack Fitzgerald, Jesperson Press, St. John's, Newfoundland, 1984. 

For a great source of Jack Fitzgerald's work see Wordplay.