Rum Running

, English , From 1920 until 1933, the sale of alcohol was prohibited due to the strong “Temperance Movement” in the United States. This prompted a demand for smuggled liquor which proved to be a lucrative business for organized crime in the United States and for Nova Scotian fishing vessels an their crews. They would load barrels of liquor at the French port of Saint Pierre off the south coast of Newfoundland or from larger ships off shore and transport their valuable cargo to just outside the United States 12-mile limit where it was transferred to smaller American craft for the “run” to shore. Although dangerous work, it was legal as long as the Canadian vessel did not enter United States territorial waters. It paid better than fishing and provided a boost to the Town’s economy during the Great Depression., When the United States Coast Guard cutters began patrolling outside American territorial waters, the slower, black-hulled fishing schooners or “blacks” as they were known to the Coast Guard, proved unsuited for the trade. Construction of a new type of motor-powered vessel, built specifically to elude detection and escape quickly if discovered, provided employment for boatyards all over the province. These vessels were known as the “Banana Fleet” because of their sleek shape and low profile. Although only a few rum runners were built in Lunenburg, many were owned by Lunenburg companies and crewed by Lunenburg fishermen. The sinking of the Lunenburg rum runner I’m Alone off the coast of Louisiana in March 1929, sparked an international incident between Canada and the United States. The Americans later paid compensation to her captain and crew for mistakenly sinking the vessel., What Lunenburg street name is a reminder of the rum running era?, French ,