Wreck of the troop transport Harpooner at Cape Pine, Newfoundland
- When
- 1816–1817
- Where
- Cape Pine, Newfoundland; Newfoundland
- Episodes
- 2
The British troop transport Harpooner, launched in 1769, was wrecked on 10 November 1816 at Cape Pine, Newfoundland. The disaster resulted in the loss of 208 of the 385 people on board. Captain Mathew Henry Willock received recognition for saving lives during the incident.
Episodes
- Wreck at Cape Pine
Harpooner was wrecked on 10 November 1816 at Cape Pine, Newfoundland, resulting in the loss of 208 of the 385 people on board.
- Recognition for Rescue
Captain Willock received a medal and pension for saving lives during the wreck of Harpooner.
Background and detail
Background. Harpooner was launched at Whitby in 1769, or possibly a few years later. The vessel was wrecked in 1816 with heavy loss of life. The wreck site, Cape Pine, is the headland marking the boundary of Trepassey Bay on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, and is the most southerly point on the island.
Disaster. On 10 November 1816, Harpooner, under the command of Master Bryant, was wrecked at Cape Pine, Newfoundland. The disaster resulted in the death of 208 of the 385 people on board. The event is recorded in historical accounts of shipwrecks and disasters at sea.
Aftermath. Captain Mathew Henry Willock of the 103rd Regiment received a medal from the Duke of Sussex and the Royal Humane Society for saving the lives of troops under Lord Howard of Effingham's command on board Harpooner. He also received a pension of £100 per annum for life for his actions.
People involved
- Captain Mathew Henry Willock · Officer, 103rd Regiment
- Lord Howard of Effingham · Commander of troops
- Bryant · Master
Sources
- Harpooner (1769 ship) Wikipedia, revision of 2025-12-15
- Cape Pine Wikipedia, revision of 2026-02-20
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.