| Official Name: | Red Bay |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | Canada Newfoundland and Labrador#Newfoundland |
| Pushpin Label Position: | left |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | NunatuKavut (unofficial) |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.58 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 142 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Utc Offset: | -3:30 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -2:30 |
| Coordinates: | 51.7319°N -56.4256°W |
| Elevation M: | 10 |
Red Bay is a fishing village in Labrador, notable as one of the most precious underwater archaeological sites in the Americas. Between 1530 and the early 17th century, it was a major Basque whaling area. Several whaling ships, both large galleons and small chalupas, sank there, and their discovery led to the designation of Red Bay in 2013 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[2]
Red Bay is a natural harbour residing in the bay that gives it its name, both names in reference to the red granite cliffs of the region. Because of the sheltered harbour it was used during World War II as a mooring site for naval vessels. In the bay are Penney Island and Saddle Island, which were used by the Basques for their whaling operations. The location of the sunken vessel San Juan is near Saddle Island.
Between 1550 and the early 17th century, Red Bay, known as Balea Baya (Whale Bay), was a centre for Basque whaling operations. Sailors from southern France and northern Spain sent 15 whaleships and 600 men a season to the remote outpost on the Strait of Belle Isle to catch the right whale and bowhead whales that populated the waters there, according to Memorial University of Newfoundland.
In 1565, San Juan, sank on a whaling expedition to Labrador. Research by Selma Barkham in Spanish archives suggested that the San Juan had been lost in Red Bay and La Madalena had sunk in Chateau Bay in the same year. By 1974, Barkham was in contact with archaeologists working for Parks Canada. In 1977, an initial shore-based survey was made of some of Labrador's harbours of the Belle Isle Strait. Good evidence of Basque whaling expeditions was found; in Red Bay, this included many whale bones on the beaches, large numbers of clay roofing tiles (the remains of buildings put up by the whalers) and burnt animal fat associated with stone foundations.
Underwater archaeological work started in 1978 and on the third day of diving, the wreck site numbered 24M was located north of Cox Hill on Saddle Island. It is about 30m (100feet) from the shoreline. The centreline of the hull was aligned roughly north-south with the bow furthest from the beach. The site slopes; the stern was in 7m (23feet) of water and the bow in about 12 m. It is likely that the ship dragged her anchor in a north-westerly storm at the end of the whaling season when she was loaded with barrels of whale oil and nearly ready to make the transatlantic passage back to her home port. The 24M site was ultimately concluded to most likely be the wreck of San Juan.[3]
The entire hull structure, artefacts and other finds were mapped in situ, excavated and then archaeologically recorded in detail on land. The hull components were disassembled, as necessary, to carry out this process, From the outset of the project, it had been clear that the funds were not available to carry out the large conservation effort needed to keep the structural components of the wreck on land. Therefore, they were returned to the water, being stored in a carefully designed environment which replicates the anaerobic conditions in which the wreck had remained preserved prior to excavation. A reburial process of this scale had not been previously attempted. This was carried out in 1985, the last year of the 24M fieldwork. The reburial site is regularly monitored to confirm the effectiveness of the continued preservation of the wreck timbers.
Other, smaller vessels, such as chalupas, have also been recovered from the waters.
Another galleon was found 25–35 feet below water in 2004. It was the fourth trans-oceanic ship to have been found in the area.
A cemetery on nearby Saddle Island holds the remains of 140 whalers. Many of the people buried there are thought to have died from drowning and exposure.
Historians believe that a decline in whale stocks eventually led to the abandonment of the whaling stations in Red Bay. Today, an interpretive centre in Red Bay explains the history to visitors.
Local legends of Red Bay make reference to a hidden treasure buried in a body of water known as Pond on the Hill 51.7286°N -56.4489°W at the foot of Tracey Hill by the infamous pirate Captain William Kidd. An attempt was made to find the treasure by residents of Carrol Cove by draining the pond. The attempt failed.
Red Bay has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada since 1979, and since 2013 it is one of Canada's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[4]
In 2016, the Google Street View imaging service uploaded images of Red Bay. Red Bay is one of the few communities in Labrador with images on the service.[5]
In 2021, the local school, Basque Memorial School closed due to no enrollment.[6]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Red Bay had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 2.31km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[7]