Immigrant Ship Information

SS Abyssinia Launched March 1870 Destroyed by fire December 1891

This steamship was built by J. & G. Thomson & Co. of Glasgow for the British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. (later called the Cunard Steam Ship Co.). She weighed 3,376 gross tons, had a length of 364 feet and a beam of 42 feet, one funnel, three masts, and a single crew. Her service speed was 13 knots. There was accommodation for 120 first-class passengers and 1,068 passengers in steerage. She and her sister ship, the Algeria, were the first Cunard ships fitted with bathrooms (one on each side of the ship).
Launched on 3 March 1870, she began her maiden voyage on 24 May 1870, sailing from Liverpool to Queenstown (now Cobh) and New York. She started her last voyage on this service on 18 September 1880 and was returned to the builders in partial payment for the new ships Servia and Catalonia. Sold to the Guion Line, she commenced Liverpool-Queenstown-New York sailings on 20 November 1880 and in 1882 was fitted with compound engines. Her last voyage on this route started 27 March 1886. Between 1887 and 1891, she sailed a Vancouver-Hong Kong-Japan route for Canadian Pacific Line.
She resumed the Liverpool-Queenstown-New York route on 28 November 1891. On 13 December 1891 she left New York for Liverpool, but was destroyed at sea by fire on 18 December. All the passengers and crew were rescued by the German liner Spree.

SS Hansa Launched August 1861 Went missing July 1883

This steamship was built by Card & Co. of Greenock, Scotland for Norddeutscher Lloyd (North German Lloyd). She weighed 2,992 gross tons, had a length of 328 feet and a beam of 42 feet, one funnel, three masts, and a single screw. Her service speed was 11 knots. There was accommodation for 75 first-class, 105 second-class, and 480 third-class (steerage) passengers. She had a crew of 102.
Launched on 23 August 1861, she began her maiden voyage from Bremen to Southampton and New York on 24 November 1861. She made her last voyage for this company on 12 November 1878. In 1881, she was chartered to Adamson & Ronaldson, and given compound engines. Between May 1881 and March 1882, she made six round trip voyages from London to Boston.
In 1883 she was sold to the White Cross Line, Antwerp, who renamed her Ludwig. She sailed from Antwerp for Montreal on 2 July 1883 and went missing after making contact on 3 July with Prawle Point, 20 miles southeast of Plymouth. Twenty-seven passengers, 43 crew, and 433 head of cattle were lost.

SS Noordland Launched January 1883 Scrapped 1908

This steamship was built by Laird Bros. of Birkenhead for Red Star Line. She weighed 5,212 gross tons, had a length of 400 feet and a beam of 47 feet, one funnel, four masts, and a single screw. Her service speed was 13 knots. There was accommodation for 63 first-class, 56 second-class, and 500 third-class (steerage) passengers.
Launched on 11 January 1883, she began her maiden voyage on 29 March 1884, sailing from Antwerp, Belgium to New York City. She began her last sailing on this service on 9 March 1901. She was then chartered to the American Line, with accommodations altered to carry 160 second-class and 500 third-class passengers. She began sailing a Liverpool-Philadelphia route in April 1901. Beginning on 28 March 1906, she made two round-trip voyages on the old Antwerp-New York route, then resumed service between Liverpool and Philadelphia. She made her last voyage in this service in 1908, and was scrapped later the same year.

SS Oder Launched December 1873 Wrecked May 1887

This steamship was built by Caird & Co. of Greenock, Scotland for Norddeutscher Lloyd (North German Lloyd). She weighed 3,265 tons, had a length of 350 feet and a beam of 40 feet, one funnel, two masts, a single screw, and compound engines. Her service speed was 13 knots. There was accommodation for 90 first-class, 126 second-class, and 650 third-class (steerage) passengers. She had a crew of 103.
Launched in December 1873, she began her maiden voyage on 23 May 1874, sailing from Bremen to Southampton and New York. Her last voyage on this service began on 26 April 1885. She was rebuilt in 1886 for the Imperial German Mail Steamer Service to the Far East. She received new engines and high-pressure boilers, and the passenger accommodations were reconfigured. Her first voyage on this service began on 30 June 1886, sailing from Bremen via the Suez Canal to Shanghai, where she arrived on 15 August 1886.
She wrecked on 30 May 1887 in a storm on the extreme southeastern rock outcrop of Socotra Island, in the Indian Ocean. Four lives were lost when one of the boats capsized; the surviving 61 passengers and 111 crew were rescued three days later by the Blue Funnel Line steamship Cyclops.

SS Westphalia Launched June 1868 Scrapped 1901

This steamship was built by Caird & Co. of Greenock, Scotland for Hamburg America Line. She weighed 3,158 gross tons, had a length of 340 feet and a beam of 40 feet, one funnel, two masts, and a single screw. Her service speed was 12 knots. There was accommodation for 90 first-class, 130 second-class, and 520 third-class (steerage) passengers. She had a crew of 120.
Launched on 24 June 1868, she began her maiden voyage on 16 September 1868, sailing from Hamburg to Southampton and New York. She began her last voyage from Hamburg to Havre and New York on 28 April 1875 before being laid up in Hamburg.
In 1877/78 she was rebuilt with two funnels and compound engines, as shown in the picture. On 30 July 1879, she resumed the Hamburg-Havre-New York service. During a storm on the night of 13 November 1882, she collided with the Belgian steamship Adrien David, which burst into flames and sank with the loss of all 25 crewmen, before the boat from the Westphalia could reach her. She began her last voyage to New York on 19 December 1886.
In 1887 she was sold to H. F. Swan of Newcastle, who re-engined her and renamed her Atlantica. In 1888 she was sold to Gazzo & Schiaffino of Genoa and renamed Provincia di Sao Paulo, and again renamed in 1889 as the Mentana. In 1890 she was sold to La Veloce of Italy and renamed Sud America. She was scrapped in Genoa in 1901.