SS Corfu Island
Cargo Ship · Lebanon · Lost 1963 · The Gulf of St Lawrence
A World War II-era freighter driven ashore on the Magdalen Islands in a 1963 storm, its rusting hull still visible on the beach today.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1943 as the Victory-type cargo ship Fort Saleesh, the vessel changed hands and names several times before becoming the Corfu Island under Lebanese registry. On 20 December 1963, en route from Wismar, Germany, she was caught in a violent Gulf of St Lawrence storm; frozen ballast lines burst her steam pipes and left her adrift and powerless. Islanders lit shoreline lights through the night to guide the disabled ship, which grounded on West Dune Beach near Étang-du-Nord. The hull remains beached there, a well-known local landmark.
Vessel
- 1943
- North Vancouver Ship Repairs Limited
- North Vancouver, British Columbia
- Steel
- 424 ft
- 57 ft
- 7130
- Steam
- Marathon Compañía Naviera (at loss)
Loss
- December 20, 1963
- Storm
- West Dune Beach, Étang-du-Nord, Îles-de-la-Madeleine
- Gulf of St Lawrence
- Wismar, Germany
- Not established
- Not established
- Sources reviewed do not report loss of life; the crew reached shore.
- Peter Paschalis
The Wreck Today
- 0 ft
- Largely intact hull visible above the sand at West Dune Beach; subject of a 2017 federal technical study on removal options.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 47.37° N 61.95° W
- Approximate position
- Étang-du-Nord, Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec
Position approximates the known beach location at West Dune Beach.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Grounding date, location, and ongoing government wreck management.
Beach location and present-day visibility of the wreck.
Portail des Îles de la Madeleine
Storm circumstances, captain's name, and shoreline rescue efforts.
