The name of this ship occures with different spelling variations, like St. Olaf, St. Olav and Sanct Olaf. Details: straight stem, one funnel, two masts, iron construction, single screw. The engine by North Eastern Marine Co, Sunderland delivered 900 h.p., which gave the ship a speed of 10 knots. This ship was the first to be built for the direct service between Christiania - Bergen and New York. She had a steerage capacity for 500 passengers, and cabin capacity for another 30 passengers. It had a crew of 51. The ship was fitted with large dormitories steerage, without any refectory or saloons. The food was boiled with steam, and brought in to the rooms in big tin pails. It is said that when the food was served it was complete chaos steerage. With the founding of the Norwegian - American Steamship Company, the conditions became much better for Norwegian emigrants. The crew on board the ships spoke the same language as the passengers, and the food was traditional Norwegian. Also, the journey became quicker and easier. The company was also often referred to as "Det Norske Utvandrings-selskap" (The Norwegian Emigration Company)

Note that there was also another ship by the name "St. Olaf" which was also involved in the conveyance of Norwegian emigrants. That ship belonged to the "Det Søndenfjedsk Norske Dampskibsselsab" and sailed mainly between Christiania and Hamburg.