AH-WR-1391

Delight

Sailing Ship · England · Lost 1583 · Nova Scotia & Sable Island

The flagship of Sir Humphrey Gilbert's 1583 Newfoundland expedition became the first recorded shipwreck at Sable Island, with heavy loss of life.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Delight, also known as George, was the flagship carrying most of the remaining supplies of Sir Humphrey Gilbert's 1583 expedition to establish an English colony in Newfoundland. On the return voyage, she ran aground on a sandbar off Sable Island on 29 August 1583 and sank quickly in shallow water. Of about 101 aboard, only 16 escaped in an ill-equipped lifeboat, reaching Newfoundland after a harrowing week at sea. The loss, including that of scholar Stephanus Parmenius, is recorded as the first documented shipwreck at Sable Island.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 120
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Sir Humphrey Gilbert's expedition to Newfoundland

Loss

Date: August 29, 1583
Cause: Grounding
Location: Sandbar off Sable Island, Nova Scotia
Water: Atlantic Ocean, off Sable Island
Voyage: Newfoundland → England
Cargo: Most of the expedition's remaining supplies
Aboard: 101
Lives lost: 85
Master: Richard Clarke

The Wreck Today

Depth: 33 ft
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Sable Island, Nova Scotia
Region: Nova Scotia & Sable Island

General location is Sable Island's sandbars; no confirmed modern wreck position was found in sources reviewed.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (70/100)

A specific modern wreck location for Delight has not been established; the loss is known from historical narrative rather than an identified wreck site.

Wikipedia: English ship Delight (1583)
Voyage narrative, casualty figures, and status as first recorded Sable Island wreck.
CBC News, 'Sable Island: Shipwrecks at the graveyard of the Atlantic'
Context on Sable Island shipwreck history and Delight's place as the earliest recorded loss.