11 Mar 1942
United States
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
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Please help us spread the word: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Change View
Desktop ViewSearch WW2DB
News
- » WW2DB's 20th Anniversary (29 Dec 2024)
- » Wreck of USS Edsall Found (14 Nov 2024)
- » Autumn 2024 Fundraiser (7 Nov 2024)
- » Nobel Peace Prize for the Atomic Bomb Survivors Organization (11 Oct 2024)
- » See all news
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,151 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 44,186 timeline entries
- » 1,243 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 375 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 260 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,666 photos
- » 431 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs. Victory in spite of all terrors. Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival."Winston Churchill
