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"Scouts Discover Answer to 1976 Porthole Mystery"

In the summer of 1976 The Truro Scout Troop and the Venturer Company journeyed to St. Paul's Tsland, 15 miles off the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, in the Cabot Strait. There they spent several days camping and exploring the rugged rock bound island, famous for the many ship wrecks occuring thee during the 19th century.

During the visit that summer, two of the boys, Mike Johnson and Mark Amyot, discovered a complete brass porthole, obviously the remnants of a ship which had wrecked on the St. Pau's many years ago. The porthole was dicovered wedged between rocks at the base of a very steep cliff, and was found the morning after a very stiff easterly gale had struck the island.

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Scouts of Truro visit St. Paul's Island and discover a porthole on the island
Circa 1976
St. Paul's Island, Nova Scotia, Canada


Credits:
The North Highlands Community Museum
Photo credit to Doug Russell

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In an effort to discover what the ship the porthole might have been from, contact was made with Mr. Neils Jannasch, Marine Curator, Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, and although he was unable to determine the actual ship, he suggested that the type of brass porthole would suggest a ship of the mid to latter part of the 19th century. He also suggested that if it were possible for someone to do so, they should make inquiry through the National Martime at Greenich near London, England. During a visit to England in November 1978, Rod MacLennan, Troop Scout Master, visited the National Martime Museum and spoke with individuals on the staff there to pursue the matter further. Experts in both ship wrecks and ship's hardware were questioned, and use of the museum's library was made available. The result of this research has now shown that the porthole was from the ship "Norweigan".

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Letter from Truro Scouts detailing the origins of the porthole they found during their 1976 visit.
27 January 1979
Cape North, Nova Scotia, Canada


Credits:
The North Highlands Community Museum

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Return letter to the Scouts from Thomas E. Appleton
6 February 1979
Cape North, Nova Scotia, Canada


Credits:
The North Highlands Community Museum

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The "Norwegian" was a ship belonging to the Allan Royal Mail Line, which carried Mail and passengers between Canada and the U.K. fro mthe early 19th. century until about 1911. The "Norwegian" went aground at St. Paul's Island on Sunday the 14th. of June 1863 during dense fog. The weather was calm and all passengers were able to get ashore to the Humane Establishment which had been established on St. Paul's Island for just such an emergency. 59 cabin passengers and 271 immigrants were cared for until they could be taken off the island two weeks later. The "Norweigna" was aground on her starboard side hard against unforgiving rock, and eventually when the ship was flooded, she sank completlely. She ws a ship of 1900 tons, built in 1961 by Dennt and Co. at Dunbarton, Scotland, so she wsa only two years old when she wrecked.

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Artistic rendering of the vessel The Norwegian
6 February 1979
Cape North, Nova Scotia, Canada


Credits:
The North Highlands Community Museum

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"Scouts Discover Answer to 1976 Porthole Mystery"
Circa 1976
St. Paul's Island, Nova Scotia, Canada