SS Ethie
Coastal Steamer · Newfoundland · Lost 1919 · Newfoundland
A Reid Newfoundland coastal steamer driven ashore in a hurricane-force storm in 1919, with all 92 aboard saved in a dramatic shore rescue near Cow Head.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
SS Ethie was a coastal steamer of the Reid Newfoundland Company's Alphabet Fleet, running freight and passengers along Newfoundland's west coast and Labrador. On December 11, 1919, she was overwhelmed by a sudden hurricane-force storm en route from Cow Head to Bonne Bay and driven ashore at Martin's Point. All 92 people aboard, including an infant, were brought safely to shore by rope and boatswain's chair with the help of local residents. The wreck became one of Newfoundland's most celebrated rescue stories.
Vessel
- 1900
- Official number 113009
- A. & J. Inglis
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Steel
- 155 ft
- 25 ft
- 440
- Steam and sail
- Reid Newfoundland Company
Loss
- December 11, 1919
- Storm
- Martin's Point, near Cow Head and Bonne Bay, Newfoundland
- Gulf of St. Lawrence
- Cow Head, Newfoundland → Bonne Bay, Newfoundland
- General freight
- 92
- 0
- English
The Wreck Today
- 0 ft
- Eroded over decades; only a section of the bow and one boiler remain visible.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Martin's Point, near Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Maritime History Archive, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Construction details and date/location of loss.
The Western Star (contemporary newspaper account, December 17, 1919)
Narrative of the storm, grounding, and rescue.
