The Bothnia (I) was an ocean liner put into service in 1874 by the British shipping company Cunard Line , which was used in passenger traffic from Liverpool via Queenstown to New York and Boston . The ship was decommissioned in 1896 and scrapped in 1899.
The ship
The iron steamship Bothnia was built in Clydebank, Scotland at the shipyard of J. & G. Thomson, the predecessor of John Brown & Company , and was launched on March 4, 1874. The ship was 128.7 meters long and 12.7 meters wide and had a maximum draft of 10.5 meters. The measurements amounted to 4,535 GRT, 4,531 tons below deck and 2,923 NRT. The ship was registered in Glasgow. The Bothnia had a straight stem , a chimney, three masts with the rigging of a barque, and a single propeller. The two-cylinder compound steam engine developed 600 nominal hp (nhp) and allowed a top speed of 12.5 knots (23 km / h). The passenger accommodations were designed for 300 passengers in the first and 1,100 in the third class.
Her sister ship was also at J. &. G. Thomson built Scythia (Bj. 1875). The two ships were intended as direct competition to the Britannic and Germanic of the White Star Line . After completion in June 1874, the Bothnia left Liverpool on August 8, 1874 on her maiden voyage via Queenstown to New York. Between February 9 and 12, 1880, the Bothnia, under the command of Captain William McMickan, ran through a hurricane-like storm after leaving Liverpool, which tore away parts of the railing, the bridge and two lifeboats. The ship was exposed to heavy snow gusts and high breakers, some of which collapsed over the bow.
In October 1881 , a carpet was set on fire aboard the Bothnia while she was anchored at Pier 40 on the North River in New York. Several bottles filled with gasoline and phosphorus were found, and gasoline had been spilled on the floor in two rooms. Cunard believed it was arson , but there were no suspects and no one could be convicted. On April 15, 1885, she ran for her first crossing on the Liverpool – Queenstown – Boston route, but from May 13, 1888, New York was her destination again. By October 20, 1893, she was back on the Boston Route. On October 8, 1896, the steamer cast off on its last voyage. In 1898 the Bothnia was sold to France for demolition and in 1899 it was scrapped in Marseille .
