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Jenhembre
New on board
USA
3 Posts |
 Posted - 25/01/2026 : 11:00:14
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Hello,
I’m researching the Norwegian bark Zephyr and hoping someone might have information about what happened to this vessel.
What I know from this website:
• Vessel: Bark Zephyr
• Tonnage: 183 commerciælæster (kl)
• Owner/Operator: M. Thorsen, Christiania
• Captain: J. Mathiesen
Known voyages:
• 1853: Departed Christiania April 3, arrived New York June 7 (passenger list exists)
• 1854: Departed Christiania May 27, arrived Quebec August 11 (Captain J. Mathiesen, no passenger list found)
My questions:
*I can only find records of these two emigrant sailings (1853 and 1854).
Does anyone know what happened to the Zephyr after 1854?
Possibilities I’m considering:
Was the vessel sold to another owner and possibly renamed?
Was it lost at sea?
Was it converted to a different trade route (cargo only, coastal trade, etc.)?
Was it scrapped or abandoned?
I’m particularly interested in whether the ship might have been renamed if sold, as this could explain why I cannot trace it beyond 1854. Any information from Norwegian maritime records, ship registration documents, newspaper archives, or other sources would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for any assistance, Jennifer Hembre |
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ToreL
Advanced member
Norway
920 Posts |
Posted - 25/01/2026 : 21:34:22
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| A newspaper article from 1863 reports from a civil court trial concerning a bark Zephyr that was believed to have sunk before the end of 1860. The court had to determine where the ship was insured at the time when it was lost. |
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Borge
Veteran Moderator
Norway
1306 Posts |
Posted - 26/01/2026 : 16:10:21
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| In what context are you seeking this information? |
Børge Solem |
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Jenhembre
New on board
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 26/01/2026 : 22:30:20
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Thank you both for your interest and replies, ToreL & Borge! I was just curious what happened to it? My great great grand father Knud K Steen sailed to America on it!
Borge- perhaps this is you that answered a relative’s of mine question regarding this bark.
“trying to find the ships list for the sailing ship Cefyer that Knud Knudtson Steen sailed on the 17th of April 1853. they landed in New York on June 7th 1853.”
In his autobiography Knud calls it "the sailboat Cefyer"
Have you ever heard of this ship? thanks very much
Connie Bottolfsen Loftus
a Posted - 28/02/2002: 09:47:06 0 2 E
Hi Connie
This is the bark Zephyr, mastered by Capt. J. Mathiesen, and owned by M.
Thorsen, Christiania, Norway. We have the daparture date as being Christiania Apr. 3 and arrival on June 7. Knud Knudsen Steen is listed as number 57 on the passenger list.
http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_list.asp?jo=2078
Borge Solem
Edited by - borge |
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Borge
Veteran Moderator
Norway
1306 Posts |
Posted - 30/01/2026 : 15:21:27
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The ship was owned by the shipowner Mons (Mogens) Thorsen of Kristiania (Oslo). It was primarily used for transporting salt from Spanish ports in the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, and timber from Northern Europe in the opposite direction. In both 1853 and 1854, the ship had carried salt from Spain to Northern Europe on the voyages preceding its departure with emigrants. After the cargo was unloaded, the ship was fitted with temporary berths for 184 persons arranged longitudinally, which was considered more comfortable than on ships where the berths were arranged transversely.
The ship’s captain was John Mathiesen from 1848 to 1855. From December 1855, the captain was J. A. Hansen. From 1857 onward, the ship was commanded by Captain Andersen and made many voyages between Torrevieja carrying salt and Baltic ports carrying timber, often with stops at English and French ports along the way. On March 23, 1863, the ship was wrecked off the coast of Jutland, Denmark, near Skagen, while en route from Torrevieja to Norrköping, Sweden, with a cargo of salt. The crew of 13 was rescued.
This is a statement by the passengers in 1853:
We, the passengers aboard the ship Zephyr from Christiania to New York, cannot adequately express our sincere gratitude for the humanity, kindness, and care with which we were treated throughout the voyage, both by the ship’s captain, Mathiesen, and by the mate and crew. Having now arrived safely and in good health at our destination, without any deaths or illness on board, we consider it our duty—both to ourselves and to our fellow countrymen in Norway—to make this known publicly. In every respect, we were fully satisfied with the ship and its accommodations. We therefore recommend the ship Zephyr as an excellent vessel for Norwegian emigrants making the journey to America. May God watch over the ship Zephyr and its esteemed captain. We kindly ask the editors of Morgenbladet to publish this statement in their respected newspaper and to note that it is printed from the original manuscript.
New-York 8th June, 1853.
G. Christophersen,
Foreman.
(Morgenbladet, 7th July, 1853)
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Børge Solem |
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Jenhembre
New on board
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 31/01/2026 : 13:21:54
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Borge,
Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to provide such a detailed reply to my question about the bark Zephyr, the ship my grandfather sailed on from Drammen (via Christiania) to America in 1853.
I was amazed to read the full history you shared- including the ship’s ownership by Mons (Mogens) Thorsen of Kristiania, its primary use for salt and timber trade, the captains over the years (especially Captain Mathiesen during the emigrant voyages), the comfortable berth arrangements and especially the heartfelt 1853 passenger statement published in Morgenbladet! That would have been the exact 1953 sailing my great great grandfather was on! It’s incredible to read that my grandfather’s journey was smooth and connected to such positive accounts of humane treatment, no deaths (or illness) on board and the passengers’ genuine gratitude and recommendation of the Zephyr.
Learning that the ship continued its salt-timber routes for years before tragically wrecking off Jutland in 1863 (with the crew safely rescued) gives a complete picture of its life that I never expected to find! :-)
It’s people like you who keep these important pieces of Norwegian emigrant history alive and accessible.
With thanks, Jennifer
PS- Sadly Connie passed away in September 2024, at age 82. She was my 3rd cousin who completed a lot of genealogy work on our shared family tree of Knud Knudtson Steen -that I am so fortunate to have and extremely grateful.
A special additional thank you from me to you and on behalf of my 3rd cousin Connie Bottolfsen Loftus—for the help you gave her back in 2002 when she was searching for the passenger list and details on the “Cefyer” (our family’s Zephyr). Your response then connected her (and now me) to this wonderful piece of family history. :-)
*I am sure I’ll have more inquiries in the not too distant future, cheers!
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Edited by - Jenhembre on 31/01/2026 13:25:13 |
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Seeking information about the fate of bark Zephyr
