“The Nordfeld and the Raleigh”
Description
The "Nordfeld" and the "Raleigh" are two ships wrecked close together in the Strait of Belle Isle. The singer tells of the scavenging of both ships and remarks that had he or his listeners been there, they would have partaken in the spoils.
Notes
The HMS _Raleigh_ was a new light cruiser on a tour of the United States and Canada when the captain was persuaded to go off course through the Strait of Belle Isle for some good fishing. It wrecked near the Point Amour lighthouse in Labrador. For these and other details, consult David J. Molloy, _The First Landfall: Historic Lighthouses of Newfoundland and Labrador_ (St. John's: Breakwater, 1994), pp. 94-96. Currant Island, the author's home, is on the Newfoundland side just south of the Strait and not particularly close to the events in the ballad. - SH
Historical references
- Aug 1922 - Wreck of the Raleigh
References
- Greenleaf/Mansfield 142, "The Nordfeld and the Raleigh" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Doyle2, p. 47, "The Nordfeld and the Raleigh" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Blondahl, p. 64, "The Norfeld and the Raleigh" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Roud #6346
- BI, Doy47