Tag Archives: nova scotia

SS City of Glasgow

The Steamship City of Glasgow disappeared “without a trace ” in March 1854. No bodies were ever recovered, no wreckage ever found. Five hundred passengers and the ship simply vanished.

Left behind were family members pacing the Philadelphia wharf expecting her to arrive “any day”. Newspapers from three continents excused her late arrival because of weather or mechanical breakdowns.

Let Glasgow Flourish is a nautical biography of her short life and postulates where and how she disappeared in the North Atlantic.  Included are many personal stories of the men and women who sailed with her starting from her maiden voyage in 1850 until her demise.

Let Glasgow Flourish recounts the glory of her days and the men who pace the Philadelphia pier awaiting her arrival.

Let Glasgow Flourish; The Disappearance of the SS City of Glasgow is available on Amazon:

Paperback

E-Book

La Bourgogne launch

 

The four masted steamship La Bourgogne was launched in 1885, the second of four large steamships commissioned by Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. The other three ships, La Champagne, La Bretagne and La Gascogne, were likewise named after old French provinces.

All four ships were built to identical dimensions: 7,400 gross tonnage extending 500 feet, almost the length of two American football fields. Two funnels towered over the iron and steel construction and 8,000 horsepower allowed her to sail upwards of 17 knots or 20 miles per hour. Her design accommodated cabins for 390 first class, 65 second class and berths for 600 third or steerage passengers. 

There were four decks, promenade, main, cabin and steerage. Curiously on the main deck were places where heavy marine guns could be placed. For what contingency was not revealed.