Cabot Strait

Cabot Strait
Cabot Strait from White Point, Cape Breton Island. St. Paul Island in the distance.
Cabot Strait Cabot Strait
Location	Cape Breton Island,Nova Scotia &Newfoundland
Coordinates	47°15′00″N59°45′00″W
Type	Channel
Part of	Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Ocean/sea sources	Atlantic Ocean
Basincountries	Canada
Max. length	20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi)
Max. width	70 nautical miles (130 km; 81 mi)
Max. depth	550 metres (1,800 ft)
Islands	St. Paul Island (Nova Scotia)
Trenches	Laurentian Channel
References	Geographical Names of Canada - Cabot Strait

The Cabot Strait lies north of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Cabot Strait(/ˈkæbət/;French:détroit de Cabot,French:[kabo]) is inAtlantic CanadabetweenCape Ray,Newfoundland,andCape North,Cape Breton Island.Thestrait,approximately 110 kilometres wide, is the widest of the three outlets for theGulf of Saint Lawrenceinto theAtlantic Ocean,the others being theStrait of Belle IsleandStrait of Canso.It is named for the Italian explorerGiovanni Caboto.

The strait's bathymetry is varied, with theLaurentian Channelcreating a deep trench through its centre, and comparatively shallow coastal waters closer to Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island. These bathymetric conditions have been known by mariners to causerogue waves.The steep slope of the Laurentian Channel was the site of a disastrous submarine landslide at the southeastern end of the strait, triggered by the1929 Grand Banks earthquakeand leading to atsunamithat devastated communities along Newfoundland's south coast and parts of Cape Breton Island.

A strategically important waterway throughout Canadian and Newfoundland history, the strait is also an important international shipping route, being the primary waterway linking the Atlantic with inland ports on theGreat LakesandSt. Lawrence Seaway.

The strait is crossed daily by theMarine Atlanticferry service linkingChannel-Port aux BasquesandNorth Sydney.Ferrieshave been operating across the strait since 1898, and asubmarine telegraph cablewas laid in 1856 as part of thetransatlantic telegraph cableproject.

TheTrans Canada Microwavesystem was extended toNewfoundlandin 1959.To get it to Newfoundland, it was fed fromSydney, Nova Scotiato a repeater in Cape North that was 427 metres above sea-level. That allowed it cross the 127 kilometres across the Cabot Strait to a repeater station perched 198 metres above sea-level inRed Rocks, Newfoundland and Labrador.From there, the signal was microwaved over land toSt. John's.

An infamous location in the strait forshipwrecksduring theage of sail,St. Paul Islandcame to be referred to as the "Graveyard of the Gulf" (of St. Lawrence).

In October 1942, German U-boatU-69torpedoed and sank the unlit Newfoundland ferrySSCaribou,killing 137 people.Then on 25 November 1944HMCSShawiniganwas torpedoed and sunk with all hands on board (91 crew) byGerman submarineU-1228.

In 1998, the Cypriot bulk carrier theMVFlaresplit in half in the Cabot Strait while sailing from Rotterdam to Quebec with the loss of 21 lives on board.

References

Notes

• Nautical chart#4022 - Cabot Strait and approaches / Détroit de Cabot et les approches),published byCanadian Hydrographic Service,17 January 2003