Burin marks a tragedy that might have been forgotten

It was a tragedy that left families devastated, and changed Burin forever, but the sinking of the Mina Swim might have been forgotten if not for the work of local residents determined to keep the memory alive.

On Tuesday, Burin will mark the 100th anniversary of that tragedy.

Without the memorial, I'm certain that within a number of years it would have been forgotten.- Howard Lundrigan

The fishing schooner Mina Swim left Burin on the afternoon of Feb. 7, 1917, with a crew of 21 on board. It was bound for fishing grounds on the southwest coast of Newfoundland.

It was never seen or heard from again. 

"Back in 1917, the community wouldn't have been that big, then you have 21 of your men taken away in one tragedy," said Howard Lundrigan, who lost a cousin in the sinking.

Eighteen widows and 57 children were left without husbands and fathers. 

"It was almost like a whole community was devastated with the loss of these men," he told CBC Radio's The Broadcast.

Without a trace

Despite the magnitude of the tragedy, it was rarely spoken of when Howard Lundrigan was a boy.

Because it disappeared without a trace, the Mina Swim left behind few of the details we expect from shipwreck stories.

There was no rescue attempt, no bodies recovered, no tale of where and how the schooner went down.

"There was really not much of a story," said Lundrigan, adding that relatives of the crew members tended to stay quiet about it. "When they were asked, they would just say, 'Oh, they were lost on the boat.'"

In 2011, residents formed a committee to revive and preserve the memory of the Mina Swim.

"A lot of people on the committee were descendants (of crew members) and so we decided to put up a memorial."

Familiar names on monument

The Memorial Monument was unveiled in 2013, overlooking Burin Bay Arm. It bears the names of all 21 crew members.

"Burin names like Lundrigans, Brushetts, Planks, Mitchells — there are still people here with those last names," Lundrigan said. 

With the memorial in place, and the marking of the 100th anniversary, Howard Lundrigan hopes an important piece of local history is now secure for future generations.

"I think we would have been the last generation to talk about it in any great detail, and even we don't have a lot of detail. But without the memorial, I'm certain that within a number of years it would have been forgotten."

The anniversary will begin with an ecumenical service at St. Patrick's Church, beginning at 3 p.m., the same time the Mina Swim set sail 100 years ago.

The service will be followed by a wreath laying at the Mina Swim Memorial, weather permitting.