Abram Kean Jr.
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Abram Kean Jr. (1887 – November 18, 1958), mariner born Flowers Island, Bonavista Bay, of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Kean is the son of a famous Newfoundland mariner and politician. Kean Jr. is best known in Newfoundland history as the captain of the SS Viking when the ship exploded just of Horse Islands on March 15, 1931 during the filming of a Hollywood movie.
Like his father before him Kean was an avid sealing captain and his first command of a sealing vessel was the Ranger in 1927. The Ranger was owned by the Bowring Brothers of St. John's. In 1931 Kean was given command of the SS Viking and took out a crew that included film maker Varick Frissel when she exploded with the loss of 27 lives including Frissell. Kean was also badly injured during the explosion and after recovering from his injuries was not offered another command at the sealing fishery.
Kean then continued as a fisherman on the Labrador coast in command of his own fishing schooner. He retired from the fishey in the early 1950's at Badger's Quay, where he died in 1958.
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