Margaret Jane

On July 31, 1980, Margaret Jane was returning an injured crew member to Lunenburg after three days of scallop fishing with an 18-member crew.[4][7][8] Cape Beaver, a steel-plated 160-foot wetfish trawler owned by National Sea Products, was undergoing her first shakedown cruise in Nova Scotia waters and had dignitaries on board.[2][4][9][10]

At approximately 12:00 p.m. (ADT), Margaret Jane was hit on the port side by Cape Beaver in dense fog.[10][11] The incident occurred about six kilometers from Lunenburg, near West Ironbound Island.[4][11] The large ice-cutting ball on the bow of Cape Beaver sliced through the side of the Margaret Jane.[2] After the collision, some crewmembers jumped overboard into the Atlantic Ocean and others scrambled into the boat's life raft.[10] Within two minutes, the Margaret Jane was submerged by water and sank.[2][11] Four crewmembers of the Margaret Jane died in the incident.[11] Some crew members from Cape Beaver jumped into a life boat and helped rescue survivors.[2] The Cape Beaver boat and crew was not injured and returned to the National Sea Products wharf with rescued crew members from the Margaret Jane.[4] Four injured men were taken to hospital in the incident and the other 10 members of the crew were unharmed after being rescued.[4]

A television film crew from CBC was aboard Cape Beaver and captured footage of the collision and aftermath.[12] The video footage was aired on national television across the United States.[13][14][15]