Naval Museum of Manitoba - Canadian Merchant Ship Losses

Canadian WWII Merchant Ship Losses

This page contains lists of Canadian Merchant Ships which were lost in conflict between 1939 and 1945. This information is reproduced from a paper written by Robert C. Fisher, for the Department of National Defence History Division, dated June 1993.

Ships with names ending in DOC, such as PORTADOC and SORELDOC, are former lakers owned by Paterson Steamships. They are named after towns and cities on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway; The DOC part of the name signifies "Dominion Of Canada."

Canadian-Registered Merchant Ships Lost by Enemy Action

Date	Ship Name	Cause of Loss	Tonnage	Position
1940
15 Jun	Erik Boye (HX-48)	Torpedoed by U-38	2,238	Off Land's End 50-37N 08-44W
5 Jul	Magog (HX-52)	Torpedoed and Shelled by U-99	2,053	Off Ireland 50-31N 11-05W
10 Jul	Waterloo	Bombed by German aircraft	1,905	North Sea 52-53N 02-19E
22 Aug	Thorold	Bombed by German aircraft	1,689	Irish Sea 51-46N 05-38W
15 Sep	Kenordoc (SC-3)	Most likely shelled by U-boat. (See Note 1)	1,780	North Atlantic 57-42N 15-02W
12 Oct	St.Malo (HX-77)	Torpedoed by U-boat	5,779	North Atlantic 57-58N 16-32W
16 Oct	Trevisa (SC-7)	Torpedoed by U-124	1,813	North Atlantic 57-28N 20-30W
1941
6 Feb	Maplecourt (SC-20)	Torpedoed by U-107	3,388	North Atlantic 55-39N 15-56W
21 Feb	Canadian Cruiser	Sunk by raider (Admiral Scheer)	7,178	Indian Ocean 06-36S 47-18E
22 Feb	A.D. Huff	Sunk by raider (Gneisenau)	6,219	North Atlantic 47-12N 40-13W
17 Mar	J.B. White (HX-112)	Torpedoed by U-99	7,375	North Atlantic 60-57N 12-27W
25 Mar	Canadolite	Captured by raider (Kormoran). Sunk by RAF in 1944	11,309	Mid-Atlantic 02-30N 23-48W
7 Apr	Portadoc	Torpedoed by U-124	1,746	Off Sierra Leone 07-17N 16-53W
3 May	Europa	Bombed by German aircraft	10,224	Liverpool! UK (No coordinates)
13 July	Collingdoc*	Mined. Salvaged and then sunk as a blockship.	1,780	Thames River, UK (No coordinates)
15 Oct	Vancouver Island	Torpedoed by U-558	9,472	North Atlantic 53-37N 25-37W
25 Nov	Proteus	Cause unknown, Sabotage suspected. (Note 1)	10,653	Caribbean Sea (unknown)
12 Dec	Nereus	Cause unknown, Sabotage suspected. (See Note 1)	10,647	Caribbean Sea (unknown)
12 Dec	Shinai	Seized by Japanese Forces	2,410	North Borneo (No coordinates)
1942
19 Jan	Lady Hawkins	Torpedoed by U-66	7,988	Off North Carolina 35-OON 72-30W
4 Feb	Montrolite	Torpedoed by U-109	11,309	Northeast of Bermuda 35-14N 60-05W
5 Feb	Empress of Asia	Bombed by Japanese aircraft	16,909	Singapore (No coordinates)
10 Feb	Victolite	Torpedoed by U-564	11,410	Northwest of Bermuda 36-12N 67-14W
22 Feb	George L. Torian	Torpedoed by U-129	1,754	Off Guyana 09-13N 59-04W
23 Feb	Lennox	Torpedoed by U-129	1,904	Off Guyana 09-15N 58-30W
15 Mar	Sarniadoc	Torpedoed by U-161	1,940	Caribbean Sea 15-45N 65-00W
1 Apr	Robert W. Pomeroy	Mined off Cromer, England	1,750	North Sea 53-10N 01-10E
20 Apr	Vineland	Torpedoed by U-154	5,587	Caribbean Sea 23-05N 72-20W
1 May	James E. Newsom	Shelled by U-69	671	Northeast of Bermuda 35-SON 59-40W
5 May	Lady Drake	Torpedoed by U-106	7,985	North of Bermuda 35-43N 64-43N
7 May	Mildred Pauline	Shelled by U-136	300	Off Nova Scotia (No coordinates)
8 May	Mont Louis	Torpedoed by U-162	1,905	Off Guyana 08-23N 58-44W
9 May	Calgarolite	Torpedoed and SheIled by U-125	11,941	Caribbean Sea 19-24N 82-30W
21 May	Torondoc	Torpedoed by U-69	1,927	Caribbean Sea 14-45N 62-15W
21 May	Troisdoc	Torpedoed by U-558	1,925	Caribbean Sea 18-15N 79-20W
22 May	Frank B. Baird	Shelled by U-158	1,748	Southeast of Bermuda 28-03N 58-50W
30 May	Liverpool Packet	Torpedoed by U-432	1,188	Off Nova Scotia 43-20N 66-20W
28 Jun	Mona Marie	Shelled by U-126	126	Caribbean Sea 12-22N 60-10W
25 Jul	Lucille M.	Shelled by U-89	54	Off Nova Scotia 42-02N 65-38W
29 Jul	Prescodoc	Torpedoed by U-160	1,938	Of f Guyana 08-50N 59-05W
17 Aug	Princess Marguerite	Torpedoed by U-83	5,875	Mediterranean Sea 32-03N 32-47E
3 Sep	Donald Stewart	Torpedoed by U-517	1,781	Belle Isle Strait 50-32N 58-46W
5 Sep	Lord St rathcona	Torpedoed by U-513	7,335	Wabana, Nfld. 47-35N 52-59W
6 Sep	John A. Holloway	Torpedoed by U-164	1,745	Caribbean Sea 14-10N 71-30W
7 Sep	Oakton (Q533)	Torpedoed by U-517	1,727	Gulf of St. Lawrence 48-50 63-46W
18 Sep	Norfolk	Torpedoed by U-175	1,901	Off Guyana 08-36N 59-20W
9 Oct	Carolus	Torpedoed by U-69	2,375	Gulf of St. Lawrence 48-47N 68-10W
29 Oct	Bic Island (HX-212)	Torpedoed by U-624	4,000	North Atlantic 55-05N 23-27W
2 Nov	Rose Castle	Torpedoed by U-518	7,803	Off Newfoundland 47-36N 52-58W
3 Nov	Chr. J. Kampmann (TAG-18)	Torpedoed by U-160	2,260	Caribbean Sea 12-06N 62-42W
1943
19 May	Angelus	Shelled by U-161	255	North of Bermuda 38-40N 64-00W
6 Jul	Jasper Park	Torpedoed by U-177	7,129	Indian Ocean 32-52S 42-15E
1944
22 Mar	Watuka	Torpedoed by U-802	1,621	Off Nova Scotia 44-30N 62-51W
18 Jun	Albert C. Field	Torpedoed by German aircraft	1,764	English Channel 50-28N 01-46W
3 Dec	Cornwallis	Torpedoed by U-1230	5,458	Gulf of Maine 43-59N 68-20W
1945
23 Feb	Point Pleasant Park	Torpedoed by U-510	7,136	Off South Africa 29-42S 09-58E
13 Mar	Taber Park (FS-1753)	Most likely torpedoed by midget submarine. (See Note 1)	2,878	North Sea 52-22N 01-53E
7 May	Avondale Park	Torpedoed by U-2336	2,878	Firth Offorth 56-10N 02-32W

Note 1: The cause of loss of these merchant ships has not been established beyond doubt.

Canadian-Registered Merchant Ships Lost by Other Causes

Date	Ship Name	Cause of Loss	Tonnage	Position
1940
6 Dec	Watkins F. Nisbet	Ran ashore and wrecked. Later salved for scrap.	1,747	Bristol Channel (No coordinates)
1941
5 Oct	Mondoc	Struck submerged object.	1,926	Caribbean Sea (No coordinates)
1942
15 Jan	R.J. Cullen	Wrecked two miles off Barra Island, Outer Hebrides.	6,973	Sea of Hebrides (No coordinates)
1943
1 Jan	Hamildoc	Foundered in heavy seas. Declared a total loss.	1,926	Off Guyana (En route to Trinidad).

Canadian-Registered Merchant Ships Severely Damaged

Date	Ship Name	Cause of Loss	Tonnage	Position
1940
16 Dec	Bic Island (See Note 2)	Bombed by German aircraft	4,000	North Atlantic 54-12N 17-45w
21 Dec	Europa (See Note 2)	Bombed by German aircraft	10,224	Liverpool (No coordinates)
1942
10 Mar	Lady Nelson	Torpedoed by U-161 Salvaged and repaired	7,970	Port Castries, St.Lucia
11 Sep	Cornwallis (See Note 2)	Torpedoed by U-514	5,458	Caribbean Sea 13-05N 59-36w
1945
4 Jan	Nipawin Park (SH-194)	Torpedoed by U-1232. The fore part of the ship sank, but the after part was salvaged. As a result, this vessel is not considered officially lost.	2,373	Off Nova Scotia 44-30N 63-00W
12 Apr	Silver Star Park	Collision and Fire. Hulk sold, repaired and renamed Santa Cecilia.	7,243	Off New York
3 May	Green Hill Park	Explosion and fire. Hulk sold, repaired and renamed Phaeax II.	7,168	Vancouver Harbour

Note 2 - These vessels were later lost by other enemy action.

Canadian-Owned (British Registered) Merchant Ship Losses

Date	Ship Name	Cause of Loss	Tonnage	Position
1940
5 Feb	Beaverburn (OA-84)	Torpedoed by U-41	9,874	North Atlantic 49-20N 10-07W
28 Oct	Empress of Britain	Torpedoed by U-32 after being bombed by German aircraft	42,348	Off Ireland 55-16N 09-50W
5 Nov	Beaverford (HX-84)	Sunk by raider (Admiral Scheer)	10,042	North Atlantic 52-26N 32-34W
1941
25 Mar	Beaverbrae	Bombed by German aircraft	9,956	North Atlantic 60-12N 09-00W
2 Apr	Beaverdale	Torpedoed and shelled by U-boat	9,957	North Atlantic 60-50N 29-19W
1942
10 Oct	Duchess of Atholl	Torpedoed by U-178	20,119	South Atlantic 07-03S 11-1~2W
1943
13 Mar	Empress of Canada	Torpedoed by Italian submarine Da Vinci	21,517	South Atlantic 01-13S 09-57W
11 Jul	Duchess of York	Bombed by German aircraft	20,021	North Atlantic 41-18N 15-24W
2 Dec	Fort Athabasca	Explosion of Ammunition ship bombed by aircraft	7,132	Bari Harbour, Italy (No coordinates)
1944
25 Jan	Fort Bellingham (JW-56A)	Torpedoed by U-360 and 0-957	7,153	Barents Sea 73-25N 25-10E
15 Feb	Fort St.Nicholas	Torpedoed by U-410	7,154	Mediterranean Sea 40-34N 14-37E
19 May	Fort Missanabie	Torpedoed by U-435	7,147	Mediterranean Sea 38-20N 16-28E
24 Jun	Fort Norfolk	Mined off assault beaches, Normandy	7,131	English Channel (No coordinates)
15 Dec	Fort Maisonneuve	Mined, Scheldt Estuary	7,128	Holland (No coordinates)

* All of the "Fort" ships were owned by the Canadian Government but registered in Britain. All of the others listed were owned by Canadian Pacific and registered in Britain.

Canadian-Owned (British Registered) Merchant Ships Severely Damaged

Date	Ship Name	Cause of Loss	Tonnage	Position
1940
9 Nov	Empress of Japan	Bombed by German aircraft	26,032	North Atlantic 53-54N 14-28W
1943
14 Mar	Duchess of York	Bombed by German aircraft	20,021	Off Cape Finisterre
1944
14 May	Fort Fidler	Torpedoed by U-616	7,127	Mediterranean Sea 36-45N 00-55E
26 Jul	Fort McPherson	Struck by flying bomb while under repair from a previous bomb.	7,132	Victoria Dock London, England
18 Aug	Fort Gloucester	Torpedoed by German E-boat	7,127	English Channel

Select List of Merchant Ship Losses of Canadian Interest

Date	Ship Name	Cause of Loss	Tonnage	Position
1940
2 Dec	Montrose	Torpedoed by U-99	16,402	North Atlantic 54-35N 18-18W
(Montrose was owned by Canadian Pacific and registered in Britain. She was converted into an Armed Merchant Cruiser by the Royal Navy and renamed Forfar before she was lost.)
1941
15 Jul	Lady Somers	Torpedoed by Italian submarine Morosini	8,194	North Atlantic 36-00N 21-00W
(Lady Somers was Canadian owned and registered but was requisitioned by the Admiralty and serving as an ocean boarding vessel when lost. As a result she is considered a Royal Navy warship loss.)
1945
28 Feb	Soreldoc	Torpedoed by U-1302	1,926	English Channel 52-15N 05-35W
(Soreldoc had been Canadian-owned and registered until 1944. In that year she was apparently acquired by the US War Shipping Administration and became Panamanian-flag.)