The SS Random

Marine Atlantic, its predecessor CN Marine, and pre-confederation Newfoundland coastal boats have a strong and proud history serving the people of Atlantic Canada through ferry terminals, passenger vessels and rail service.

In this week’s blog posting we highlight the SS Random, a Newfoundland coastal boat that operated from 1942-1962.

Named after Random Island located in Newfoundland’s Trinity Bay, the SS Random serviced various coastal communities and sometimes made the Cabot Strait crossing between Port aux Basques and North Sydney during its 20 years of operation. A 279 foot coal burning cargo vessel, it had a gross tonnage of 1,729 and could travel at speeds of up to 10 knots.