SS Lion (1867)

SS Lion was the first wooden-wall steamship in Newfoundland and Labrador, constructed in 1866. The ship's main purpose was to head back and forth within the sealing industry from the ice off Labrador to St. John's, Newfoundland. On January 6, 1882, the vessel was lost in the night while transporting goods and persons from St. John's to Trinity, Newfoundland. All people on board lost their lives.

History
NameLion
OwnerJohn Reddick
OperatorWalter Grieve & Co
LaunchedGreenspond, Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland
Completed1866
In service1867
Out of service6 January 1882
IdentificationOfficial Number 052320
FateLost
General characteristics
Tonnage
Length140 ft (43 m)[1]
Beam28 ft (8.5 m)
Depth16 ft (4.9 m)
Decks2
Installed powerSail/steam output: 75 hp (56 kW)
Crew10

Description

Lion was a full-rigged steamship measured at 292 net register tons (NRT). The vessel's steam engines produced 75 nominal horsepower. The vessel was owned by Walter Grieve and Co.[2]

Service history

Lion was one of the first wooden-wall steamships operating off Newfoundland, entering service in 1867.[3] Lion was used to sail from the sealing grounds off Labrador and St. John's, Newfoundland. Due to the ship's owners anti-Confederation views, the vessel flew a blue ensign with large white letters that read "No Confederation."[2] In 1871, Lion brought home the crew of SS Wolf after that ship had been cut in two by an iceberg in Green Bay, Newfoundland.[4]

Fate

On January 6, 1882 the ship left St. John's to prepare for the upcoming seal hunt. Under the command of Captain Patrick Fowlow of Trinity, Newfoundland, the ship started to make its way to Trinity. Carrying passengers and a load of coal, the ship was soon lost in the middle of the night, near Baccalieu Tickle, despite fair weather conditions. Most believe the ship exploded due to insufficient water in the boilers. The loss claimed the lives of all passengers, crew and captain. All that was found was a small amount of debris and the body of a young woman from St. John's.[5][6][7]

References
  1. "Lion". newfoundlandshipwrecks.com. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  2. Ryan, Shannon (July 1993). "Newfoundland Spring Sealing Disasters to 1914" (PDF). The Northern Mariner. III (3): 35.
  3. Jarvis, Dale (30 April 2012). "Ship's sinking attracts lots of strange tales". The Telegram. Retrieved 17 April 2022 – via PressReader.
  4. Hollett, Calvin (2016). Beating against the Wind: Popular Opposition to Bishop Feild and Tractarianism in Newfoundland and Labrador. Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-7735-4736-0.
  5. Jarvis, Dale (23 April 2007). "Strange tales surround the loss of the SS Lion". The Telegram. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  6. "The Loss of the S.S. Lion". newfoundlandshipwrecks.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  7. "The Mysterious Loss of the SS Lion". newfoundlandshipwrecks.com. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
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