Feb. 15, 1982, the sinking of the Ocean Ranger, still resonates to anyone old enough to remember one of the darkest in the province’s history.
All 84 men aboard the oil rig were killed that day. When the province woke to the news 35 years ago, it seemed no one was left unaffected.
Sons, husbands, fathers, uncles and nephews were killed in those chilling waters.
But cousins, neighbours and hometown boys who you just happened to know sealed the connection to the half-million strong who lived on this rock. Those personal connections, coupled with the fact devastation of this scale places a charcoal cloud over any society, ensure this day won’t be forgotten within a handful of generations to come.
Newfoundland persevered, yes, but like days of war, when communities lose dozens of young people in one fell swoop, the rippled mourning travels decades.
A new collection of photos at The Rooms in St. John’s shows a little glimpse of life on the Ocean Ranger. Former medic Larry Major was the contributor for this new collection, but it also joins a 2015 exhibition of snapshots from Corner Brook’s own David Boutcher, as submitted by his mom, Priscilla.
These pictures, regardless of composition or quality, offer something unique and a peak inside a vessel that few others have witnessed. While the memories around it are likely riddled with darkness, the pictures will show the light, and the people who made it shine.
If you get a chance, drop in to see these photos and, as Larry Major suggests, take some time to remember the individuals who were lost to the raging sea that day.
Feb. 15, 1982, the sinking of the Ocean Ranger, still resonates to anyone old enough to remember one of the darkest in the province’s history.
All 84 men aboard the oil rig were killed that day. When the province woke to the news 35 years ago, it seemed no one was left unaffected.
Sons, husbands, fathers, uncles and nephews were killed in those chilling waters.
But cousins, neighbours and hometown boys who you just happened to know sealed the connection to the half-million strong who lived on this rock. Those personal connections, coupled with the fact devastation of this scale places a charcoal cloud over any society, ensure this day won’t be forgotten within a handful of generations to come.
Newfoundland persevered, yes, but like days of war, when communities lose dozens of young people in one fell swoop, the rippled mourning travels decades.
A new collection of photos at The Rooms in St. John’s shows a little glimpse of life on the Ocean Ranger. Former medic Larry Major was the contributor for this new collection, but it also joins a 2015 exhibition of snapshots from Corner Brook’s own David Boutcher, as submitted by his mom, Priscilla.
These pictures, regardless of composition or quality, offer something unique and a peak inside a vessel that few others have witnessed. While the memories around it are likely riddled with darkness, the pictures will show the light, and the people who made it shine.
If you get a chance, drop in to see these photos and, as Larry Major suggests, take some time to remember the individuals who were lost to the raging sea that day.