Not to be confused with Ship Cove, to the south, according to information contained in Wikipedia, Ship Harbour played an important role in WWII as it was the site of Atlantic Conference between Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 14, 1941.

While HMS Prince of Wales and USS Augusta were secretly anchored in the entrance off Ship Harbour, various dignitaries and the two heads of government discussed the terms of what would become known as the Atlantic Charter.

In terms of its earlier history, according to ENL_sources the population grew relatively quickly due to the fishery industry:

Ship Harbour has been settled since at least 1835 when it was included in the Argentia Parish. By 1845 there were 2 families of 13 people, and the community did not appear again until 1869 when the population moved upward to 38 (two of the residents being born in Ireland).

In the census of 1874 with 6 families and in 1884 it boasted 116 people. By the turn of the century there were four lobster factories operating in Ship Harbour and some salmon was tinned.

Along the southern coast, the Burin Peninsula extends southward for approximately 130 km (81 mi). At its widest it is approximately 30 km (19 mi) wide; at it narrowest it is 15 km (9 mi) from Fortune Bay to the west and Placentia Bay to the east.

According to information presented in Wikipedia, the Burin Peninsula was originally named the "Buria Peninsula" by fishermen from the Basque region during the 16th century.

Locals often refer to the Peninsula as "The Boot" due to its boot- like shape.

It is believed by some that "Burin" comes from the French word burine, a tool used for engraving - local lore is that supposedly a sailor was holding a burine and thought that the harbour he was entering was shaped like the instrument; however, others think it comes from the Gaelic word, bureen, or rocky place.

Since the French were there before the Irish, researchers typically go with the French derivation.

The most recent census, taken in 2016, indicated that there was a total of 252 residents, down 6.7% from the 270 recorded in 2011.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/ShipHarbourNL