Amidst the white sand and clear blue waters of West Dune Beach on the Îles-de-la-Madeleine lies the rusted skeleton of the cargo ship Corfu Island. Beached during a storm, the shipwreck forms a striking contrast: industrial, rusting metal set against the beautiful sandy dunes and the thriving ecosystems of nearby Martinique Pond (Étang de la Martinique). The wreck stands as yet another reminder of the island’s long history of shipwrecks—one that has earned it the title “Graveyard of the Gulf.”
The ship at West Dune Beach was built in 1943 by North Vancouver Ship Repairs Limited. This steel-hulled vessel had a gross tonnage of 7,130 and measured 129.4 metres in length, 17.4 metres in beam, with a draft of 10.6 metres. Originally christened the Fort Saleesh, it was classified as a “Victory Ship,” a class of cargo ship constructed during the Second World War to transport personnel, supplies, and armaments across the Atlantic in support of the war in Europe. During the war, it operated under the control of the British Ministry of War Transport, carrying various cargoes vital to the war effort.
Following the war, the ship changed ownership multiple times:
- In 1946, it was sold to the Montreal-based Argonaut Navigation Company and renamed Argomont.
- In 1949, the Argomont was sold to the Panamanian shipping company Compañía de Navegación Zita (Cía. de Nav. Zita), and renamed once more as SS Corfu Island.
- In 1962, the ship was sold to Marathon Compañía Naviera, registered under the Lebanese flag, but it continued to transport cargo along the North American coast.
The ship met its fate on December 20, 1963. After sailing from Wismar, Germany, it entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence where it encountered a violent winter storm. As swell conditions worsened and wind speeds reached 145 km/h, the crew made the decision to partially fill the ship’s ballast tanks to increase stability while passing the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. However, as the tanks were being filled, freezing temperatures caused a pipe to rupture, allowing water to flood into the boiler room. The flooding quickly overwhelmed the boilers, rendering them irreparably damaged. The ship’s engine soon failed, leaving the vessel powerless and adrift.
A distress call was sent, but the severe weather delayed any immediate rescue. The wind and waves drove the ship steadily toward the island until it ran aground near Grindstone Lighthouse. Astonishingly, despite spending hours aboard the powerless vessel in the midst of a violent storm, all crew members managed to make it safely to shore. This was thanks in large part to the swift and courageous efforts of nearby residents who assisted in the evacuation.
Once the storm subsided the following morning, the ship was declared a total loss and left abandoned on the beach. Over the decades, repeated storms have stripped the vessel down to its skeletal remains, now partially visible above the sand and surf at West Dune Beach. The beach itself has become a popular summer destination for tourists, many of whom are surprised to stumble upon this haunting piece of maritime history.
In 2017, a study was proposed to assess the historic value of the wreck and to determine whether the remaining structure should be salvaged; however, no decision has been made to date.
The Îles-de-la-Madeleine has long been known as the “Graveyard of the Gulf” due to the many shipwrecks along its shores. Few places offer a more evocative window into this history than West Dune Beach.
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MemoryNS. (n.d.). SS Corfu Island. MemoryNS: Nova Scotia Archives and Public Records. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://memoryns.ca/ss-corfu-island
Sekkides, F. (2013, December 14). The Demise of the SS Corfu Island [eBook edition]. Wattle Publishing Ltd. In Calgary Public Library OverDrive. Retrieved June 22, 2025, from https://calgary.overdrive.com/library/magazines/media/1444237
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