Red Bay is a
fishing village
A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...
in
Labrador
Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...
, notable as a significant
underwater archaeological site in the Americas. Between 1530 and the early 17th century, it was a major
Basque whaling area. Several
whaling ships, both large
galleons
Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal.
They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels drafted ...
and small ''
chalupas'', sank there, and their discovery led to the designation of Red Bay in 2013 as a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
.
Geography
Red Bay is a natural harbour residing in the bay that gives it its name, both names in reference to the red granite cliffs of the region. Because of the sheltered harbour it was used during World War II as a mooring site for naval vessels. In the bay are Penney Island and Saddle Island, which were used by the
Basques
The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...
for their whaling operations. The location of the sunken vessel
''San Juan'' is near Saddle Island.
History
Between 1550 and the early 17th century, Red Bay, known as ''Balea Baya'' (Whale Bay), was a centre for
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
whaling operations.
Sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...
s from southern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and northern
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
sent 15 whaleships and 600 men a season to the remote outpost on the
Strait of Belle Isle
The Strait of Belle Isle ( ; ) is a waterway in eastern Canada, that separates Labrador from the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Location
The strait is located in the southeast of the ...
to catch the
right whale
Right whales are three species of large baleen whales of the genus ''Eubalaena'': the North Atlantic right whale (''E. glacialis''), the North Pacific right whale (''E. japonica'') and the southern right whale (''E. australis''). They are class ...
and
bowhead whale
The bowhead whale (''Balaena mysticetus''), sometimes called the Greenland right whale, Arctic whale, and polar whale, is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and is the only living representative of the genus '' Balaena' ...
s that populated the waters there, according to
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, or MUN (), is a Public university, public research university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook ...
.
In 1565,
''San Juan'', sank on a whaling expedition to Labrador. Research by
Selma Barkham in Spanish archives suggested that the ''San Juan'' had been lost in Red Bay and ''La Madalena'' had sunk in Chateau Bay in the same year. By 1974, Barkham was in contact with archaeologists working for
Parks Canada
Parks Canada ()Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 37 National Parks, three National Marine Co ...
. In 1977, an initial shore-based survey was made of some of Labrador's harbours of the Belle Isle Strait. Good evidence of Basque whaling expeditions was found; in Red Bay, this included many whale bones on the beaches, large numbers of clay roofing tiles (the remains of buildings put up by the whalers) and burnt animal fat associated with stone foundations.
Underwater archaeological work started in 1978 and on the third day of diving, the wreck site numbered 24M was located north of Cox Hill on Saddle Island. It is about from the shoreline. The centreline of the hull was aligned roughly north-south with the bow furthest from the beach. The site slopes; the stern was in of water and the bow in about 12 m. It is likely that the ship dragged her anchor in a north-westerly storm at the end of the whaling season when she was loaded with barrels of whale oil and nearly ready to make the transatlantic passage back to her home port. The 24M site was ultimately concluded to most likely be the wreck of ''San Juan''.
The entire hull structure, artefacts and other finds were mapped in situ, excavated and then archaeologically recorded in detail on land. The hull components were disassembled, as necessary, to carry out this process, From the outset of the project, it had been clear that the funds were not available to carry out the large conservation effort needed to keep the structural components of the wreck on land. Therefore, they were returned to the water, being stored in a carefully designed environment which replicates the anaerobic conditions in which the wreck had remained preserved prior to excavation. A reburial process of this scale had not been previously attempted. This was carried out in 1985, the last year of the 24M fieldwork. The reburial site is regularly monitored to confirm the effectiveness of the continued preservation of the wreck timbers.
Other, smaller vessels, such as chalupas, have also been recovered from the waters.
Another
galleon
Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal.
They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europe, Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels dr ...
was found 25–35 feet below water in 2004. It was the fourth trans-oceanic ship to have been found in the area.
A
cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...
on nearby Saddle Island holds the remains of 140 whalers. Many of the people buried there are thought to have died from drowning and exposure.
Historians believe that a decline in whale stocks eventually led to the abandonment of the whaling stations in Red Bay. Today, an interpretive centre in Red Bay explains the history to visitors.
Local legends of Red Bay make reference to a hidden treasure buried in a body of water known as ''Pond on the Hill'' at the foot of Tracey Hill by the infamous pirate Captain
William Kidd
William Kidd (c. 1645 – 23 May 1701), also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish-American privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born in Dundee and later settled in N ...
. An attempt was made to find the treasure by residents of
Carrol Cove by draining the pond. The attempt failed.
Red Bay has been designated a
National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...
since 1979, and since 2013 it is one of
Canada's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
In 2016, the
Google Street View imaging service uploaded images of Red Bay. Red Bay is one of the few communities in Labrador with
images on the service.
In 2021, the local school, Basque Memorial School closed due to no enrollment.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...
, Red Bay had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Tourist attractions

* Basque whaling stations
* Iceberg and whale watching
* Hiking
* Local entertainment and cuisine
* Fishing
*The Whaler's Restaurant (fish & chips and related cuisine)
See also
*
List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the ninth-most populous province in Canada, with 510,550 residents recorded in the 2021 Canadian Census, and is the seventh-largest in land area, with . Newfoundland and Labrador has 278 municipalities, including 3 ...
References
Further reading
*
*"The Underwater Archaeology of Red Bay: Basque Shipbuilding and Whaling in the 16th Century". Parks Canada. 2007. . OCLC 86005349.
External links
Basque whaling historical pageRed Bay - Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, vol. 4, p. 536-537.Red Bay National Historic Site Parks Canada
{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Bay, Newfoundland And Labrador
Populated coastal places in Canada
Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador
Populated places in Labrador
World Heritage Sites in Canada
National Historic Sites in Newfoundland and Labrador
Basque history
Fishing communities
Whaling stations in Canada
Whaling in Canada
Fishing communities in Canada