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Nares, Captain

Swedish ship's master of the Norah Creina,[1] in 1871. (July 23, 1822 – October 8, 1892)[2]

A naturally jovial and likeable man, but deadly serious in the business of his ship.[1]

In San Francisco in December of 1871,[2] Nares was was paid $2,000 by Paul Carthew to negotiate with Bart Maverick to charter the Norah Creina and to bring Carthew aboard as a crewman. Nares was to sail Bart to Midway Island to oversee the salvaging of the wreck of the Flying Scud. Nares was successful in luring Bart into offering him a 35-percent share in the salvaging profits of the shipwreck. He put together a crew overnight, including Carthew who signed on under the assumed name of Matthew Higgins. Nares had Bart board the Norah Creina in the morning and they sailed with the tide. Eighteen days later, the Norah Creina arrived at Midway. Nares took Bart and Carthew aboard the Flying Scud to investigate her cargo. Finding only the reported rice and silk in her hold bust suspecting much more hidden somewhere aboard, Bart ordered the ship to be ripped apart. The next day, the crew found opium being smuggled inside the bales of rice. Nares evaluated the opium at ten to twelve thousand dollars, still shy of the $21,000 Brother Bret had paid for the wreck, but Nares — working on a percentage — was pleased to at least be able to make a small profit in selling the illegal drug once back in San Francisco. But having chartered the Norah Creina, Bart did not wish to risk landing in prison for smuggling opium, and ordered it thrown overboard. Nares objected, drew a gun on Bart and threatened to tie him up and drop him in deep water. He had Carthew take Bart's gun from his belt but once he had it, Carthew — trusting Bart — knocked Nares gun away with a belaying pin and helped Bart subdue and bind the crew. Tied securely to a bulwark, Nares tried to appeal to Bart, but Bart and Carthew took the Flying Scud's jolly boat to take their chances against the open sea rather than with Nares and his crew.[1] The crew was able to free themselves after a time and salvage what they could of the Flying Scud for themselves.[2]

See: The Wrecker