My line of thinking: Age of Enlightenment. Prestige = power. Discovery = prestige. Natural sciences are the "d'aujourd'hui". A man like Charles Darwin (I'll call him Charles Winnard), obsessed with proving himself and his work, has attached himself to a Corps of Discovery-ish company that is perhaps based out of and funded by one of the great universities. Intro Lewis and Clark-type explorers that Winnard uses/rides to propel himself/his work into the graces of society; celebrity status in addition to his legit work/discoveries. A doomed trip leads to shipwreck. A previously unknown tribe of "primitives" offers a "lateral" fix to the ship (the carpenter never survived), and warns of the price for such knowledge. The price is paid, "Louis" and "Clark?", and the ship golem is born. Winnard re-creates events to deliver to the high-uppers; sympathy and shock, and a published adventure to boot (stolen accomplishments of both Louis and Clark)...in addition to his newly-acquired specimens/proven thesis. The ship mysteriously disappears one night and currently stalks the waters of Ravenloft, waiting for its inevitable chance to encounter/intercept Winnard and exact revenge...The Lesser Evil wrote:Charles Darwin wasn't really a shipbuilder though, was he? He seemed more interested in his scientific work and what he took from his journeys more than the boat itself.
For the ship's "lateral fix" I was thinking a bitumen-human sacrifice mix. Bitumen due to the ancient real-world practise of caulking boats with it, human sacrifice due to it being Ravenloft. Not sure yet as to why a sacrifice is necessary (appease the water god?; blessing it/making it worthy of entering the god's domain?), but that's my initial thought(s). Nothing etched in stone though.
All that being said I don't disagree. Perhaps there are more organic basejumps in which to model the golem's creator after.