The SS Ethie was a coastal steamer than ran aground off the coast of Martin's Point on December 11, 1919 in a ferocious storm. Remarkably, all 92 passengers and crew survived. When the ship hit rock and started to list, a line was shot to the shoreline. But it fell short ... One of the locals sent his dog into the churning sea, a Newfoundland, of course, who retrieved the line and brought it onto the shore. The passengers and crew were ferried across the line, including a newborn baby tucked into a mail bag.
Salt, sun, and time have eroded the wreckage, but there is enough rusted out detritus left close to the shore and scattered on the rocky beach to bring home the magnitude of the disaster even to this day. A spooky sight to visit, to be sure.
Martin's Point is within the boundaries of Gros Morne National Park at its northern tip. Well worth a stop if you are starting the 400km trip up the Viking Trail.
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