John Alexander Forbes – Merchant Navy, M.V. Canadian Star

Second Refrigerator Engineer John Alexander Forbes – Merchant Navy, M.V. Canadian Star

Early Life

John Alexander Forbes was born in 1912 in Swansea, the son of Alexander Forbes and Anne Maud Forbes. Little is recorded about his early years in Wales, but like many young men of his generation, he grew up during a period marked by economic hardship and global uncertainty. At some point in adulthood, John settled in Bluff, New Zealand, a major deep‑water port and an important centre for maritime employment. His recorded address at the time of his death was 18 Doyle Street, Bluff, reflecting his life and career overseas.

Service in the Merchant Navy

John Alexander served with distinction in the Merchant Navy, rising to the position of Second Refrigerator Engineer. This was a highly skilled technical role, responsible for maintaining the refrigeration systems aboard cargo liners—vital equipment that preserved food supplies transported across vast distances. His expertise placed him aboard the M.V. Canadian Star, a refrigerated cargo liner operated by the Blue Star Line, renowned for its fleet of fast, modern vessels.

During the Second World War, ships like the Canadian Star were essential to Britain’s survival, carrying meat, dairy, and other foodstuffs from the Americas to the United Kingdom. Their importance made them prime targets for German U‑boats.

Sinking of the M.V. Canadian Star – 18^th March 1943

M.V. Canadian Star 
credit - wrecksite

The M.V. Canadian Star was sailing as part of Convoy HX 229, travelling from New York to Liverpool with a cargo of refrigerated food supplies. In March 1943, the convoy entered what became one of the most intense and deadly U‑boat assaults of the entire Battle of the Atlantic. Several German submarines, operating together as a coordinated wolf pack, launched repeated attacks over several days.

On 18^th March 1943, at approximately 54°40’N, 31°25’W, the Canadian Star was struck by a torpedo fired by the German submarine U‑221. The explosion caused catastrophic structural damage. Heavy seas and the rapid flooding of the vessel left the crew with almost no chance to escape. The ship sank quickly, and many of those on board were lost.

The destruction of the Canadian Star formed part of the wider battle for Convoy HX 229, one of the most fiercely contested convoy engagements of the war. The losses suffered during this attack underscored the extreme dangers faced by Merchant Navy personnel, who sailed unarmed or lightly defended ships through some of the most perilous waters in the world.

Among those who perished was Second Refrigerator Engineer John Alexander Forbes, serving far from his birthplace but in a role vital to the Allied war effort.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Deaths

John Alexander Forbes
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - findagrave

According to the Merchant Seamen Deaths register, Second Refrigerator Engineer John Alexander Forbes lost his life on 18^th March 1943 when the M.V. Canadian Star was sunk. As he has no known grave, he is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, which honours the thousands of Merchant Navy personnel who died at sea during both world wars.