Red Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador

Red Bay
Town
Red Bay seen from above
Red Bay Location of Red Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador Red Bay Red Bay (Newfoundland)
Coordinates: 51°43′55″N 56°25′32″W
Country	Canada
Province	Newfoundland and Labrador
Region	NunatuKavut (unofficial)
Government
• Type	Municipal incorporation
Area
• Total	1.58 km2 (0.61 sq mi)
Elevation	10 m (30 ft)
Population  (2021)
• Total	142
• Density	90/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3:30 (Newfoundland Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2:30 (Newfoundland Daylight)
Area code	709
Highways	Route 510 (Trans-Labrador Highway)
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Red Bay Basque Whaling Station
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, vi
Designated	2013 (37th session)
Reference no.	1412
Region	Europe and North America
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Red Bay National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	1979

Red Bay is a fishing village in Labrador, notable as one of the most precious underwater archaeological sites in the Americas. Between 1530 and the early 17th century, it was a major Basque whaling area. Several whaling ships, both large galleons and small chalupas, sank there, and their discovery led to the designation of Red Bay in 2013 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Geography

Saddle Island, Red Bay, Labrador

Red Bay is a natural harbour residing in the bay that gives it its name, both names in reference to the red granite cliffs of the region. Because of the sheltered harbour it was used during World War II as a mooring site for naval vessels. In the bay are Penney Island and Saddle Island, which were used by the Basques for their whaling operations. The location of the sunken vessel San Juan is near Saddle Island.

History

See also: History of Basque whaling § Newfoundland and Labrador

A Basque chalupa recovered from the waters of the bay and on display in the museum.

Between 1550 and the early 17th century, Red Bay, known as Balea Baya (Whale Bay), was a centre for Basque whaling operations. Sailors from southern France and northern Spain sent 15 whaleships and 600 men a season to the remote outpost on the Strait of Belle Isle to catch the right whale and bowhead whales that populated the waters there, according to Memorial University of Newfoundland.

In 1565, San Juan, sank on a whaling expedition to Labrador. Research by Selma Barkham in Spanish archives suggested that the San Juan had been lost in Red Bay and La Madalena had sunk in Chateau Bay in the same year. By 1974, Barkham was in contact with archaeologists working for Parks Canada. In 1977, an initial shore-based survey was made of some of Labrador's harbours of the Belle Isle Strait. Good evidence of Basque whaling expeditions was found; in Red Bay, this included many whale bones on the beaches, large numbers of clay roofing tiles (the remains of buildings put up by the whalers) and burnt animal fat associated with stone foundations.

Underwater archaeological work started in 1978 and on the third day of diving, the wreck site numbered 24M was located north of Cox Hill on Saddle Island. It is about 30 metres (98 ft) from the shoreline, with the centreline of the hull pointing roughly north and the bow furthest from the beach. The site slopes, with the stern in 7 metres (23 ft) of water and the bow in about 12 m. It is likely that the ship dragged her anchor in a north-westerly storm at the end of the whaling season when she was loaded with barrels of whale oil and nearly ready to make the transatlantic passage back to her home port. The 24M site was ultimately concluded to most likely be the wreck of San Juan.

Other, smaller vessels, such as chalupas, have also been recovered from the waters.

Another galleon was found 25–35 feet below water in 2004. It was the fourth trans-oceanic ship to have been found in the area.

A cemetery on nearby Saddle Island holds the remains of 140 whalers. Many of the people buried there are thought to have died from drowning and exposure.

Historians believe that a decline in whale stocks eventually led to the abandonment of the whaling stations in Red Bay. Today, an interpretive centre in Red Bay explains the history to visitors.

Local legends of Red Bay make reference to a hidden treasure buried in a body of water known as Pond on the Hill 51°43′43″N 56°26′56″W at the foot of Tracey Hill by the infamous pirate Captain William Kidd. An attempt was made to find the treasure by residents of Carrol Cove by draining the pond. The attempt failed.

Red Bay has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada since 1979, and since 2013 it is one of Canada's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

In 2016, the Google Street View imaging service uploaded images of Red Bay. Red Bay is one of the few communities in Labrador with images on the service.

In 2021, the local school, Basque Memorial School closed due to no enrollment.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Red Bay had a population of 142 living in 65 of its 69 total private dwellings, a change of -16% from its 2016 population of 169. With a land area of 2.31 km² (0.89 sq mi), it had a population density of 61.5/km² (159.2/sq mi) in 2021.

Tourist attractions

Basque whaling station on Saddle Island. The location of the sunken vessel San Juan (1565) is near the wreck of Bernier, which grounded in 1966.

• Basque whaling stations
• Iceberg and whale watching
• Hiking
• Local entertainment and cuisine
• Fishing
• The Whaler's Restaurant (fish & chips and related cuisine)

See also

• List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador

Further reading

• "Discovery in Labrador: A 16th-Century Basque Whaling Port and Its Sunken Fleet". National Geographic. Vol. 168, no. 1. July 1985. pp. 40–71. ISSN 0027-9358. OCLC 643483454.
• "The Underwater Archaeology of Red Bay: Basque Shipbuilding and Whaling in the 16th Century". Parks Canada. 2007. ISBN 978-0-660-19652-7. OCLC 86005349.

External links

• Basque whaling historical page
• Red Bay - Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, vol. 4, p. 536-537.
• Red Bay National Historic Site, Parks Canada