The ''Nornen'' was a large sailing vessel of the barque type. The three masts were typical of barque ships; the foremast and mainmast

square-rigged Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called ''yards'' and ...

and the mizzenmast (stern) rigged

fore-and-aft A fore-and-aft rig is a sailing vessel rigged mainly with sails set along the line of the keel, rather than perpendicular to it as on a square rigged vessel. Description Fore-and-aft rigged sails include staysails, Bermuda rigged sails, ga ...

. The main mast could be rigged with up to five horizontal yards. The ship was built and launched in 1876 at Chantiers de la Roque of Bordeaux, France. She was named the Maipu, and ran under the French shipping line A.D Bordes & Fils. The cargo hold could carry ample goods across the Atlantic. Peder Olsen was the captain for her final three years, frequently running trade routes between American east coast ports and Europe.

Final voyage

On 1 February 1897 she set sail from the

Port of Bristol The Port of Bristol comprises the commercial docks situated in and near the city of Bristol in England. They are now operated by the Bristol Port Company, which owns both Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Docks. Until 1991 the Port of Bristol Authori ...

, England, bound for Brunswick , Georgia. Having loaded a cargo of resin and turpentine, the Nornen set sail back to Bristol. During the night of 2/3 March, a major storm battered the coasts of south west England. Captain Olsen made an attempt to shelter in the lee of

Lundy Island Lundy is an English island in the Bristol Channel. It was a micronation from 1925–1969. It forms part of the district of Torridge in the county of Devon. About long and wide, Lundy has had a long and turbulent history, frequently chang ...

, but this was in vain. With sails torn, the crew were powerless against the rough swells and driving sleet. Other vessels in the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...

also suffered, and were saved, but the Nornen drifted north-westward, eventually running aground on Berrow Beach,

Berrow, Somerset Berrow is a small residential coastal village and holiday area, a civil parish in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England, situated in between Burnham-on-Sea and Brean. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 1,534. History Be ...

. The captain risked his life by jumping overboard, into the muddy, icy cold waters of the Severn Estuary. None of the other crewmen nor the ship's dog followed. At 11:30 on 3 March, the

RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...

lifeboat "Godfrey Morris" reached the stricken vessel, which was standing upright on Gore Sands. All crew* and the ship's dog were rescued and taken to safety. It is ''said'' that local villagers helped in the rescue by way of hot drinks, food and warm blankets. Salvage began almost immediately, with the insurers logging her as 'sold as a wreck' on 2 April 1897. The figure head from the ship is displayed in Berrow village hall. Peder Olsen's last ship was bark "Gilead" which disappeared on a trip to England in October 1901.

Gallery

Nornen midship facing forward.jpg, Midship facing toward land Nornen bow section.jpg, View seaward from bow Nornen anchor chain links, port.jpg, Links from an anchor chain Nornen keelsection bow.jpg, Fore-aft keel section

References

{{coord, 51.27167, -3.02348, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Shipwrecks in the Bristol Channel Disasters in Somerset 19th century in Somerset 1897 in England Maritime incidents in 1897 Ships built in France Barques 1876 ships