Emergencies and World Disasters
Midnight Vanish: The St. Lawrence Night a Warship Disappeared
23 min•20 september 2026
Om avsnittet
Midnight Vanish: The St. Lawrence Night a Warship Disappeared
The St. Lawrence River was supposed to be safe, but on September 7, 1942, two white columns of water rose astern of a convoy and forty men vanished with almost no trace - only one body and a single fragment washed ashore weeks later. What happened to HMCS Raccoon in the seven hours and fifteen minutes between those explosions and the first question of where she had gone?
In this episode, we tell the story of HMCS Raccoon from her launch as the private yacht Halonia to her conversion and final patrol as a Royal Canadian Navy escort, and we follow the movements and small decisions that put her in the river the night she disappeared. How did a 148-foot converted yacht with a crew of forty come to be swallowed by the St. Lawrence with virtually no debris?
Person: HMCS Raccoon (formerly Halonia)
Date: September 7, 1942
Location: St. Lawrence River, off Cap-Chat, Quebec
Complement: 40 men
Yard number: 146 (Bath Iron Works)
- Launched May 2, 1931 at Bath Iron Works as Halonia, 361 GRT and 148 feet long.
- Purchased for $207,100 by Montye McRae to transfer the vessel to Canada in 1940.
- Commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy May 17, 1940 and converted October 18, 1940 with a QF 12-pounder, ASDIC, and depth charges.
- Disappeared after two explosions heard at 00:12 on September 7, 1942; seven hours and fifteen minutes passed before anyone asked where she had gone.
- Weeks after the sinking one body and a corner fragment of the ship's wooden bridge washed ashore on Anticosti Island.
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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
The St. Lawrence River was supposed to be safe, but on September 7, 1942, two white columns of water rose astern of a convoy and forty men vanished with almost no trace - only one body and a single fragment washed ashore weeks later. What happened to HMCS Raccoon in the seven hours and fifteen minutes between those explosions and the first question of where she had gone?
In this episode, we tell the story of HMCS Raccoon from her launch as the private yacht Halonia to her conversion and final patrol as a Royal Canadian Navy escort, and we follow the movements and small decisions that put her in the river the night she disappeared. How did a 148-foot converted yacht with a crew of forty come to be swallowed by the St. Lawrence with virtually no debris?
Person: HMCS Raccoon (formerly Halonia)
Date: September 7, 1942
Location: St. Lawrence River, off Cap-Chat, Quebec
Complement: 40 men
Yard number: 146 (Bath Iron Works)
- Launched May 2, 1931 at Bath Iron Works as Halonia, 361 GRT and 148 feet long.
- Purchased for $207,100 by Montye McRae to transfer the vessel to Canada in 1940.
- Commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy May 17, 1940 and converted October 18, 1940 with a QF 12-pounder, ASDIC, and depth charges.
- Disappeared after two explosions heard at 00:12 on September 7, 1942; seven hours and fifteen minutes passed before anyone asked where she had gone.
- Weeks after the sinking one body and a corner fragment of the ship's wooden bridge washed ashore on Anticosti Island.
To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.
© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
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