The Lartington

Dive Types

About This Site

THE LARTINGTON BBuilt in 1875 in Sunderland, England, this tramp steamer was constructed by the shipbuilders Short Brothers. Tramp steamers used both sail and steam for propulsion, sailing on windy days but firing up coal-burning boilers to produce steam if the wind dropped off. The boilers became covered in soot – hence the ‘tramp’ steamer designation. With a cargo of 4,000 bales of cotton, the Lartington departed Savannah, Georgia on December 8, 1879 destined for Russia. Four days later, she…