Shared Stories & Events

We would like to thank Dick Meijer for starting the sharing of Memories & Photos of:

Bob Hardy story about Captain Guy Earle Buying his Family Business. Click here

Dick Meijer did Seal Business with Captain Guy Earle from 1960 to 1965. His Father owned Van Daal & Meyer in Holland and Germany and were the largest seal traders in the world together with Rieber in Bergen Norway. In 1963 Dick came to Carbonear at the age of 21 to handle purchasing and conservation sealskins before shipped to Europe. Dick had contacted Libby for the First time in December of 2007 finding the SS Kyle website but has been in contact with her brother Phil over the years and told her he had just retired and planning to spend time collecting and writing about his fantastic years with her Father Guy and Her Uncle Fred about the wharf, the SS Kyle and People like Murry Tilly the Miss Newfoundland and the last trip she made with Guy, himself and the explosion that wrecked her just hours after they Disembarked.

Thank You Heber McGurk for sharing your story and permission to post on our web site.

Heber McGurk was the master watch of the Kyle when Guy brought the Kyle to Labrador. They were doing 4 knots an hour stuck in ice flow when they drifted onto a huge iceberg and gets hung up on it. Much damage was done to her inside. When the Kyle hit the Iceberg it popped 21 rivets from its steel plating just above the water line. Guy and his crew now knowing there was damage done with the Kyle now stopped, approx 26 men of the crew were afraid and left the ship and waited on the ice for the Icebreaker D'Bererville while the other half of the crew were still sleeping. During the time waiting Heber and other crew found repair Bolts to replace the broken rivets. As Herber Hung over the outside by lines while another crew member went down below on the interior and put on the nuts and tightened them. During this time Heber had to change his clothes 3 times because of the freezing waters he had to withstand. Once the rivets were replaced the men on the ice would now return to the ship.

There was one rivet popped on the starboard side into the Coal room where repairs could still be seen from down below about 6 feet from the bottom if it was not filled with water.

For more details and photos of you will have to purchase his book.

Memories of a Former Era

We had found that Heber had been one to take many photos and the ones given to us from Dick Meijer were copies he had made.

Murry Tilly photo wanted - 1960s Cab Driver in Carbonear. It is know that Murry still lives in Carbonear and we know the address, Next year in 2010 we will make the trip to visit.