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Red Bay Basque Whaling Station
| Site number: | 1412 |
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| Type of site: | Cultural | |
| Date: | 16th century | |
| Date of Inscription: | 2013 | |
| Location: | North America, Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador, Red Bay | |
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| Description: | Red Bay, established by Basque mariners in the 16th century at the north-eastern tip of Canada on the shore of the Strait of Belle Isle is an archaeological site that provides the earliest, most complete and best preserved testimony of the European whaling tradition. Gran Baya, as it was called by those who founded the station in 1530s, was used as a base for coastal hunting, butchering, rendering of whale fat by heading to produce oil and storage. It became a major source of whale oil which was shipped to Europe where it was used for lighting. The site, which was used in the summer months, includes remains of rendering ovens, cooperages, wharves, temporary living quarters and a cemetery, together with underwater remains of vessels and whale bone deposits. The station was used for some 70 years, before the local whale population was depleted. --WHMNet's description is from WHC Site, where additional information is available. | |
| Red Bay is a fishing village and former site of several Basque whaling stations on the southern coast of Labrador in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Between 1550 and the early 17th century, Red Bay was a major Basque whaling area. The site is home to three Basque whaling galleons and four small chalupas used in the capture of whales. The discovery of these vessels makes Red Bay one of the most precious underwater archaeological sites in the Americas. Since June 2013 it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. --Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. | ||
| Source: | http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1412 | |
| Source2: | Wikipedia (http://wikipedia.com) | |
| Reference: | 1. UNESCO World Heritage Center (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1412). 2. Wikipedia. | |