The SS Newfoundland, built in 1872 by Peter Baldwin in Quebec, was a wooden-hulled vessel measuring approximately 212.5 feet in length, with a beam of 29.5 feet and a depth of 23.3 feet. She was designed as a cargo ship and featured two masts rigged as a brigantine, allowing for both sail and steam propulsion. Powered by a two-cylinder compound steam engine constructed by Ouseburn Engine Works in Newcastle upon Tyne, the vessel initially rated at 130 horsepower, later re-rated at 162 NHP by 1903, and drove a single screw propeller. Throughout her career, Newfoundland changed ownership multiple times, starting with James and Alexander Allan, who registered her in Glasgow. She was subsequently re-registered in Montreal (1890), Windsor, Nova Scotia (1893), and St. John's, Newfoundland (1904). Her ownership later shifted to the Steamship Newfoundland Sealing Co, Ltd, in 1907, and by 1913, she was equipped with wireless telegraphy, bearing the call sign VOW. The vessel played a notable role in the sealing industry, but her history was marred by tragedy. In 1914, she was involved in the Newfoundland Sealing Disaster, when she became trapped in ice off the northern coast of Newfoundland during a storm. Captain Wes Kean believed his crew was aboard a nearby vessel, Stephano, leading to a miscommunication that resulted in the crew being stranded in freezing rain and snow for over 50 hours, with 78 of the 132 sealers aboard dying or being seriously injured. This disaster, along with the sinking of other ships like Southern Cross, resulted in over 250 deaths and became a significant event in maritime history, documented in books and films. In 1916, now renamed Samuel Blandford after being acquired by William Davis, the ship left New York carrying coal for St. John's. She struck rocks near St. Mary's Bay and was wrecked on August 3, 1916. The SS Newfoundland's storied service history and involvement in one of the most tragic sealing disasters highlight her importance in maritime and regional history.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.