was home to approximately 10,000 Canadian and British personnel, and became Canada's most important overseas base. (Newfoundland and Labrador did not become part of Canada until 1949.) In October 1942, an American Export Airlines Sikorsky VS-44 flying boat, the Excalibur, crashed and sank in the Bay of Exploits shortly after takeoff. 11 military personnel died; 26 survived. In November 1943 a Canso flying boat crashed killing 7 personnel, while 5 survived. Military personnel left Botwood at the end of World War II. Military buildings were sold, demolished or relocated. The commercial seaplane service ended in 1945 as land-based aircraft became more popular. Botwood continued to ship paper from the Grand Falls-Windsor paper mill until its closure in 2009. It also shipped ore from Buchans until the mine closed in 1984. Botwood was profiled on Still Standing (Canadian TV series) on an episode that aired December 1, 2020. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Botwood had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Tourism In 2010, a mural to celebrate the Botwood Cottage Hospital was commissioned by the Botwood Mural Arts Society. It was entitled Pulse of the Community and was painted by Manitoban artist Charlie Johnston. It is located on the previous site of the Botwood Cottage Hospital, now the site of a grocery store. This was the beginning of an ongoing project by the society to commission murals throughout the town to celebrate its unique history and increase tourism. A number of other murals have been completed around the town. As of October 2019 there are thirteen murals, including the following: Twilight of Airmail, The Pulse of the Community, Come Home and Remodulating Nous / Making Waves by Charlie Johnston Sceviour's Sawmill by local artist, Caroline Noseworthy-Dawe The Water Nipper by Newfoundland artist Lloyd Pretty Botwood WWII History 1939-45, Salute to Our Veterans, The Two R's and Clash of Culturesby Craig Goudie The Path We've Built by Fernanda Gonzalez Latrecchiana Honouring Our Fallen, Supporting Our Future by Ciaran Gallagher Answering the Call by Marat Danilyan Climate See also List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador References External links Town of Botwood Website Populated coastal places in Canada Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador Port cities and towns