[2][3] She was built by Russel & Company for the Nourse Line, named after the River Erne in northwest of Ireland, and launched in May 1886.

The damage was so heavy that the only thing keeping the ship from sinking was its hold filled with buoyant lumber.

Ten others were missing, including the captain and his wife (the Ficketts), the second mate (Frank Cushing), and a passenger (Robert Hay.)

The story told by the survivors, with few details, was that six crewman were washed overboard by a wave and that the Ficketts, Cushing, and Hay abandoned ship in the only remaining lifeboat.

The belief that a murderous mutiny led to the disappearance of the four "was almost universally agreed upon by New England seafaring men.