SS Langleecrag
Cargo Steamship · United Kingdom · Lost 1947 · Newfoundland
A 4,900-ton British steamer ran aground and broke apart on Great Sacred Island in the Strait of Belle Isle in 1947; her rusting hull still lies on the rocks today.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Langleecrag, a steel cargo steamer built in 1929 for the Medomsley Steam Shipping Company, was sailing from Hull to Quebec to load grain when she approached the Strait of Belle Isle in fog on 15 November 1947. Her mate mistook one navigational light for another, running the ship onto Great Sacred Island near L'Anse aux Meadows. The boiler exploded and the hull broke apart; two crewmen drowned trying to rig a lifeline, and the other 41 survivors waited five days on the barren island before the Norwegian whaler Olaf Olsen rescued them.
Vessel
- 1929
- UK official number 161528
- Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Co., Ltd.
- Hebburn-on-Tyne, England
- Steel
- 416 ft
- Not established
- 4909
- Steam, single screw
- Medomsley Steam Shipping Co., Ltd., Newcastle
Loss
- November 15, 1947
- Grounding
- Great Sacred Island, Strait of Belle Isle, near L'Anse aux Meadows
- Strait of Belle Isle
- Hull, England → Quebec, to load grain
- Not established
- 44
- 2
- Thomas Orford
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Broken in two on the rocks; substantial hull remains including boiler, propeller mount and railing were still visible decades later.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 51.63° N 55.53° W
- Approximate position
- L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland
Coordinates mark Great Sacred Island off L'Anse aux Meadows, where the wreck remains visible.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Maritime History Archive, Memorial University
Build details, official number, tonnage, loss narrative, and rescue account.
SaltWire / Northern Pen coverage
Survivor accounts, casualty names, and present condition of the wreck.
