​General History

 

Bay Bulls is an incorporated community situated on the east coast of the Avalon Peninsula known as the Southern Shore, about 29 km (18 mi) south of the city of St. John's.  As E.R. Seary (1971) writes, "the first original English name, unique in a nomenclature otherwise seemingly Portuguese, is Bay of Bulls" which first appeared on a manuscript map by Thomas Hood in 1592. The name may refer to the Common Dovekie, also known as "bull-bird" or "ice-bird," a regular winter resident of the Newfoundland waters.

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Bay Bulls is a fishing community and was established because of its closeness to the rich fishing grounds on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Due to its proximity to St. John's the population is becoming more of a bedroom community for people employed there. Bay Bulls has been at the forefront of many strategies such as Codfish farming, servicing the oil and gas industry, and tourism. Two whale and bird watching establishments, as well as several bed-and-breakfasts and Air BnB's attract visitors from all over the world.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Early Battles for Bay Bulls

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Bay Bulls harbour was used by the French in the 16th century but by 1635 Englishmen were wintering over at Bay Bulls. According to tradition, Governor David Kirke fortified the harbour in 1638 but in 1655 Bay Bulls was raided by the Dutch Admiral De Ruyter. By 1681 Bay Bulls was second only to Ferryland along the southern shore and there were over 100 semi-permanent residents there, including women, children and some planters who remained year-round.

 

In the century 1696-1796 Bay Bulls was attacked five times by the French, from both land and sea, often in conjunction with attacks on St. John's. During King William's War, Bay Bulls was attacked twice. In 1696, Monbeton de St. Ovide de Brouillan, the governor of Placentia, attacked Bay Bulls from the sea. Then in 1697 Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville marched overland from Placentia and attacked Bay Bulls in the Avalon Peninsula Campaign. On June 24, 1762 the French led by Admiral d'Arsac de Ternay, landed seven hundred men who occupied Bay Bulls and marched to St. John's. Bay Bulls suffered its last invasion on September 29, 1796 when Admiral Richery attempted to storm St. John's but finding it well defended; he attacked and burned Bay Bulls instead.

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The Sinking of the HMS Sapphire 1696

 

During King William’s War, De Brouillon the Governor of Placentia (the French capital in Newfoundland) tried but failed to capture St. John’s. When he left St. John’s his squadron of Men of War battle ships including the Pelican, Diamond, Count de Thoulouse, Harcourt, Philip, Vendange, and some fireships, discovered the HMS Sapphire off Cape Spear. They attempted to capture HMS Sapphire and managed to chase the ship into Bay Bulls. De Brouillon then tried to attack both the ship and Bay Bulls. ​

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The Captain of the HMS Sapphire was Thomas Cleasby. From the start of the engagement he knew he was in a bad position, the French had at least six ships of war and French soldiers outnumbered his own crew six to one. In spite of the odds, Cleasby managed to position the HMS Sapphire to fire on the French ships. The engagement lasted several hours and on the 11th of September, 1696 Cleasby decided to scuttle the ship, lighting it on fire and ordering his crew off the vessel. As the French scrambled to put out the fire, the English fled overland towards the colony of Ferryland. The fire on the Sapphire spread to the powder room and exploded sending the ship to the bottom of Bay Bulls Harbour, where she still remains today. 

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The wreck of the HMS Sapphire lies 61m from shore in approximately 15m of water and is the oldest recorded shipwreck in Canadian waters and she was the only vessel of any size sunk in the Anglo-French wars in North America. Salvage divers discovered the remains of the HMS Sapphire in the 1960s. The original discoverer is believed to have been Ernest "Ernie" Power, who discovered the cannons in 1969 and recovered an intact grey stoneware chamber pot from the site. Three cannons were retrieved and sold in 1972. What was then called the "Bay Bulls Harbour Shipwreck" was designated a Provincial Historic Site on the 25th of April 1974.

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The Newfoundland Marine Archaeology Society (NMAS) performed the first initial excavation and survey on the wreck in 1974; over 300 artifacts were retrieved including examples of late 17th century glass and ceramics. A National Film Board documentary the Mystery of Bay Bulls about the site was produced by Ted Remerowski in 1979, which chronicles a 1977 underwater archeological expedition led by Robert Grenier of Parks Canada to recover artifacts from the wreck.

 

Eventually about 2,500 artifacts were taken from the wreck and are in storage in St. John's and Ottawa. One notable artifact recovered was an Ottoman pipe bowl, or chibouk, one of only a handful found in North America. Also recovered in excellent condition was a nocturnal, with the paint used to highlight the incised numbers having survived.

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The area of the wreck and surrounding debris fields, including any and all remaining in-situ artifacts, is protected under Newfoundland and Labrador's Historic Resources Act, and the site was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places on the 23rd of August 2005.  In 2014, it was reported to be "in relatively good condition, with much of the upper and lower decks preserved, but collapsed and covered in fine silt." It is a known spot for recreational divers.

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Drawing of the wreck of the HMS Sapphire showing the grid on which it lies.         

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Diver excavating the wreck in 1977.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medical supplies from HMS Sapphire left to right: small globular glass bottle, tin-glazed earthenware ointment pot, metal syringe, and  a small rectangular bottle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A 17th-century nocturnal recovered from the HMS Sapphire.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brass cannonball gauge with measuring rings.

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