HMS Raleigh
Heavy Cruiser · United Kingdom · Lost 1922 · Newfoundland
A Royal Navy flagship cruiser wrecked in fog near the Point Amour lighthouse in 1922 while its officers were bound for a fishing trip, later demolished for scrap.
The Vessel and Her Loss
HMS Raleigh, flagship of the Royal Navy's Atlantic and West Indies Squadron, ran aground in fog near Point Amour, Labrador, on August 8, 1922, while diverting toward Forteau Bay so officers could go fly fishing. Eleven of the 797 aboard were lost, and survivors were sheltered by local lightkeepers and families. The wreck was progressively salvaged and eventually destroyed by naval gunnery practice and explosives over subsequent decades.
Vessel
- 1921
- Pennant number 96
- William Beardmore & Company
- Dalmuir, Scotland
- Steel
- 605 ft
- 65 ft
- 9750
- Geared steam turbines, four shafts
- Royal Navy
Loss
- August 8, 1922
- Grounding
- Point Amour, Forteau Bay, Strait of Belle Isle, Labrador
- Strait of Belle Isle
- Hawke's Bay, Newfoundland → Forteau Bay, Labrador
- Not established
- 797
- 11
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Reduced to a debris field after decades of salvage and demolition with explosives, including 1926 Royal Navy gunnery practice and later commercial salvage.
- Not established
- Not established
- Marked by the Raleigh Trail interpretive walk near Point Amour Lighthouse.
Position
- Not established
- Approximate position
- Point Amour, Labrador
Located close inshore near the Point Amour lighthouse; a precise verified position was not available in the sources reviewed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland & Labrador
Loss narrative, casualty figures, and salvage history.
Ship specifications and service history.
