HMS Barbadoes
Frigate · United Kingdom · Lost 1812 · Nova Scotia & Sable Island
A Royal Navy frigate escorting a Bermuda-to-Newfoundland convoy was wrecked on Sable Island in 1812, and a 2025 excavation may have located remains of the convoy.
The Vessel and Her Loss
HMS Barbadoes was a Royal Navy frigate under Captain Thomas Huskisson, escorting a small convoy from Bermuda to Newfoundland carrying sugar and rum. On 27 September 1812 she wrecked on Sable Island along with two other vessels of her convoy, the sloop Swift and the schooner Emeline. In 2025, Parks Canada archaeologists excavated a remarkably preserved wooden wreck on the island's North Beach bearing Royal Navy markings and Bermuda cedar timbers, which they believe may belong to one of these three ships, though positive identification has not been confirmed.
Vessel
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Sail
- Royal Navy
Loss
- September 27, 1812
- Grounding
- Sable Island, Nova Scotia
- Atlantic Ocean, Sable Island
- Bermuda → Newfoundland
- Sugar and rum
- Not established
- Not established
- Thomas Huskisson
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Buried in shifting sand; partial remains periodically exposed
- Not established
- 2025
- Sable Island National Park Reserve
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Sable Island, Nova Scotia
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (60/100)
The 2025 excavated wreck's identification as Barbadoes, Swift, or Emeline has not been confirmed by Parks Canada.
Parks Canada, Sable Island National Park Reserve
Convoy composition, date of loss, and 2025 excavation findings.
