Baccalieu Island
48°07′49″N 52°48′05″W / 48.13028°N 52.80139°W / 48.13028; -52.80139
Baccalieu Island or Bacalhoo Island[1] (/ˌbækəˈluː/)[1] is a 5 km2 uninhabited island at the northern extremities of Conception Bay in Subdivision 1G, near the community of Red Head Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is separated from the island of Newfoundland by Baccalieu Tickle, a small strait and an abundant fishing ground. The island has some trees but is mostly rocky.
The name Baccalieu is derived either from the Portuguese bacalhau, Spanish bacalao or the Basque baccalos, all meaning "codfish". Early Portuguese maps dating before Columbus' voyage indicate an island west of the Azores named Terra do Bacalhau which may have been the whole island of Newfoundland. Modern Baccalieu Island was known to Europeans by that name since at least 1556, when it was drawn on the Gastaldi map as "Bacalaos".[2]
Ecological Reserve
Baccalieu Island is the largest seabird island in Newfoundland and supports the greatest diversity of breeding seabirds in eastern North America. The island supports the largest known colony of Leach's storm-petrel in the world, approximately 40% of the global population and about 70% of the western Atlantic population of this species. It is a nesting area for 11 breeding species:
- Atlantic puffin (45,000 pairs - approximately 12% of the eastern North America population)
- Black-legged kittiwake (13,000 - approximately 5 to 7% of the western Atlantic breeding population); and
- Northern gannet (677 pairs - approximately 1.5% of the North American population).
- Northern fulmar
- Black guillemot
- Common murre
- Thick-billed murre
- Razorbill
- Herring gull
- Great black-backed gull
- The island also includes one of the largest winter populations of eider in Newfoundland.
The island has a surface of 5 km2, and the reserve spans 23 km2, including all of the island and one kilometre of ocean around the coast.
Lighthouses
Location | Baccalieu Island Avalon Peninsula Newfoundland and Labrador Canada |
---|---|
Coordinates | 48°08′59″N 52°47′54″W / 48.149849°N 52.798201°W / 48.149849; -52.798201 |
Tower | |
Constructed | 1859 (first) |
Construction | brick tower covered by iron plates since 1893 with balcony and lantern (first) steel skeletal tower (current) |
Height | 11 metres (36 ft) (first) 13.5 metres (44 ft) (current) |
Shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern (first) triangular tower (current) |
Markings | rusty colour tower (first) white tower (current) |
Power source | solar power |
Operator | Baccalieu Island Ecological Reserve [3] |
Light | |
First lit | 1990s (current) |
Deactivated | 1990s (first) |
Focal height | 166 metres (545 ft) (current) |
Range | 7 nmi (13 km; 8.1 mi) |
Characteristic | Fl W 6s. |
Historically, two lighthouses were operated on Baccalieu Island; today both are automated. The lighthouse on the northern end is not operational any more; its light was extinguished in the early 1990s. This lighthouse was replaced as an aid to navigation by an automated light on a skeletal tower. It was originally a brick tower and was later encased in iron. The two storey residence attached was removed after 1950. The old tower's data:
- Tower height: 36 feet (11 m)
- Height of focal plane: 443 feet (135 m)
- Description: Red, conical cast iron
- Date established: 1859
- Date present tower built: 1858
- Date deactivated: 1990s
- Current use: Unknown
- Open to public: No
Lighthouse Keepers
North Light Keepers
- James Ryan (1858 - 1874) (died 1875)
- John Ryan (1874 - 1891) (died 1891)
- Francis "Frank" Ryan (1891 - 1941) (died 1942)
- James Francis Ryan (1941 - 1950) (died 1994)
- Vincent Keough (1950-?)
- Joseph Hatch
- Felix Noonan (1963)
- Eric Blundon
- John Hyde
- James Meaney Jr. (assistant under Frank Ryan) (died 1939)
Southwest Light Keepers
- William Cranford (1908 - 1911)
- Duncan Blundon (1912 - ?)
- Joseph Burse
- William Blundon
- Oliver Blundon
- Arthur Young
- John F. Hatch
- Patrick Rice
- F. J. Noonan
- Raymond J. Hyde
- Linus Walsh (? - 2002)
Ghost ship
In 1884 the merchant brig Resolven was found abandoned in the waters off Baccalieu and Catalina, Newfoundland and Labrador.[5] The fate of the crew is unknown.
See also
- List of lighthouses in Newfoundland and Labrador
- List of lighthouses in Canada
- "The Cliffs of Baccalieu"
Notes
- ^ a b The Canadian Press (2017), The Canadian Press Stylebook (18th ed.), Toronto: The Canadian Press
- ^ The Gastaldi map Archived 2005-03-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Canada: Southeastern Newfoundland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
- ^ "Baccalieu Island Lighthouse".
- ^ "The most mysterious disappearances at sea". MSN. Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
External links
- Buoys, Lights and Aids to Navigation Canadian Coast Guard
- Baccalieu Trail
- Historical Baccalieu Trail
- Newfoundland Heritage Site
- Lighthouse Digest
- Baccalieu Island Ecological Reserve homepage
- PDF map of the island and the reserve
- Picture of Baccalieu Island Lighthouse
- v
- t
- e
- Admirals Beach
- Aquaforte
- Arnold's Cove
- Avondale
- Bauline
- Bay Bulls
- Bay de Verde
- Bay Roberts
- Bishop's Cove
- Branch
- Brigus
- Brigus South
- Bryant's Cove
- Cape Broyle
- Carbonear
- Chance Cove
- Chapel Arm
- Clarke's Beach
- Colinet
- Colliers
- Come By Chance
- Conception Bay South
- Conception Harbour
- Cupids
- Fermeuse
- Ferryland
- Flatrock
- Fox Harbour
- Gaskiers–Point La Haye
- Hant's Harbour
- Harbour Grace
- Harbour Main–Chapel's Cove–Lakeview
- Heart's Content
- Heart's Delight–Islington
- Heart's Desire
- Holyrood
- Logy Bay–Middle Cove–Outer Cove
- Long Harbour–Mount Arlington Heights
- Mount Carmel–Mitchells Brook–St. Catherines
- New Perlican
- Norman's Cove–Long Cove
- North River
- Old Perlican
- Paradise
- Petty Harbour–Maddox Cove
- Placentia
- Point Lance
- Port Kirwan
- Portugal Cove–St. Philip's
- Portugal Cove South
- Pouch Cove
- Renews–Cappahayden
- Riverhead
- St. Bride's
- St. Joseph's
- St. Mary's
- St. Shott's
- St. Vincent's–St. Stephen's–Peter's River
- Salmon Cove
- Small Point–Adam's Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove
- South River
- Southern Harbour
- Spaniard's Bay
- Sunnyside
- Torbay
- Trepassey
- Upper Island Cove
- Victoria
- Wabana
- Whitbourne
- Whiteway
- Winterton
- Witless Bay
subdivisions
places
- Bellevue
- Bellevue Beach
- Blaketown
- Brigus Junction
- Brigus South
- Burnt Cove, St. Michael's, Bauline South
- Burnt Point-Gull Island-Northern Bay
- Calvert
- Cavendish
- Dildo
- Fairhaven
- Forest Field-New Bridge
- Freshwater, Conception Bay
- Georgetown
- Goulds
- Grates Cove
- Green's Harbour
- Hopeall
- Lance Cove, Bell Island
- Little Harbour (East), Placentia Bay
- Makinsons
- Markland
- Marysvale
- Mobile
- New Chelsea-New Melbourne-Brownsdale-Sibley's Cove-Lead Cove
- New Harbour, Trinity Bay
- North Harbour, St. Mary's Bay
- O'Donnells
- Old Shop
- Patrick's Cove-Angels Cove
- Roaches Line
- South Dildo
- Thornlea
- Tors Cove
communities
- Admiral's Cove
- Arnold's Cove Station
- Baccalieu Island
- Bareneed
- Black Duck Pond
- Blow Me Down
- Bradley's Cove
- Bristol's Hope
- Caplin Cove
- Cuslett
- Daniel's Cove
- The Dock
- Flatrock
- Goobies
- Gooseberry Cove
- Gould's Road
- Great Barasway
- Gull Island
- Hibb's Cove
- Iona
- Job's Cove
- Kingston
- Little Barasway
- Little Placentia Sound
- Lower Island Cove
- Low Point
- Mahers
- Northern Bay
- Ochre Pit Cove
- Perry's Cove
- Point Verde
- Port de Grave
- Rantem
- Red Head Cove
- Rose au Rue
- St. Michaels
- Ship Harbour
- Swells Cove
- Trinny Cove
- Turks Cove
- Western Bay
- See also:
- Municipalities of St. John's Metropolitan Area
- Census divisions of Newfoundland and Labrador