S.S. Newfoundland

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The 212 ft wooden steam sealer SS Newfoundland was originally built by Peter Baldwin in Quebec in 1872. The vessel was seized by the U.S. in 1898 while being used as a blockade runner to Cuba during the Spanish-American War. In March 1914, under the command of Wes Kean, she departed St. John’s for the annual seal hunt and due to a number of communication and judgment errors, 77 of the 132 crew members died while left stranded on the ice floes for 53 hours during a severe blizzard. Most of the 'lucky' survivors had to have limbs amputated due to frostbite. This tragedy is part of what is known as the Newfoundland Sealing Disaster of 1914.

Taking on the role of maritime archaeologist, the scarce info had to be pieced together from a single surviving photograph and just bits and scraps of historical data.

Full view of the sealer S.S. Newfoundland model shown above and below. She's a little 'dressed up' with signal flags spelling St. John's at her stern and Newfoundland at her bow.