Nornen

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Nornen was a large three‑masted sailing ship called a barque. The foremast and mainmast were square‑rigged, and the mizzenmast was rigged fore‑and‑aft. The main mast could carry up to five horizontal yards. She was built in 1876 at Chantiers de la Roque in Bordeaux, France, and launched as Maipu for the French line A. D. Bordes & Fils. With a big cargo hold, she could carry a lot of goods across the Atlantic. For the last three years, Peder Olsen captained her on routes between the American East Coast and Europe.

In 1888 she was acquired by Larson Ludwig & Co and renamed Nornen. She was about 47 meters long with a 9 meter beam and a crew of around 13.

Her final voyage began on 1 February 1897 when she left the Port of Bristol for Brunswick, Georgia, with a cargo of resin and turpentine. On the night of 2–3 March a severe storm hit the Bristol Channel. Captain Olsen tried to shelter near Lundy Island, but the ship could not ride out the weather. Sails were torn and Nornen drifted northwest until she ran aground on Berrow Beach in Somerset.

The captain jumped into the icy Severn Estuary to save himself. All other crew members and the ship’s dog were rescued by the RNLI lifeboat Godfrey Morris around 11:30 on 3 March. Local villagers helped with hot drinks, food and blankets.

Salvage work began soon after, and insurers recorded the ship as sold as a wreck on 2 April 1897. The ship’s figurehead is kept in Berrow village hall.

Peder Olsen’s next ship was the bark Gilead, which disappeared on a trip to England in October 1901.