| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | SS Caribou |
| Route: | Port aux Basques, Newfoundland to Nova Scotia |
| Ordered: | 1925 |
| Builder: | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Fate: | Sunk by German U-boat in the Cabot Strait, 14 October 1942 |
| Notes: | Homeport St. John's, Newfoundland |
| General characteristics | |
| Length: | 84 metres long |
| Speed: | 14.5 knots |
| Capacity: | 3,000 horsepower |
The SS Caribou was a passenger ferry used by the Newfoundland government's ferry service between Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and North Sydney, Nova Scotia.
The Caribou was built in 1925 at Rotterdam, Holland, for the Newfoundland Railway. Launched in 1925, she had a capacity of 3,000 horsepower (2,200 kW) and was able to reach a speed of 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h) when fully loaded. She also had steam-heat and electric lights in all of her cabins, which were considered to be a luxury at the time. Also, due to her ice-breaking design, the Caribou also assisted during the seal hunt along the Newfoundland coast each spring.
The Caribou was torpedoed and sunk approximately 20 nmi (37 km) southwest of Port aux Basques and 28 nmi (52 km) northeast of St. Paul Island by the German submarine U-69 during the night of 14-15 October 1942. The Caribou was carrying 46 sailors and 206 civilian and military passengers. 137 of these people perished. Of the deceased, two were rescued at first, but they later died from exposure to the cold water. The bodies of 34 of the victims of the attack were found. Only one of the eleven children on board the Caribou's last voyage survived.