Canadian Virtual War Memorial
John Reiben
In memory of:
4th Engineer John Reiben
June 14, 1942
North Atlantic
Military Service
26
Merchant Navy
Canadian Merchant Navy
SS Cold Harbor (Panama)
Additional Information
From Benito, Manitoba.
On 15 June 1942, Cold Harbor was sailing 100 miles (160 km) north-west of Trinidad when she was torpedoed by U-502 at 4:10 am. Her cargo of munitions caused her to explode. About 30 minutes later, another torpedo sank her, in position 11°40'N/62°55'W. The crew of 10 armed guards and 41 men of various nationalities abandoned ship in canoes. Eight survivors were picked up by the USS Opal (PYC-8) and landed at Port of Spain, Trinidad, 19 others were rescued by the SS Exmouth and taken back to the same place, 14 sailors and 3 gunners were rescued by the SS Kahuku, which was sunk at 3:20 am on 16 June by U-126. One sailor and one gunner were killed, while the others were rescued by the USS Opal. The attacks caused the death of 7 men and left 44 survivors.
Commemorated on Page 275 of the Merchant Navy Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.
Burial Information
BURIAL AT SEA
*N/A*
N/A
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