AH-WR-1395

SS Viking

Sealing Steamer · Newfoundland · Lost 1931 · Newfoundland

A veteran Newfoundland sealing steamer, chartered for a Hollywood film, exploded and burned off the Horse Islands in 1931, killing more than twenty of her crew and film company.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in Norway in 1881, Viking spent decades in the Newfoundland seal hunt after Bowring Brothers purchased her in 1904. In 1930-31 she was chartered by filmmaker Varick Frissell to shoot scenes for the film 'The Viking'. On the night of 15-16 March 1931, while beset in ice in White Bay, a series of explosions - believed to have set off stored film, dynamite and powder - destroyed the ship. Frissell and cinematographer Alexander Penrod were among the 24 to 27 dead.

Vessel

Built: 1881
Registry: Official Number 117314
Builder: Nylands Verksted / built at Arendal
Yard: Arendal, Norway
Material: Wood
Length: 155 ft
Beam: 31.8 ft
Tonnage: 586
Propulsion: Sail and auxiliary steam/diesel engine, single screw
Owners: Bowring Brothers, St. John's (from 1904)

Loss

Date: March 15, 1931
Cause: Fire
Location: Off the Horse Islands, White Bay, Newfoundland
Water: White Bay / Gulf of St. Lawrence approaches
Voyage: St. John's, Newfoundland → The sealing grounds, via the northern ice fields
Cargo: Sealing gear, and film, dynamite and gunpowder for motion-picture production
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 24
Master: Abram Kean Jr.

The Wreck Today

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

Position

Coordinates: 50.19° N 55.83° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Horse Islands, Newfoundland
Region: Newfoundland

Coordinates mark the Horse Islands; the vessel exploded roughly 8 miles offshore according to contemporary reports.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)

The precise cause of the initial explosion and the exact death toll (reported as 24 to 27) are not fully settled in the sources reviewed.

Newfoundland Shipwrecks (newfoundlandshipwrecks.com)
Build history, ownership, voyage narrative, and contemporary newspaper accounts of the explosion.
Wikipedia, cross-referenced with Product of Newfoundland article
Dimensions, tonnage, casualty range, and the connection to the film 'The Viking'.