What became of Captain Scott's ship the Terra Nova?
The Terra Nova was built in 1884 as a whaling ship but became better known as a Polar expedition ship, serving with the Jackson-Harmsworth expedition of 1894–97, as the relief ship for Scott's 'Discovery' expedition in 1903, and for returning to the Antarctic with Scott's 1910–13 expedition.
She was repurchased by her previous owners, Bowring Brothers Ltd, in 1913, and, from 1914–42, was based in Nova Scotia, serving in the seasonal Newfoundland seal fishery during the months of March and April, though generally laid up for the rest of the year.
During the First World War she also made some coastal trading voyages with cargoes from Canada's Maritime Provinces to St. John's, Newfoundland, and at least one voyage to Cardiff, with pitprops.
In 1942 she was chartered to carry supplies for US bases in Greenland. On Sunday 12 September that year, while on a passage from Greenland to Newfoundland, she developed a bad leak and at 19.20 hours transmitted an SOS message. This was answered by the US Coast Guard Cutter Atak, which, by daybreak next day, had picked up the crew of 24 men from the burning Terra Nova, by now in a sinking condition.
The Master of the Terra Nova was the last man to board the Atak, which then finished her off with 23 rounds of 3-inch gun fire. Her approximate last position was 60°30'N 46°30'W, off the Southwestern coast of Greenland.