Bell Island

This is the ferry we crossed on and the island in the background is Bell Island.

Today we visited the small but beautiful Bell Island. It is located just a short 20 minute ferry ride from Portugal Cove across Conception Bay. It measures 9.5 kms long and 3 kms wide with most of its population perched atop its massive cliffs. We had a great day exploring and although we didn't have a map it turns out we didn't need one.

Our first stop was the lighthouse which no big surprise was located on Lighthouse Road. It was built in 1939 and is perched atop a cliff 50 meters above the sea.

From 1894 to 1966 Bell Island was home to an iron ore mene which started out as a surface mine then an underground mine to the shoreline and eventually to submarine mining. When the mine closed in 1966 the men were working more than 4.8 kms under the floor of Conception Bay.

Lance Cove claims the distinction of being the only community to take a direct hit from the enemy during WWII. A torpedo was said to have slammed into the shore shaking the residents in more ways than one. This is also the area where in the fall of 1940 four ships loaded with iron ore were sunk by torpedoes from German submarines. A total of 69 lives were lost. The rusty skeletons of the sunken ships can still be seen off shore.

We saw the Sacred Heart Grotto which was built with items from the now demolished Sacred Heart church and although vandalized in 2008 was completely restored.

While we were in Lance Cove on Bell Island, Newfoundland we also got to dip our tires into the Atlantic Ocean completing the ritual we began in Tofino, BC in April , 2010.

C2C.