The Nora, a small rear engined coastal steamer, was built for Joseph Monks and Co Ltd., Liverpool and launched from the yard of Scott and Sons, Bowling on 27th March, 1907. She measured 100.2′ x 23.1′ x 10.7′ and weighed 226 gross tons, 83 net tons. She was powered by and 40 net horse power compound steam engine by Ross and Duncan of Glasgow. In 1920 she was purchased by Monroe Shipping Company in Cardiff and over subsequent years was owned by various companies under the Monroe family ownership before being transferred to the Kyle Shipping Company of Liverpool.
Around 2pm on 23rd November 1938 she stranded at Caspin one and a half miles east of Corsewall Lighthouse. She had sailed from Girvan in ballast at 10pm the previous evening bound for Creetown where she was to load a cargo of granite sets. As she headed south she encountered heavy rain and poor visibility off Corsewall Point and eventually ran aground, ripping a large hole in her hull. The sea at the time was calm with an offshore wind so Captain Soutar and his crew remained aboard with the intention of trying to refloat her. However the Nora was hard aground and, with a falling tide, resisted all attempts to move her off the rocks. Around 4am they set off distress rockets which were seen by the lighthousekeeper at Corsewall who notified Portpatrick Coastguard. The Portpatrick lifeboat and Rocket Brigade were quickly mustered and set off for the wreck, the rocket crew arriving at 6am, closely followed by the lifeboat.
The Nora was well up on the rocks and the Coastguards were able to board her by ladder. They were met by the Nora’s captain and informed that the crew were still attempting to refloat the vessel but were having little success.
The weather meanwhile was deteriorating. The wind swung round to the west and increased exposing the Nora to a heavy swell. Shortly after 10am the lifeboat moved inshore and took off four of the crew members as waves were beginning to break over the wreck. The lifeboat made one final attempt to refloat the Nora but she remained hard aground. With worsening weather conditions the lifeboat headed back for Portpatrick where she arrived at 1:30pm. The Nora’s crew were provided with a hot meal in the Devonshire Arms Hotel, courtesy of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Aid Society.
The Nora became a total wreck later that day as a result of the bad weather and later broke up. Her remains lie close inshore in approximate position 55°00.869’N, 005°07.274’W, and consist of sections of metal frames and hull scattered among rocks in shallow water no deeper than 6 metres.
