AH-WR-2042

Saladin

Bark (or Barque) · Lost 1844 · Nova Scotia & Sable Island

The mutiny bark Saladin stranded near Country Harbour, Nova Scotia, on May 21, 1844, after her crew murdered the captain and officers at sea.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

The British guano bark Saladin sailed from Valparaiso on February 8, 1844, with guano, 70 tons of copper, silver bars and about $9,000 in coin. At sea, crew members murdered Captain Alexander MacKenzie, his officers, other seamen and two passengers. On May 21, 1844, she was found stranded on Harbour Island near Country Harbour, Nova Scotia. The six survivors' story roused Captain William Cunningham's suspicions; they were arrested and tried in Halifax in the last major piracy trial in British North America.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Not established
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: May 21, 1844
Cause: Grounding
Location: Harbour Island, near Country Harbour (Saladin Point)
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Valparaiso, Chile → England
Cargo: Guano, 70 tons of copper, silver bars and coin
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Captain Alexander MacKenzie, his officers, three seamen and two passengers were killed at sea in the mutiny before the stranding; no deaths are reported in the stranding itself.
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

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

Position

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

No pin: no surveyed wreck position in the sources used.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

Based on a published secondary account corroborated by the Government of Nova Scotia shipwreck catalogue; original records were not independently inspected.

Wikipedia — Saladin (barque)
Article narrative of construction, voyage and loss (secondary summary of cited books and newspapers).
Government of Nova Scotia — Marine Heritage Shipwrecks Database
Official catalogue entry: vessel name, date, event type and written location.
Douglas E. Howell, The Saladin Trial, The Northern Mariner
Departure from Valparaiso 8 February 1844 with guano, copper, silver and specie; mutiny and trial.