The White Fleet

The Portuguese White Fleet, whose name derived from its vessels’ white hulls, is an important part of Newfoundland and Labrador history. Gaspar Corte-Real’s followers had been fishing off the Grand Banks for more than 400 years, but it was not until the 1900s that Portuguese fishermen began persecuting the North American cod fishery in force. When these ships made calls to St. John’s, the sailors and fishermen became a prominent part of the city’s way of life. However, the year 1955 marked ...