Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of theAvalon Peninsula on the island ofNewfoundland, inNewfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the originalPortuguese name for this cape, "Raso", meaning flat or low-lying. The Cape appeared on early sixteenth century maps as Cabo Raso and its name may derive froma cape of the same name at the mouth of theTagus River in Portugal. The cape was the location of theCape Race LORAN-C transmitter until the system was decommissioned in 2010. It is also home to theCape Race Lighthouse, notable for having received the distress call from theRMSTitanic.
Dense fog, rocky coasts, and its proximity to trans-Atlantic shipping routes have resulted in manyshipwrecks near Cape Race over the years. One of the most famous was theSS Arctic. Cape Race is a flat, barren point of land jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, its cliffs rising almost vertically to 30.5 metres (100 ft) above sea level. On average it is shrouded in fog on 158 days of the year.[citation needed]
| Climate data for Cape Race Climate ID: 8401000; WMO ID: 71800; coordinates46°39′36″N53°04′35″W / 46.66000°N 53.07639°W /46.66000; -53.07639 (Cape Race); elevation: 26.5 m (87 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1982–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.7 (54.9) | 9.4 (48.9) | 11.4 (52.5) | 22.6 (72.7) | 20.8 (69.4) | 25.6 (78.1) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.8 (82.0) | 28.2 (82.8) | 22.2 (72.0) | 16.9 (62.4) | 12.2 (54.0) | 28.2 (82.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.1 (34.0) | 0.8 (33.4) | 1.4 (34.5) | 4.4 (39.9) | 8.1 (46.6) | 11.9 (53.4) | 16.2 (61.2) | 17.9 (64.2) | 15.9 (60.6) | 11.9 (53.4) | 7.6 (45.7) | 3.7 (38.7) | 8.4 (47.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.4 (27.7) | −2.6 (27.3) | −1.8 (28.8) | 1.4 (34.5) | 4.7 (40.5) | 8.4 (47.1) | 12.9 (55.2) | 14.8 (58.6) | 12.4 (54.3) | 8.4 (47.1) | 4.3 (39.7) | 0.4 (32.7) | 5.1 (41.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.9 (21.4) | −6.1 (21.0) | −4.9 (23.2) | −1.7 (28.9) | 1.3 (34.3) | 5.0 (41.0) | 9.6 (49.3) | 11.7 (53.1) | 8.9 (48.0) | 5.0 (41.0) | 1.0 (33.8) | −3.0 (26.6) | 1.7 (35.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −33.0 (−27.4) | −26.1 (−15.0) | −21.0 (−5.8) | −15.0 (5.0) | −9.4 (15.1) | −6.1 (21.0) | −1.1 (30.0) | 0.6 (33.1) | −3.3 (26.1) | −10.0 (14.0) | −13.9 (7.0) | −21.1 (−6.0) | −33.0 (−27.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 98.9 (3.89) | 87.3 (3.44) | 93.1 (3.67) | 98.9 (3.89) | 83.7 (3.30) | 84.0 (3.31) | 116.4 (4.58) | 99.5 (3.92) | 95.0 (3.74) | 109.7 (4.32) | 137.6 (5.42) | 111.1 (4.37) | 1,215.2 (47.84) |
| Source 1:Environment Canada[1] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteostat[2] | |||||||||||||
In 1583, having claimed the port ofSt John's forQueen Elizabeth I,Sir Humphrey Gilbert, on board the shipSquirrel, and accompanied by the shipsGolden Hind andDelight, passed by Cape Race on his way back toEngland.Squirrel would sink en route, taking Gilbert with her.
From 1859 to 1866, theNew York City Associated Press kept a newsboat at Cape Race to meet ocean liners passing by on their way from Europe so that news could betelegraphed to New York.[3][4] These news items carried the byline "via Cape Race".In 1904, the firstwireless station in Newfoundland was built at Cape Race. On the nightTitanic sank, wireless operatorJack Phillips was sending telegraphs to Cape Race for relay to New York City. WhenCyril Evans, wireless operator of the Leyland LineSSCalifornian, informed to the RMSTitanic, only a few miles away, that the ship had stopped for the night and was surrounded by icy water. Phillips responded "DDD," meaning that he was transmitting to the Cape Race Marconi Station and to "stop transmitting" as he could not hear the faint signals from Cape Race due toCalifornian's stronger signal.
Evans soon switched off the wireless and went to sleep at a normal time. Only fifteen minutes later,Titanic hit an iceberg. Cape Race was also the last land station to pick upTitanic's distress calls. Contrary to belief, Evans was not offended andTitanic's bridge was already aware of ice in the area due to previous ice warnings from other ships. AfterTitanic's distress call, Cape Race played a major role in relaying news of the sinking to other ships and land locations.
On September 11, 1990, aBoeing 727 trijetwent missing off the coast of Cape Race with 16 people on board. The aircraft was never found.
Marconi's station (MCE) was rebuilt on the same site and opened as a "wireless interpretation centre" to commemorate the 100th anniversary ofTitanic's sinking in 2012.[5]
46°39′31.2″N53°04′25.6″W / 46.658667°N 53.073778°W /46.658667; -53.073778
