Ship Harbour

Ship Harbour is located northeast of Argentia. Surrounded by wooded hills, the large and deep inlet is settled on its northwestern shore. It appears that there were people living in Ship Harbour by 1831, we say this because Ship Harbour was included in the Parish for Little Placentia (Argentia). Fishermen in Ship Harbour in 1871 were Edward and John Cunningham, Jeremiah Meade, Phillip Reilley, and Robert and Thomas Sparrow. There was an increase in settlement in inner Placentia Bay in the late 1800's and Ship Harbour grew from six families in 1874 to 116 people by 1884. By this time a school had been built and there was a Roman Catholic Church in 1891. Four lobster factories were in operation at the turn of the century and some salmon was also tinned.

As the western boat, bank, and herring fisheries expanded, new families in Ship Harbour included the Power's, Murphy's, Bruce's, Ledwell's, Newman's, Duke's, and Griffiths'. Merchant Alberto Wareham of Spencers Cove outfitted the local fishermen for the lobster and herring fisheries.

To many Newfoundlander's, Ship Harbour is best known as the site of the 1941 meeting between Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, aboard the U.S.S. Augusta. A monument was erected near the community in 1976 to commemorate the event, and the fiftith anniversary was marked in 1991 with a public cermony. The construction of the American Naval Base at Argentia during World War II employed many of the people of Ship Harbour and the harbour was occasionally used as an ammunition-handling berth. Since 1967, when the road from Ship Harbour was improved, most services have been found in the Placentia area, while the road had also given easier access to employment outside the fishery and outside the community.