Newfoundland shipwrecks in the late nineteenth century: Communities and their response (with special reference to Trepassey and Harbour Grace)

In the late nineteenth century shipping routes across the North Atlantic came close to Newfoundland and ships were wrecked all around the coast. This study concentrates on how ordinary people---mainly fishermen, seafarers, and their families---responded to, and were affected by, shipwreck. It focuses on two places (Trepassey and Harbour Grace). The thesis discusses Newfoundland's colonial status and explores the attitudes residents of Great Britain and Newfoundland held about safety at sea and state responsibility. Shipwreck raised questions of moral responsibility and concerns about how to treat people with decency. The community, and to a lesser extent the Newfoundland government, provided food and clothing to survivors. They buried the dead and assisted families. Furthermore, shipwreck highlighted the political, social and economic dynamics at play within communities. This study adds historical perspective to the contemporary field of disaster studies which has gained prominence of late.