 Owned by the Cork Steamship Co., its main use was to ferry passengers from Cork, Ireland to the ports of Liverpool, where they would take a passenger ship to the United States.An iron built steamer, "Nimrod" had a gross register tonnage of 582 tons and was rigged with sails in the event of engine problems.On 27 February 1860, under the command of captain Lyall, "Nimrod" was making the journey from Liverpool to Cork.