Allanshaw was a 1,589 ton, iron sailing ship with a length of 80.1m (262.8feet), beam of 12.3m (40.4feet) and draught of 7m (23feet). She was built by William Simons & Company of Renfrew for the J.G. Potter & Company of Liverpool and launched on 29 August 1874. She was bought by the Nourse Line on 26 November 1880. She was a fast ship, making the run from London to Sydney in 65 days. On 2 October 1882 she arrived in Australia with new immigrants.
She was primarily used for the transportation of Indian indentured labourers to the colonies. Details of some of these voyages are as follows:
| Destination | Date of Arrival | Number of Passengers | Deaths During Voyage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 August 1888 | unknown | unknown | ||
| 17 June 1890 | 573 | n/a | ||
| 13 December 1890 | 658 | 4 | ||
| Trinidad | 12 October 1892 | 636 | 5 |
On 23 March 1893 she was wrecked on Tristan da Cunha, while en route from Liverpool to Calcutta, carrying salt, with the loss of 3 lives.
. Basil Lubbock. Coolie ships and oil sailors. Brown, Son & Ferguson. 1981. 0-85174-111-8 .