Misfortune Bay: The Loss of the Albatross

In 1916, as a costly war raged in Europe, the Newfoundland Government sought to curb spending on social support programs in order to finance the war effort. This decision led to deadly consequences for a group of people in Fortune Bay. A lightkeeper on St. Jacques Island, after witnessing the capsizing of a motorized yacht during a July storm, led a heroic effort to rescue the local welfare officer and the owner of the vessel. At the same time, a small schooner used as a floating medical clinic approached the stricken vessel to aid its passengers, when catastrophe struck—she was rammed and sunk by a former whaling ship plying the waters nearby.

Outcomes from that historic night rippled through the lives of St. Jacques residents for generations. Recalled by John Guille Millais, a British naturalist and explorer who had lived among these people, we get to meet each of them in the lives they lived.

"The bravery of my great-grandfather, Conrad T. Fitz-Gerald, and his deep love of Fortune Bay was known to me through a tattered copy of his biography, The Albatross. Misfortune Bay recounts the sinking of his schooner, the Albatross, and brings to life what happened that night. This retelling of the events surrounding that tragedy, combined with my own experiences as a sailor, has enriched the magnitude of my appreciation for who he was. This book brings out the depth and heroism of my ancestor. I have never been more proud to be a Fitz-Gerald.” — Tom Fitz-Gerald

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