SS Norge () was a transatlantic ocean liner that was launched in 1881 in Scotland, and lost in 1904 off Rockall with great loss of life. Her final voyage was from Copenhagen, Kristiania and Kristiansand, bound for New York, carrying passengers many of whom were emigrants. It was the biggest civilian maritime disaster in the Atlantic Ocean until the sinking of Titanic eight years later, and is still the largest loss of life from a Danish merchant ship.

History

Pieter de Coninck

Alexander Stephen and Sons of Linthouse, Glasgow built the ship in 1881 as Pieter de Coninck for the Belgian company Theodore C. Engels & Co of Antwerp. She was and , and her 1,400-ihp engine gave a speed of . She could carry a maximum of 800 passengers.

SS Norge

In 1889, she was sold to a Danish company, A/S Dampskibs-selskabet Thingvalla, for its Stettin-Copenhagen-Kristiania-Kristiansand-New York service and renamed Norge. After financial difficulties, Thingvalla was bought in 1898 by Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab (DFDS), Copenhagen, which served the route as "Scandinavia-America Line". By then, the capacity of Norge was 1,100 passengers; 50 first class, 150 second class, and 900 third class. She was reversed off the rock after a few minutes, but the collision had ripped holes in the hull, and water began pouring into the hold. The crew of the Norge began lowering the lifeboats, but the first two lowered were destroyed by waves. Many passengers jumped overboard, only to drown.

Wreck today

The disaster remains the worst in Danish maritime history.

See also

  • List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll

References

Further reading

  • Extensive site covering the catastrophe, in Norwegian (Archived copy)
  • The Orcadian – "Four years’ research unearths SS Norge's final resting place"
  • Journal of American Ethnic History
  • SS Norge passenger list (Archived copy)