Wreck of the S.S. Ethie

At Martin’s Point in Gros Morne National Park, north of Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse, a staircase leads down to a rocky beach. On this beach lay the rusting metal parts of a ship, the S.S. Ethie, that ran aground in a December storm.

On December 10, 1919, the ship S.S. Ethie, one of the Alphabet Fleet of Reid Newfoundland Company’s ships, was bringing over 90 passengers to Rocky Harbour on the west coast of Newfoundland. Caught in a strong icestorm and being blown toward the island’s perilous shores, the captain made the decision to beach the ship at Martin’s Point, the safest place that he could find along the coast. All passengers survived and were rescued by townsfolk using a bosun’s chair and rope. A baby was even hauled up the edifice using a mail sack.

The wreck would inspire a folk song and a yearly show at the Gros Morne Theater Festival. However, it also inspired tales of a Newfoundland dog that the Associated Press picked up and was printed by the Philadelphia Star-Ledger. An association in the city even made a special collar for the dog with “HERO” engraved on it.

Despite the tale of the heroic dog being a likely embellishment, the wreckage of the Ethie is testament to the rescue of all passengers from the storm. The beached ship would disintegrate and be carried out to sea, but the heavy engine and hull parts would remain on the beach along with other metal parts and struts. For almost 100 years, these rusting remains help keep the story alive.