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Lot Essay
The 1,449-ton ship Norseman was built in 1873 in Saint John, New Brunswick, by Nevins, Fraser and Co., for W.A. Robertson of the same port. She was a wooden ship built of spruce, birch, pitch-pine, hackmatack, and oak, and measured 204.8 feet in length by 35.4 feet in width with a depth of hold of 24 feet. Throughout her short life her master was John Lane.
Norseman's maiden voyage was to Liverpool via New Orleans, arriving in the Mersey on 11 June 1874. On 15 July she sailed for Rio, arriving on 22 October. The ship left Rio on 6 December bound for the valuable guano deposits at Callao in Peru, and arrived there on 24 January, 1875. Six days later she sailed north for Lobos de Tierra. By 6 July, Norseman was at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, and docked at Baltimore two days later. She left Baltimore on 20 August and sailed for Antwerp, arriving on 26 September.
Her next passage was to Western Australia, sailing from Cardiff with a cargo of coal, arriving at King George's Sound on 26 March, 1876. She departed on 18 May bound once again for Callao, but a major disturbance on the voyage led to six of the crew being sentenced to different terms of imprisonment for striking the captain. On 1 August, she sailed for Lobos de Tierra to load guano. On 24 October she sailed for Antwerp with her 2,400 ton cargo, but on 13 January, 1877 she was abandoned after a violent collision with the steamer Rose Talisman and foundered after twelve hours. The crew were saved and taken to Montevideo.
Norseman's maiden voyage was to Liverpool via New Orleans, arriving in the Mersey on 11 June 1874. On 15 July she sailed for Rio, arriving on 22 October. The ship left Rio on 6 December bound for the valuable guano deposits at Callao in Peru, and arrived there on 24 January, 1875. Six days later she sailed north for Lobos de Tierra. By 6 July, Norseman was at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, and docked at Baltimore two days later. She left Baltimore on 20 August and sailed for Antwerp, arriving on 26 September.
Her next passage was to Western Australia, sailing from Cardiff with a cargo of coal, arriving at King George's Sound on 26 March, 1876. She departed on 18 May bound once again for Callao, but a major disturbance on the voyage led to six of the crew being sentenced to different terms of imprisonment for striking the captain. On 1 August, she sailed for Lobos de Tierra to load guano. On 24 October she sailed for Antwerp with her 2,400 ton cargo, but on 13 January, 1877 she was abandoned after a violent collision with the steamer Rose Talisman and foundered after twelve hours. The crew were saved and taken to Montevideo.