Statement given by S.S. “Caribou” crewman John Dominie

Transcript from a statement given by John Dominie to the Newfoundland Ranger Sgt. N. Forward in Port aux Basques on October 29, 1942:

John Dominie was a crewman on the bridge of S.S. Caribou when she was torpedoed. This is part of his statement to the Newfoundland Rangers shortly after the sinking:

“I was at the wheel when the torpedo struck. I went to the boat desk on the port side. There I found a crowd of people. I called for an axe and chopped the lashings from lifeboat No. 4. The boat went into the water. The boat was filled with people, all men except for one woman and child. The boat filled with water when leaving the ship and in a few minutes capsized. We were all thrown into the water. The boat capsized four times, each time losing some of its occupants. At last we got the boat in an upright position, but the seas were sweeping over her and she was still full of water. I remember at daybreak counting the number of people in the boat. There were nine, all men. Later, four of these died from exhaustion before we were picked up.

“The last time I saw the Caribou, I was hanging to the lifeboat in the water. At the time, the Caribou was completely submerged with the exception of the aft part of the boat deck. While I was in the water, the screeching sound coming from the ship and around was loud and heart-rending.

“Just at dawn, I saw the minesweeper in the distance. She was about a mile or a little more away at the time. She picked us up around 8 o’clock.”

Read by Michael Crummey.