The Belgium steamship Mercator sailed from Antwerp on Apr. 4, 1880 bound for New York, the ship never
arrived. Built in Glasgow by Alexander Stephen & Sons she was 280' long with a beam of 35', registered at
1,958 tons and could make 10 knots. She was owned by T. C. Engles of Antwerp but at the time of her loss
was under charter to the White Cross Line.

It is still not known what caused her loss, but in late June of 1880 the French ship Chateaubriand arrived at
Bordeaux carrying a lifeboat with the name Mercator, it had been picked up, empty, somewhere in the Atlantic.
Sources differ on how many people were on board from 37 to 45, if any were passengers is also unclear.

© 2008 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com