Harkers Island in WW2 History | World War II Database

11 Mar 1942

United States

At 0758 hours, German submarine U-158 struck 2,609-ton US steam merchant Caribsea on the starboard side with a torpedo 20 kilometers east of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, United States, just off the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. The Caribsea rapidly settled and sank in less than three minutes in shallow waters. No distress signals could be sent and the crew of eight officers and 20 men had no chance to launch the lifeboats. The few survivors climbed onto two rafts that floated free and they later observed the submarine passing within 100 yards. The men on a raft made use of a small metal can as a reflector to attract the attention of the northbound Norlindo, which picked up two officers and five crewmen after ten hours. They were transferred to a US Coast Guard dispatch boat off Cape Henry. Only 7 would survive the sinking. ww2dbase [Second Happy Time | Harkers Island, North Carolina | CPC, HM]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis

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