Boats of the bay

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  We are fortunate to be able to obtain the information from whom this schooner was named – Winnie (Warren) Brown. Mrs. Brown, who was born in 1919, recalled that her father, Albert Warren Sr., had the schooner in 1928 and estimates a period of fours years before that. What she didn’t know was whether her father built the boat or if it was purchased from a previous owner.

In 1934, the Warren family moved to Broad Cove, Placentia Bay. Albert Warren repaired the Winnie that year. He cut a new keel and his daughter, Winnie, now fourteen years old, sewed new sails. Mr. Warren bought most of the other supplies he needed from Freeman Wareham in Spencer’s Cove. Mr. Wareham had just had his first child, a son, named Eric. He asked Mr. Warren if he could add his sons’ name to the boat.

During the time Albert Warren Sr. owned the Winnie and Eric, he fished the Merasheen Banks with a crew of three and made routine trips to St. Pierre for “spullys”

Eric Bolt of Tack’s Beach bought the Winnie and Eric from Albert Warren Sr. in 1942 (approx.) and he fished off Merasheen in her with his father, Samuel Bolt, and one other crew for about twenty five years.

Eric moved to Arnold’s Cove in 1966 as part of the Resettlement Program and two years later, he sold the Winnie and Eric to Nelson Adams of Fredericton, New Brunswick. 

 Nelson was the great-grandson of Thomas Adams, who came over from Sturminster Newton, Dorset, Great Britain around 1820 and set up a farm at Bordeaux.  Nelson's father moved to Montreal but Nelson came back to Bordeaux for summer vacations every year.  Nelson used the schooner as a pleasure craft, sailing around Newfoundland and St. Pierre, salmon fishing on the South Coast. He sailed her around the Maritime provinces starting at Richibucto and docking at St. John. The following year, he sailed her south along the eastern seaboard to Maryland. She remained in New Brunswick until she was returned to Arnold’s Cove in the summer of 2007. 

The “Lady Anderson” was originally built as a yacht for a lumber merchant in the United States. She was later purchased by the Newfoundland Government  to use as a hospital ship that provided medical service to the islands of Placentia Bay and the Southwest coast. Throughout the mid 1900’s the ship serviced to twenty six ports in the Placentia Bay area once a month bringing a doctor to provide medical care as well as emergency transportation to the Argentia hospital. The trip would start at Red Island and go out as far as Port Elizabeth Island.

Every day when the ship stopped in port the deck of the boat would fill with patients that needed medical care. Most days the doctor would see 25 or 30 patients. Some larger ports they could be stopped for a couple of days.

Tuberculosis was an epidemic at that time and they came across cases in which the individuals came on the boat to be treated and ended up in the sanatorium where they would stay for long periods of time before being able to go home.

If the doctor couldn’t do anything more for the patient, they would be brought to Argentia to the hospital. 

She was eventually sold to Geoff Sterling of St. John’s and used her as a personal yacht. She was later bought by Guy Earl Company in Carbonear and finally ended up anchored in Wesleyville and she sunk at anchorage and she was blown up to remove her from the area.

 The Christmas Seal, previously known as the USCB Shearwater was built in 1943 as a crash rescue boat operating out of Argentia for the United States Army Air Force. The 104 foot vessel was equipped with emergency medical facilities which could accommodate up to twenty-three people. She served the US Armed Forces until 1947, when she was purchased by the Newfoundland and Labrador Tuberculosis Association for $5,000 US and converted into a floating clinic. The vessel had gotten its name from the TB Assoc. sale of Christmas Seals, small stamps which were placed on mail during the Christmas season and used to raise funds and awareness of the lung disease, tuberculosis. The sale of the stamps continued, in an effort to fund the operations of the vessel and its dedicated crew. Tuberculosis was a dreaded, contagious disease which attacked many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. No nook or cranny in our province was spared. From 1947, the Christmas Seal sailed to isolated outports along the coast screening residents for TB, which was the leading cause of death in our province, at the time. Under the command of Captain Peter Troake of Twillingate, the vessel was fitted to provide chest x-rays, test for diabetes and carry out vaccinations for TB and polio (Oh! Those dreaded scratches!). It also provided emergency medical evacuations and circulated general health information to folks all along our coastline. Investment in the Christmas Seal definitely paid off. In 1947 there were 500 deaths caused by TB in our province and just eleven years later, in 1958, it had declined to 64. By 1970, roads around our province had improved greatly and the rate of infection declined. This meant the “Old Girl” wasn’t needed, anymore. After spending nearly a quarter of a century serving the people of our province, the Christmas Seal was sold and later chartered to perform oceanography work, out of Halifax, NS. It was there she performed her last task. During the morning of May 13, 1976 there was an explosion in her engine room. The ship burned and eventually sank. No lives were lost....Just the way the “Old Girl” would have wanted it.  

(Photo) The Christmas Seal docked at the old Government Wharf in Arnold’s Cove. 

In 1940, Billy Brown of Tack’s Beach started to build a 40-tonne schooner to be propelled by sail and motor for the coasting trade.  It was to be called the “Susan and George” however, just before its completion, Mr. Freeman Wareham of Spencer's Cove heard of this boat and sent Captain Alex Rodway to look at her. 

As a result, a deal was made and a chequek for $1000 and an old 27 tonne western shore boat (the Polyanthus). Mr. Wareham called the new Boat Ernst Baxter. It was first used as a trader by Mr. Murdock Beck of Swift Current but for most of its life it was a lobster collector around the bay and skippered by Mr. Clev Rodway  or Mr. Gordon Rodway from Kingwell.

 It spent its last days on the beach in Kingwell.

 Built at Shelburne, Nova Scotia in 1941, schooner, 148 gross tons, official number 170668, registered at St. John's, Newfoundland and owned by W.W. Wareham Limited, Harbour Buffett, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland in 1959. Burnt at the wharf at St. Kyran's, Placentia Bay on 23 November, 1966. 

The Anna V. Fagan was built for the Fagan Family in St. Mary's in 1935.  In 1958 along with Jim Vaters of Spencer's Cove, Philly Pardy Jr. and Philly Pardy Sr. of Port Anne, and Billy Bolt of Tack's Beach, William Brown rebuilt the Anna V. Fagan for H.C.Brown and Sons Ltd. in Tack's Beach.  She was enlarged from 35 tons to 50 tons.  She was later sold to M.A. Powell in Carbonear in 1967.

 Built at Creston, Newfoundland, by T.J. Hodder in 1950, 243 gross tons, wooden fishing schooner, official number 191250, owned by Alberto Wareham Ltd., St. John's, Newfoundland in 1956. Caught fire and sank off Port Royal, Long Island, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland on 13 November 1956 under the command of Capt. Lawrence Walsh. 

 Built at Collingwood, Ontario in 1960, 460 registered tons, official number 311861, registered at St. John's, Newfoundland and owned by the Ministry of Transport, Ottawa, Ontario. Coastal boat, used mostly in Placentia Bay. Caught fire in Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, March 14, 1984. It was towed out and sunk, June 22, 1984 

 Ex "Petit Forte"- '61 - Built by Saint John Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Saint John, New Brunswick, 1961, 1036 gross tons, official number 311873, registered at St. John's, Newfoundland and owned by the Canadian Government (Ministry of Transport) in 1962. She originally operated in Placentia Bay, but subsequently served on Newfoundland's south coast and Labrador's coast. She held 98 passengers but no automobiles. Retired from active service with CN Marine at the end of 1982. 

 Built at Bar Haven, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, registered at St. John's, 1936 #091, official number 170034, schooner, 31 gross tons, owned by Alberto Wareham , merchant of Harbour Buffett, Placentia Bay at that time. 

 Billy Brown went across the bay to Woody Island to rebuild a 19 tonne boat for Alex Lockyer that he bought in Clattice Harbour. She was built in St. Anns, Placentia Bay in 1943 for James Flynn. Billy and Timmy Hollett of Tack’s Beach rebuilt the "James and Lucy" that Alex used for many years carrying mail and food supplies around the bay.  The "James & Lucy" delivered the mail to thirteen post offices in Placentia Bay, twice a week. The service it provided was commonly referred to as "The Arnold's Cove and Isle Valen water service."  This year-round service wasn an important service for the people of Placentia Bay.  

 Tweedsmuir was built at Milltown, Bay d'Espoir, Newfoundland in 1935, official number 170005, schooner, 49 gross tons, owned by Wilfred W. Wareham of Harbour Buffett in 1937.