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Smith Sound is a zigzag 24
kilometre The kilometre (SI symbol: km; or ), spelt kilometer in American English, American and Philippine English, is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand metres (kilo- being the SI prefix for ). It is the ...
inner region of Trinity Bay. This
sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...
is one of the longest portions of inshore waterways in Newfoundland, located on its north-eastern coast in the
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
province of
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
. Bonavista Peninsula is to the north of the sound, while Random Island is to the south. The waters that make up the sound is a continuous channel that encircles Random Island, broken only by a narrow channel located at Clarenville where a causeway was built to provide access to the communities on Random Island. The channel on the south side of Random Island is North West Arm.


Early history

The area was visited seasonally by fishermen in the 18th century, and first settled in the 19th century. On September 5, 1822, William Cormack sailed through Smith Sound to explore the region with Sylvester Joe, a Mi'kmaq guide. Cormack's account of his travels were published in 1824 and republished in 1856. Permanent residents settled in during the 1850s through 1870s. In addition to the fishery industry, others were involved in sawmilling and slate quarrying. Towns abounded on both shores. Some changed or merged over the years, but a partial list includes White Rock and Burnt Brook (or "Brickyard"), the site of an 1850s brick plant at the head of Smith Sound, along with British Harbour, also at the head of Smith Sound, but now an abandoned community, as is Popes (or Pope's) Harbour. Other communities included Britannia, Lower Lance Cove, and Petly (now Petley), Random Island's second largest community, a merger of two original communities of Upper Lance Cove and Aspen cove). George's Brook was settled early on, around 1862, after John Pelley started a saw mill. King's Cove was renamed Milton in 1910. Sandy Point became Harcourt, White rock Gin Cove, Upper Rocky Brook became Monroe. Daniel's Cove became Waterville. Burgum's Cove was renamed Burgoyne's Cove in honour of a British general, John Burgoyne, who spent time in the area in the late 18th century.


Present day


1953 Nut Cove tragedy

On the north shore of Smith Sound, across from Britannia, lies Nut Cove, the site of a slate quarry run by three brothers, William Carberry, George Carberry and Jubal Carberry, during 1850-1900. Approximately 100 years later, it became better known as the inclement-weather crash site of an American Convair B-36 bomber known as ''The Peacemaker'', killing all on board on March 18, 1953, including Brigadier General Richard E. Ellsworth. The flight originated in the Azores and was bound for the plane's home in Rapid City Air Force Base,
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
, renamed Ellsworth Air Force Base. The calamity claimed more lives that night when all on board a second plane, a Boeing SB-29 Superfortress from Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador spotted the downed Convair, then disappeared, the plane and crew never seen again.


Industry

In addition to its
jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...
harvesting industry, Smith Sound is known for its large Atlantic cod population. Fourteen-year-old cod are not unusual here.


2003 frozen cod mystery

In April 2003, thousands of dead cod, a weight of approximately a quarter-million pounds, washed up on the shores of the sound within a few days, called an ecological disaster, prompting scientific research into the cause. After an interview with DFO scientist John Brattey, CBC St. John’s news website posted:
Brattey says the water remains the coldest that the department has ever recorded in the area, and some fish will continue to die. He says tests show some of the cod have an anti-freeze protein, while others don't. Otherwise, the dead cod appears to have been healthy up until it was instantly frozen by contact with ice crystals. Brattey says the organs of the dead cod are frozen solid, even though the flesh of the fish is pliable.


Tourism

* Route 232, Smith Sound Road - located on the Bonavista Peninsula, north side of the sound. * The scenic Smith Sound Trail - located at Brittania.


See also

* List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador


References


Further reading

* Cormack, W. E. (1824). ''Account of a Journey Across the Island of Newfoundland''. Edinburgh: Printed for A. Constable. * Cormack, W. E. (1828). ''Report of Mr. W.E. Cormack's Journey in Search of the Red Indians in Newfoundland Read Before the Bœothick Institution of St. John's, Newfoundland''. S.l: s.n. * Cormack, W. E. (1856). ''Narrative of a Journey Across the Island of Newfoundland''. St. John's, Nfld.?: s.n. * Dunbar, M. J. (1951). ''Eastern Arctic Waters A Summary of Our Present Knowledge of the Physical Oceanography of the Eastern Arctic Sea, from Hudson Bay to Cape Farewell and from Belle Isle to Smith Sound''. Ottawa: Fisheries Research Board of Canada. * Matthew, George Frederic (1899). ''The Etcheminian Fauna of Smith Sound, Newfoundland''. * Rideout, R., M. Burton, and G. Rose (2000). "Observations on Mass Atresia and Skipped Spawning in Northern Atlantic Cod, from Smith Sound, Newfoundland". ''Journal of Fish Biology''. 57, no. 6: 1429-1440. * Rose, George A. (2003).
Monitoring Coastal Northern Cod: Towards an Optimal Survey of Smith Sound, Newfoundland
. ''ICES Journal of Marine Science : Journal Du Conseil''. 60, no. 3: 453. * Rose, George A. (2000). ''Acoustic Surveys of Smith Sound, Trinity Bay, 1995-2000''. Ottawa: Canadian Stock Assessment Secretariat.


External links


Photos - from nvo.com



Map - from infonet.st-johns.nf.ca
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith Sound (Trinity Bay, Newfoundland And Labrador) Bays of Newfoundland and Labrador Populated coastal places in Canada Populated places in Newfoundland and Labrador