A Clarke’s Beach man with a keen interest in the province’s history believes the identity of the mysterious wreck found near Cape Ray over the winter could solve enduring questions surrounding the loss of the SS Southern Cross.
Massive wreckage suddenly showed up on the beach at Cape Ray following a fierce winter storm back in January. Since then, questions have swirled about the identity of the ship, and while samples have been taken pointing to a construction date sometime after the 1830s, the province’s chief archaeologist says positively identifying the vessel might prove difficult.
Photo Credit: Gordon Blackmore and Vanessa Hodder
Carl Parsons of Clarke’s Beach believes the ship could be the famous sealing vessel that mysteriously disappeared off the southern Avalon with 174 men on board.
Parsons hopes that sonar scans of the sandy bottom near Cape Ray can be carried out to confirm the ship’s identity.
Weeks ago, archaeologist Jamie Brake revealed that there was sheathing on the vessel’s hull, added after its initial construction, evidence that Parsons says further points to the ill-fated ship.
Via Shawn Bath on Facebook
Parsons says a look at hydrographic maps of the south coast published in the 1960s show strong currents pushing westward that swirl around at Cape Ray.
Over the course of her history, the Southern Cross, formerly the Pollux, served as an expedition ship says Parsons that conducted surveys in the ice, “so that’s another piece of evidence that would confirm that she could possibly be the Southern Cross.”
Parsons says the Southern Cross, heavy with seal pelts en route back from the Gulf, is widely believed to have gone down when the load shifted, capsizing the steamer. If true, that will fit as well, according to Parsons since the hull was found bottom up. He says a sonar scan of the area may help confirm his suspicions.
He says the steamer likely drifted upside down to Cape Ray and was buried. “After 110 years, the hull portion rotted off from the beams and was released to the surface where it showed up on the shores of Cape Ray, “so there’s a good chance that the remaining part of that ship is buried there off Cape Ray.”
