Captain Jack Randell, (1880-1944). Mariner. Born in Port Rexton, son of John and Mary Randell. He had a long career as a naval officer, but is perhaps best known as a rumrunner during the 1920s. He enlisted in the British Army during the Boer War returned to Newfoundland after it was over and became a Captain of some fishing vessels at the Labrador. When World War I began he enlisted in the Navy, serving in the North Sea and later taking command of a naval patrol fleet as Lieutenant-Commander. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal early in the War and later the Croix de Guerre. Following the War, Randell entered the trade in illegal liquor. His ship, the I'm Alone, with a capacity for 6,000 cases, was a frequent visitor to St. Pierre and the markets of New England. In 1929, the ship was sunk by the U.S. Coast Guard off the coast of Louisiana, provoking a minor diplomatic incident. As the I'm Alone had been outside U.S. territorial waters, Randell and the crew were later exonerated and received $25,000 in compensation. In World War II, Randell served with the Merchant Marine as a Naval Control Officer before ill health forced him to retire in 1941.

For a more detailed biography please read the document, Excerpts from the I’m Alone.