Canada's Naval History

Second World War
Battle of the Atlantic - The Battle of the St. Lawrence

The struggle on the Atlantic between Allied navies and German U-Boats (submarines) brought the naval war into Canada, turning the river and Gulf of St. Lawrence into a battleground. From 1942, German U-Boats sank 23 merchant and naval ships; improvements in anti-submarine defences ultimately stemmed these losses.

Artifact Record

"Remember the Caribou and Her Gallant Crew"

This print commemorates the ferry SS Caribou and the 31 members of its 46 person crew lost when the German submarine U-69 torpedoed the ship on 13 October 1942.

Caribou was a passenger ferry operating between Port-aux-Basques, Newfoundland, and Sydney, Nova Scotia. Torpedoed in the Cabot Strait between the two ports, Caribou sank in four minutes, with the loss of 137 passengers and crew, among them women and children. The attack led to popular outrage in Newfoundland and Canada.

Memorial Poster
CWM 19900076-632