Alphabet Fleet
Encyclopedia
The Alphabet Fleet was a fleet of vessels owned and operated by the Reid Newfoundland Company
as part of the provisioning of the 1898 Railway contract between the Dominion of Newfoundland
and the Reid Newfoundland Company. The vessels were named after places in Scotland
, the native homeland of Sir Robert Gillespie Reid
, founder of the Reid Newfoundland Railway Company.
The ships were employed as coastal vessels to service the remote communities of the island and the coast of Labrador
to operate a mail and passenger service to those communities. These vessels became the lifeline to these communities and were depicted in many paintings and folk songs of the country, even long after it became a province of Canada
.
A
The first of the vessels acquired by the Reid Newfoundland Company was the SS Argyle, built in Glasgow
, Scotland
in 1900; she was 155 feet (47.2 m) long and 439 tonnes. This vessel mainly visited communities in the Placentia Bay
area. She was sold in 1941 and was eventually lost near Cuba
on July 14, 1946. The SS Argyle takes its name from the Scottish township of Argyll
.
B
The SS Bruce built in 1897 in Glasgow
, Scotland was 237 feet (72.2 m) long and 1,154 tonnes. This vessel was lost on March 24, 1911 near Louisburg, Nova Scotia. The SS Bruce II was used as a connector vessel between the Island and Nova Scotia. A second vessel commissioned under the name Bruce was built in 1912 in Glasgow, was 240 feet (73.2 m) long and 1,553 tonnes. She was sold to the Russia
n government in 1916.
C
The SS Clyde was built in 1900 at Glasgow
, Scotland and was 155 feet (47.2 m) long; 439 tonnes. She had plied the waters of Notre Dame Bay
delivering passengers and mail to the various communities from that area. In 1948 she was sold to Crosbie and Company and lost at sea near Williamsport on December 17, 1951.
D
The SS Dundee was built in 1900 also at Glasgow
, Scotland
; 155 feet (47.2 m) long and 439 tonnes. She operated in the Bonavista Bay
area and was lost on Christmas Day, 1919 on Noggin Island, near Carmanville.
E
The SS Ethie was built at Glasgow
, Scotland
in 1900 and was 155 feet (47.2 m) long and 439 tonnes. The ship was used for the Labrador, St. Barbe run. On December 11, 1919 she sunk at Martin's Point, about 20 miles (32.2 km) from Bonne Bay
. The passengers and crew were rescued in a dramatic rescue by means of a boson’s chair and a rope.
F
The SS Fife built at Glasgow
, Scotland
in 1900 was 167 feet (50.9 m) long and 441 tonnes. The ship was lost on November 14, 1900 in the Strait of Belle Isle.
G
The SS Glencoe built at Glasgow
, Scotland
in 1900 was 208 feet (63.4 m) long and 769 tonnes. The ship was used on the South Coast run dropping off passengers and mail to places like Francois
. The SS Glencoe survived and was eventually sold for scrap in June 1959.
H
The SS Home built at Glasgow, Scotland in 1900 was 155 feet (47.2 m) long and 439 tonnes. Not much is known of the SS Home, she was lost in 1952 in Fortune Bay
.
I
The SS Invermore was built by Barclay Curle and Co.
of Glasgow
, Scotland in 1881, she was 250 long and 922 tonnes. She was originally named the SS Dromedary and operated between Belfast
and Glasgow before she was acquired by the Reid Newfoundland Company. Under the Alphabet Fleet she served on the Labrador service, carrying passengers and mail to remote communities. The ship was lost at Brig Harbour Point, Labrador on July 10, 1914.
J
The criteria for naming his ships was that the first letter of each ship's name had to depict a place from Reid's homeland Scotland, they were also to end in "e". For this reason the letter "J" was not used, as no suitable candidate could be found.
K
The SS Kyle
was built by Swan, Hunter and Co.
at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England in 1913, she was 220 feet (67.1 m) long and 1,055 tonnes. She began service in Newfoundland in 1913 for the Labrador route. In 1915 the SS Kyle had served on the Port aux Basques, North Sydney service until 1926 when she once again returned to the Labrador service.
The SS Kyle is noteworthy for a number of rescues she had participated in; such as the search and recovery of the downed American plane Old Glory
in 1927. She had also aided in the rescue of the sailors during the USS Pollux
and USS Truxton
disaster at Chambers Cove near St. Lawrence
on February 18, 1942.
L
The SS Lintrose was built by Swan, Hunter and Co.
at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England in 1913 and was 255 feet (77.7 m) long and 1,616 tonnes. In 1915 the ship was sold to the Russia
n government and renamed the Sadko
, where she operated as an ice breaking vessel in the White Sea
. She sank on June 20, 1918 and was refloated in 1933.
M
The last of the Alphabet Fleet was the SS Meigle, built in Glasgow
, Scotland in 1886 as the Solway
by the firm Barclay Curle and Co
., she was 220 feet (67.1 m) long and 839 tonnes. The vessel served as a passenger and cargo ferry until the early 1930s when on October 29, 1932 it became a floating prison. In 1936 it was sold to the Shaw Steamship Co. Limited. It was pressed into war service and was part of a convoy that was attacked by German U-Boats. On July 19, 1947 it was wrecked at Marines Cove, near St. Shotts. The SS Meigle was one of the vessels that responded to the 1929 tsunami
on the Burin Peninsula
assisting in bringing supplies for victim relief.
The song Twenty-One years a popular Newfoundland
folk ballad
by Joseph Summers
was written at the time the vessel served as a prison ship. Parts of the vessel are on display at the Meigle Lounge in Seal Cove, Conception Bay South.
Reid Newfoundland Company
The Reid Newfoundland Company was incorporated in September 1901 and was the operator of the Newfoundland Railway across the island from 1901 to 1923. For a time it was the largest landowner in the country. The company was founded by Sir Robert Gillespie Reid of Scotland, a businessman who had...
as part of the provisioning of the 1898 Railway contract between the Dominion of Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
and the Reid Newfoundland Company. The vessels were named after places in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the native homeland of Sir Robert Gillespie Reid
Robert Gillespie Reid
Sir Robert Gillespie Reid was a Scottish railway contractor most famous for building large railway bridges in Canada and the United States...
, founder of the Reid Newfoundland Railway Company.
The ships were employed as coastal vessels to service the remote communities of the island and the coast of Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
to operate a mail and passenger service to those communities. These vessels became the lifeline to these communities and were depicted in many paintings and folk songs of the country, even long after it became a province of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
A
The first of the vessels acquired by the Reid Newfoundland Company was the SS Argyle, built in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1900; she was 155 feet (47.2 m) long and 439 tonnes. This vessel mainly visited communities in the Placentia Bay
Placentia Bay
Placentia Bay is a body of water on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada. It is formed by Burin Peninsula on the west and Avalon Peninsula on the east. Fishing grounds in the bay were used by native people long before the first European fishermen arrived in the 16th century. For a time, the...
area. She was sold in 1941 and was eventually lost near Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
on July 14, 1946. The SS Argyle takes its name from the Scottish township of Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
.
B
The SS Bruce built in 1897 in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland was 237 feet (72.2 m) long and 1,154 tonnes. This vessel was lost on March 24, 1911 near Louisburg, Nova Scotia. The SS Bruce II was used as a connector vessel between the Island and Nova Scotia. A second vessel commissioned under the name Bruce was built in 1912 in Glasgow, was 240 feet (73.2 m) long and 1,553 tonnes. She was sold to the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n government in 1916.
C
The SS Clyde was built in 1900 at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland and was 155 feet (47.2 m) long; 439 tonnes. She had plied the waters of Notre Dame Bay
Notre Dame Bay
Notre Dame Bay is a large bay in Newfoundland, Canada. To the south it adjoins the Bay of Exploits.The name, French for Our Lady Bay, dates to at least 1550, and is possibly a French translation of an earlier Portuguese name....
delivering passengers and mail to the various communities from that area. In 1948 she was sold to Crosbie and Company and lost at sea near Williamsport on December 17, 1951.
D
The SS Dundee was built in 1900 also at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
; 155 feet (47.2 m) long and 439 tonnes. She operated in the Bonavista Bay
Bonavista Bay
Bonavista Bay is a large bay located on the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It opens directly onto the Atlantic Ocean....
area and was lost on Christmas Day, 1919 on Noggin Island, near Carmanville.
E
The SS Ethie was built at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1900 and was 155 feet (47.2 m) long and 439 tonnes. The ship was used for the Labrador, St. Barbe run. On December 11, 1919 she sunk at Martin's Point, about 20 miles (32.2 km) from Bonne Bay
Bonne Bay
Bonne Bay is a bay in Newfoundland, Canada. It is located on the western side of Newfoundland and separates Great Northern Peninsula from the rest of the island. It is a part of Gros Morne National Park. Bonne Bay has a population of about 7000 people....
. The passengers and crew were rescued in a dramatic rescue by means of a boson’s chair and a rope.
F
The SS Fife built at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1900 was 167 feet (50.9 m) long and 441 tonnes. The ship was lost on November 14, 1900 in the Strait of Belle Isle.
G
The SS Glencoe built at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1900 was 208 feet (63.4 m) long and 769 tonnes. The ship was used on the South Coast run dropping off passengers and mail to places like Francois
François
François may refer to:* a French name; see also Françoise, Francis, François-Dominique* François Beauchemin , professional ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs* François Gerome , French painter...
. The SS Glencoe survived and was eventually sold for scrap in June 1959.
H
The SS Home built at Glasgow, Scotland in 1900 was 155 feet (47.2 m) long and 439 tonnes. Not much is known of the SS Home, she was lost in 1952 in Fortune Bay
Fortune Bay
Fortune Bay is a fairly large natural bay located on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland, Canada. The Bay is bounded by Point Crewe on the Burin Peninsula and Pass Island at the entrance to Hermitage Bay to the northwest for a distance of 56 kilometers...
.
I
The SS Invermore was built by Barclay Curle and Co.
Barclay Curle
-History:The company was founded by Robert Barclay at Stobcross in Glasgow, Scotland during 1818. In 1862, the company built a large engineering works at Stobcross in Glasgow. In 1876, the company moved their yard down the river to Whiteinch. It was incorporated in 1884 as Barclay Curle...
of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland in 1881, she was 250 long and 922 tonnes. She was originally named the SS Dromedary and operated between Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and Glasgow before she was acquired by the Reid Newfoundland Company. Under the Alphabet Fleet she served on the Labrador service, carrying passengers and mail to remote communities. The ship was lost at Brig Harbour Point, Labrador on July 10, 1914.
J
The criteria for naming his ships was that the first letter of each ship's name had to depict a place from Reid's homeland Scotland, they were also to end in "e". For this reason the letter "J" was not used, as no suitable candidate could be found.
K
The SS Kyle
SS Kyle
The SS Kyle is a 220 foot sailing vessel that is currently couched in the harbour of the Town of Harbour Grace, Newfoundland and Labrador. It ran ashore in February of 1967 and has remained in that state since...
was built by Swan, Hunter and Co.
Swan Hunter
Swan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which...
at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England in 1913, she was 220 feet (67.1 m) long and 1,055 tonnes. She began service in Newfoundland in 1913 for the Labrador route. In 1915 the SS Kyle had served on the Port aux Basques, North Sydney service until 1926 when she once again returned to the Labrador service.
The SS Kyle is noteworthy for a number of rescues she had participated in; such as the search and recovery of the downed American plane Old Glory
Old Glory
Old Glory is a common nickname for the flag of the United States, bestowed by William Driver, an early nineteenth century American sea captain....
in 1927. She had also aided in the rescue of the sailors during the USS Pollux
USS Pollux (AKS-2)
The second USS Pollux was a Castor-class general stores issue ship.Pollux was laid down by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Hoboken, N.J...
and USS Truxton
USS Truxtun (DD-229)
' was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the third ship named for Thomas Truxtun.Truxtun was laid down on 3 December 1919 and launched on 28 September 1920 from William Cramp & Sons, sponsored by Miss Isabelle Truxtun Brumby, and commissioned at the...
disaster at Chambers Cove near St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. Lawrence is a Canadian town located on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador. As of 2006, the population of St. Lawrence was 1,349.-History:...
on February 18, 1942.
L
The SS Lintrose was built by Swan, Hunter and Co.
Swan Hunter
Swan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which...
at Newcastle-on-Tyne, England in 1913 and was 255 feet (77.7 m) long and 1,616 tonnes. In 1915 the ship was sold to the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n government and renamed the Sadko
Icebreaker Sadko
Icebreaker Sadko was a Russian and Soviet icebreaker ship of 3,800 tonnes displacement. She was named after Sadko, a hero of a Russian bylina....
, where she operated as an ice breaking vessel in the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
. She sank on June 20, 1918 and was refloated in 1933.
M
The last of the Alphabet Fleet was the SS Meigle, built in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland in 1886 as the Solway
Solway
-Places:New Zealand*Solway, New Zealand, a suburb of MastertonUnited Kingdom*Solway Firth, the inlet between the north west of England and southern Scotland*Solway Moss, lowland peat bog in Cumbria, England, near the Scottish border...
by the firm Barclay Curle and Co
Barclay Curle
-History:The company was founded by Robert Barclay at Stobcross in Glasgow, Scotland during 1818. In 1862, the company built a large engineering works at Stobcross in Glasgow. In 1876, the company moved their yard down the river to Whiteinch. It was incorporated in 1884 as Barclay Curle...
., she was 220 feet (67.1 m) long and 839 tonnes. The vessel served as a passenger and cargo ferry until the early 1930s when on October 29, 1932 it became a floating prison. In 1936 it was sold to the Shaw Steamship Co. Limited. It was pressed into war service and was part of a convoy that was attacked by German U-Boats. On July 19, 1947 it was wrecked at Marines Cove, near St. Shotts. The SS Meigle was one of the vessels that responded to the 1929 tsunami
1929 Grand Banks earthquake
The 1929 Grand Banks earthquake, also called the Laurentian Slope earthquake and the South Shore Disaster, was a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that occurred on November 18, 1929 in the Atlantic Ocean off the south coast of Newfoundland in the Laurentian Slope Seismic Zone.The earthquake was centred on...
on the Burin Peninsula
Burin Peninsula
The Burin Peninsula is a Canadian peninsula located on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
assisting in bringing supplies for victim relief.
The song Twenty-One years a popular Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
folk ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
by Joseph Summers
Joseph Summers
Captain Joseph "Mutt" Summers, CBE , was chief test pilot at Vickers-Armstrongs and Supermarine.During his career Summers flew numerous prototype aircraft , from the Supermarine Spitfire, to the Vickers Valiant...
was written at the time the vessel served as a prison ship. Parts of the vessel are on display at the Meigle Lounge in Seal Cove, Conception Bay South.