Lawrence & Foulks

Last updated
Lawrence & Foulks
TypePrivate
IndustryShipbuilding
Founded1852
Founders
  • Herbert Lawrence Jr
  • William Foulks
Defunct1902
FateClosed
Headquarters
ProductsWooden-hulled steamships and other watercraft
ServicesShip repairs
Number of employees
150 (1865)

Lawrence & Foulks was a 19th-century American shipbuilding company based in New York. Established in the early 1850s, the company built 144 vessels of all types over the course of some fifty years, but is best known for its production of high-speed wooden-hulled steamboats and steamships. Notable vessels built by the company include the record-breaking Hudson River steamboat Chauncey Vibbard, the luxury Long Island Sound steamer Commonwealth, and the fast oceangoing steamships—later U.S. Navy gunboats — Bienville and De Soto. In addition to the domestic market, the company also built ships for service as far afield as South America and China.

Contents

Lawrence & Foulks was one of the few New York shipyards to survive the post-Civil War slump, but was either unwilling or unable to make the postwar transition from wooden to iron shipbuilding, and closed its doors around the turn of the century.

History

Origins, 1850–54

In 1849, William Foulks, a British-born ship's carpenter then aged 37, partnered with a young engineer named Humphrey Crary to build a steamboat in New York, which was named Catherine after Foulks' wife. [1] Foulks received contracts to build several more vessels over the next two years. [1] [2] At this time, his shipyard was located at the foot of Cherry Street, Manhattan. [3]

By 1852, Foulks had established a partnership with Herbert Lawrence, and the company was renamed Lawrence & Foulks. [4] Lawrence, then barely in his twenties, was the son of Herbert Lawrence Sr., former co-proprietor of the prominent early New York shipbuilding firm of Lawrence & Sneden. [5] By 1854, the Lawrence & Foulks shipyard had relocated to North Fifth Street, Williamsburg [6] (now a part of Brooklyn), where it would remain for the next 17 years. [7]

Plant, equipment and labor force

While the specific plant and equipment utilized by Lawrence & Foulks is not known, wooden shipbuilding firms in this era could be established for a remarkably small outlay—as little as $11,000, and rarely more than $20,000. Tradesmen at this time mostly supplied their own tools, so a shipyard needed little more than a waterfront property large enough to hold a timber yard and a slipway or two, a derrick to lift heavy components, a large crosscut saw and a few other tools. [8]

Since New York was already well served by a number of existing marine engine plants, Lawrence & Foulks, like the other New York shipyards, had no need to establish an expensive engine plant of its own, but could rely upon outsourcing for its steamship engines. Companies which would build marine engines for Lawrence & Foulks prior to the Civil War included leading firms such as the Allaire Iron Works, Morgan Iron Works, Henry Esler & Co. and the Novelty Iron Works. After the war, when many of New York's marine engine manufacturers went out of business, Lawrence & Foulks appears to have come increasingly to rely upon New Jersey's Fletcher, Harrison & Co. to meet its machinery requirements. [lower-alpha 1]

As with other shipbuilders of the era, the size of Lawrence & Foulks' workforce could fluctuate greatly depending upon the available work. The company appears to have employed about 50 people for every ship under construction, and it was capable of building as many as four ships at once. [9]

Early years, 1850s–1860

SS De Soto, built by Lawrence & Foulks in 1859. She served as USS De Soto during the Civil War. USS De Soto (1861-1868).jpg
SS De Soto, built by Lawrence & Foulks in 1859. She served as USS De Soto during the Civil War.

Through the 1850s, Lawrence & Foulks built a number of steamers and other vessels for South American clients, including the 300-ton Spanish steamers General Concha and General Serrano for Cuban service; [10] [11] a large steamer for the Río de la Plata; [12] and two small high-pressure riverboats for the Peruvian government destined for service on the Amazon. [13] Two 1,300-ton steamers for Californian service were also completed. [12]

In 1855, Lawrence & Foulks completed construction of the Long Island Sound steamer Commonwealth. Setting a new standard of elegance for Sound steamers, this large, lavishly outfitted steamer quickly became a favorite with the travelling public. [14] [15] In 1859–60, Lawrence & Foulks built the fast oceangoing steamships De Soto and Bienville, sister ships designed for passenger-cargo service between New York and New Orleans. Both vessels were later purchased by the U.S. Navy and would serve with distinction during the Civil War as gunboats. [16] [17]

American Civil War, 1861–65

With the outbreak of the Civil War, the U.S. Navy quickly purchased or chartered hundreds of ships from private steamship companies, which were needed to establish the blockade of Confederate ports and to transport troops and supplies along the Atlantic coast. The steamship companies were then obliged to return to the shipyards to replace their fleets, only to find themselves vying with the Navy which needed still more ships. The strong demand for new shipping created boom conditions for American shipyards which would last to the end of the war. [18] [19] New York shipyards in this period also benefited from the Treaty of Tianjin. Ratified in 1860, the treaty gave U.S. companies increased access to Chinese waterways and ports, [20] which in turn stimulated demand for steamboats and steamships for Chinese service. [21]

A beam-propeller engine. Lawrence & Foulks built a number of ships powered by such engines during the Civil War. Geared beam engine.jpg
A beam-propeller engine. Lawrence & Foulks built a number of ships powered by such engines during the Civil War.

In 1861-62 Lawrence & Foulks completed at least three screw steamers for U.S. companies operating in China: Flambeau, Kiang-Tsze and Sze-Chuen. The latter two were duly despatched to China but Flambeau was purchased by the U.S. Navy to serve as the gunboat USS Flambeau. [22] [23] [24] The company also completed a number of screw steamers for domestic American service during the war, including Isaac Smith, D. S. Miller and John L. Hasbrouck, all for Hudson River service. After a few months on the Hudson, Isaac Smith, like Flambeau, was requisitioned by the Navy for conversion into a gunboat. [22] All the above-mentioned screw steamers were powered by beam-propeller engines [22] —a transitional technology that mated the old, slow-rpm beam engine with the screw propeller by mounting the engine athwartships and gearing it up (at a ratio of one to three or more) to the propeller shaft. [25]

Another newly built Lawrence & Foulks ship to be requisitioned by the Navy at this time was the small sidewheel steamer Thomas Freeborn. In an attack on Mathias Point, Virginia on 27 June 1861, Thomas Freeborn's commander, James H. Ward, became the first U.S. Navy officer killed in action in the war. [26]

Chauncey Vibbard, built in 1864, was the fastest steamboat on the Hudson Chauncey Vibbard by Stanton.jpg
Chauncey Vibbard, built in 1864, was the fastest steamboat on the Hudson

In 1864, Lawrence & Foulks completed the Hudson River steamboat Chauncey Vibbard. Soon after entering service, the 280-foot vessel proved to be the fastest steamer on the highly competitive route from New York to Albany, making the trip in a new record time of 6 hours 42 minutes. With boilers carefully balanced to eliminate vibration, and a hull said to "cut the water as a knife blade", [27] Chauncey Vibbard helped establish a reputation for Lawrence & Foulks as America's leading designers of high-speed watercraft. [28]

Postwar slump, 1865–70

With the end of the war in April 1865, the U.S. shipbuilding industry experienced a severe downturn. The Navy dumped more than a million tons of unwanted shipping onto the market, depressing prices and leaving shipyards with no work. High postwar prices, along with a series of bitter (and unsuccessful) strikes for the eight-hour day, helped prolong the slump to the end of the decade. The slump had a devastating effect on the New York shipbuilding industry, with most of the city's shipbuilders and marine engine manufacturers going out of business in this period. [29] [30]

Lawrence & Foulks was one of only a handful of New York shipyards to survive the prolonged slump, [31] aided in part by a flurry of orders in 1864-65. Livingston, Fox & Co., preparing to resume its prewar New York to New Orleans service, ordered a total of six sub-1000 ton steamers from Lawrence & Foulks in this period, including Herman Livingston, General J. K. Barnes and the four sister ships Albermarle, Hatteras, Raleigh and Rapidan. [32] Two large 1,300 ton steamers, Vera Cruz and Manhattan, were also built in 1865 for Charles A. Whitney's American and Mexican Mail Steamship Company. [33] In 1866, Lawrence & Foulks built the 2,200-ton steamship Oregonian for Californian service [34] —probably the largest steamship ever built by the company.

By 1869 the slump had reached its nadir. Lawrence & Foulks managed to secure a couple of contracts early in the year, for the ferry Sylvan Glen and a small 100-ton steamer, but by September, only one vessel was under construction in the whole of New York. [35]

Recovery, 1871–73

The "remarkably handsome" ferry Sylvan Dell, built by Lawrence & Foulks in 1872 Sylvan Dell 03.jpg
The "remarkably handsome" ferry Sylvan Dell, built by Lawrence & Foulks in 1872

The long postwar slump finally ended in 1871, as shipowners began to return to U.S. shipyards to replace their ageing fleets. In April 1871, after almost twenty years at Williamsburg, Lawrence & Foulks relocated their shipyard to the foot of Noble Street, Greenpoint, [7] [36] on the site of E. S. Whitlock's former shipyard, who like many others had retired from the business after the war. [37] The shipyard had a frontage of 200 feet (61 m) along the river and 500 feet (150 m) on land. [31]

From 1871 to 1873, New York shipyards remained busy. By this time however, the larger steamship contracts were going to the builders of iron-hulled ships on the Delaware —to firms such as John Roach & Sons, William Cramp & Sons, and Harlan and Hollingsworth —leaving New York shipbuilders to fulfill contracts for smaller vessels such as ferries, commuter and excursion steamers, steam yachts and tugboats. [38]

Lawrence & Foulks secured a substantial number of such contracts in this period. A notable example was Sylvan Dell, a ferry built for the Harlem & New York Navigation Company. With a speed in excess of 20 mph, [39] Sylvan Dell was New York Harbor's fastest vessel in her class, and remained popular with the public for many years, eventually being dubbed "Queen of New York Harbor". [40] [41] [42] In 1873, Lawrence & Foulks built Jennie Stout—the first schooner built in New York since the war, and the largest three-masted schooner built there to that date. [43]

Decline and closure, 1873–1902

The brief early 1870s boom came to an abrupt end with the Panic of 1873. The subsequent recession would drag on until 1879, but by 1875 there was a widespread recognition that this time there would be no recovery for New York shipyards. Not only were the iron shipbuilders of the Delaware now dominating the contracts for larger ships, but the locus of wooden shipbuilding in the U.S. had moved to the state of Maine, where lower prices for timber, and lower wages, enabled the construction of wooden-hulled vessels as much as 20% cheaper than in New York. [30] [31]

The extent of New York's decline as a shipbuilding center from 1873 is well illustrated by the fortunes of Lawrence & Foulks itself. In the 24 years from 1851 to 1875, Lawrence & Foulks built a total of 122 vessels, [11] an average of more than five per year. In the firm's remaining 25 years, from 1876 to 1901, it built only another 22 vessels, an average of less than one per year. [lower-alpha 2] Among the latter were San Rafael and Saucelito, sister ferries built in 1877 which were shipped overland in pieces to San Francisco. After reassembly, the two vessels quickly established themselves as the fastest ferries on the Bay. [45] [46]

Among the last notable steamers built by Lawrence & Foulks were Albertina, built in 1882 for the Red Bank Line, and the steam yacht Clermont for Commodore Alfred van Santvoord of the New York and Albany Line. [28] In August 1886, William Foulks fell from scaffolding while inspecting a vessel at his shipyard, suffering internal injuries. He died at home, aged 74, a few days later. [47] [48] His partner, Herbert Lawrence, retired in about 1894, but maintained his office in Greenpoint until shortly before he died, aged 73, in 1902. [44] [49] [50] In total, the Lawrence & Foulks shipyard built 144 vessels of all types in the fifty years to 1901. [44]

List of ships

The first table below lists ships known to have been built by William Foulks, probably before his partnership with Herbert Lawrence. The second table lists ships built by Lawrence & Foulks. The two lists combined currently represent 112 of the 144 ships known to have been built by Foulks alone or by Lawrence & Foulks. In addition to the ships listed below, Lawrence & Foulks also designed the model for the Hudson River steamer Albany, but as she had an iron hull the construction contract went to Harlan and Hollingsworth. [51]

Vessels which had more than one name during their career have their later names listed below the original name, followed (where available) by a two-digit number representing the last two digits of the year in which the rename took place. For other abbreviations, see the linked notes in the table column headers.

Ships built by William Foulks, 1850–52
Name [lower-alpha 3] TypeBuilt
[lower-alpha 4] 		Ton.
[lower-alpha 5] 		Engine
[lower-alpha 6] 		Ordered by
[lower-alpha 7] 		Intended serviceNotes
CatherineSteamboat1850Built in partnership with Humphrey Crary and named after Foulks' wife. [1]
Schooner 185176——Mexican Govt.Mexico [2]
Schooner185176——Mexican Govt.Mexico [2]
  • Peter Crary
  • Hazel Kirke
  • Naiad
Tugboat1852Reuben Coffin and othersNew York HarborAbandoned 1919 [1]
Ships built by Lawrence & Foulks, 1852–1901
Name [lower-alpha 3] TypeBuilt
[lower-alpha 4] 		Ton.
[lower-alpha 5] 		Engine
[lower-alpha 6] 		Ordered by
[lower-alpha 7] 		Intended serviceNotes
Ferry 1852500 George Law New York Harbor"to run in the People's Ferry to Staten Island" [4]
Ferry1852 Allaire New York"for Green Point" [4]
Ferry1852AllaireNew York"for the Houston street ferry" [4]
Ferry1852AllaireNew York"for the Williamsburgh ferry" [4]
Steamship 1852Allaire"Capt. Day" Gulf of Mexico [4]
  • Josephine
  • Henry E. Bishop
Ferry1852Tompkinsville & Stapleton FCNew York [52]
Joseph Johnson Towboat 1852240Parks & DuvallNew York Harbor [4] [53]
Steamer1853>1300 Rio de la Plata [12]
Steamer18531300 California [12]
Steamer18531300California [12]
Riverboat 1853120Fulton Peruvian Govt Amazon River [13]
Riverboat185380FultonPeruvian GovtAmazon River [13]
J. S. Underhill Tugboat 1853 [54]
William H. Brown Steamboat 1853450 [54]
Schooner185334——U.S. Govt Texas "to serve as a United States Tender for carrying men, provisions, &c., on the rivers of Texas." [55]
North PointSchooner1854350——Johnson & Co,"Southern trade" [56]
Jack TravisSchooner185450—— [56]
Henry MunsiTowboat1854150A. O. Jackson"Harbor towing" [57]
H. MorrisonSteamboat1854150A. O. Jackson"[for] towing" [56]
Gerard StuyvesantFerry1854450New YorkHouston St. ferry [6] [56]
NeptuneSteamboat1854160Peter Crany Boston Harbor [57]
SurpriseSteamer1854456Edgar WakemanPacific Coast [58]
Commonwealth Steamboat18551732 Morgan Norwich & New London SBC Long Island Sound Destroyed by fire at Groton, CT, 1865
E. H. White Lighter 1855100Fancher & McChesney [59]
Ferry1855550"for the ferry connecting Catherine street, New York, with South Tenth st., Williamsburgh." [59]
Ferry1855550"for the ferry connecting Catherine street, New York, with South Tenth st., Williamsburgh." [59]
H. Delafield Brig 1855250——Henry Delafield"will be employed in trading with Port-au-Prince". [59]
Know NothingTowboat1856300NY & Williamsburgh SBCNY Harbor"to be employed in towing about the harbor." [59]
Corilla Bark 1856600——Johnson & Lowden"for the South American trade" [60]
John FarrowSteamship1856500"for a New York company" [60]
James A. StevensTugboat1856100Palmer & CraryNew York [60]
Tugboat1857100Peter CraryNew York [60]
Tugboat1857100Roy, Coffin & CoNew York? [60]
Steamer1857300"Captain Porter"New Orleans—Mobile [60]
General ConchaSteamer1857300BirkbecksSpanish Govt. Cuba [11]
General SerranoSteamer1857?300Spanish Govt.Cuba [11]
Schooner1858150——Spanish Govt.CubaFor dredging Matanzas harbor [61]
Schooner1858150——Spanish Govt.CubaFor dredging Matanzas harbor [61]
Schooner1858150——Spanish Govt.CubaFor dredging Matanzas harbor [61]
Screw tender 1859DelameterNew York Harbor"intended as a tender for the new fort at Sandy Hook" [62]
Tugboat1859Oatey, Squires & Co145 ft tug, probably for New York service [62]
Ferry185960Havana, Cuba [63]
De Soto Steamship18591675MorganLivingston, Crocheron & Co. NY – New Orleans USN gunboat, 1861-68. Destroyed by fire south of New Orleans, 1870
Bienville Steamship18601558MorganLivingston, Crocheron & Co.NY–New OrleansUSN gunboat 1861-65. Destroyed by fire at sea off Bahamas 1872, 41 killed
Thomas Freeborn Tugboat1860AllaireRichard M. SquiresNew York? [64] USN gunboat 1861–65. Her commander James H. Ward was first USN officer killed in Civil War. [26]
  • William Foulks
  • Venezuela
Steamer1859293Dallett & BlissSold to Venezuelan Navy, 1860 [65] [66]
Flambeau Propeller1861791EslerP. S. Forbes & CoChinaUSN gunboat 1861-65. Grounded, wrecked at New Inlet, N.C. 1867
Propeller1861453? Fletcher Hamilton & Smith Hudson River USN gunboat 1861-63. Captured by Confederacy 1863, renamed Stono, fate uncertain
Propeller1862160PollyCarey & Co. [67]
Propeller1862160PollyCarey & Co. [67]
Propeller1862160PollyBronder & Borlis [67]
  • D. S. Miller
  • Poughkeepsie
Propeller1862593FletcherHamilton & SmithHudson River [22] [68]
  • James F. Freeborn
  • USS Nansemond 63
  • USRC Nansemond65
  • USRC W. H. Crawford84?
Steamer1862380FletcherRichard M. Squires et alUSN gunboat, 1863–65, revenue cutter 1865-97. Sold 1897. [69] [70] [71]
John S. WilliamsPropeller1862170StantonB. U. CraryNew York Harbor [68]
Paquete de Maule Steamer1862400NoveltyG. K. Stevenson & Co Chile Gunboat during Chincha Islands War, captured and scuttled by Spain, 1866 [72]
Kiang-TszePropeller18631100EslerP. S. Forbes & CoChina [23]
Sze-ChuenPropeller18631090EslerP. S. Forbes & Co Yangtze R., China [24]
  • John L. Hasbrouck
  • Marlboro
Propeller1864710nHamilton & SmithHudson RiverBroken up, 1917 [22]
Chauncey Vibbard Steamboat18641158FletcherA. Van SantvoordHudson RiverRecord fast time NY-Albany 1864; lengthened, re-engined 1866; rebuilt 1880; broken up 1902 [27] [73]
Clara Clarita Steam yacht 1864231Novelty Leonard Jerome New YorkAll-time steamboat speed record on Penobscot Bay. Abandoned 1908 [74]
OriflammeSteamship18641204MorganU.S. Navy Civil War Built for Civil War service but sold on completion. Scrapped on or after 1878. [75]
General J. K. BarnesSteamship18641365MorganAtlantic Coast Mail SSCNY–New OrleansSunk by hurricane off Cape Hatteras, 1878 [76]
Herman LivingstonSteamship18641314MorganAtlantic Coast Mail SSCNY–New OrleansScrapped after 1878 [77]
AlbemarleSteamship1865871MorganAtlantic Coast Mail SSCNY–New OrleansBarge 1882; schooner 1883; sunk in squall 1885 [78]
HatterasSteamship1865868MorganAtlantic Coast Mail SSCNY–New OrleansSchooner barge, 1882 [79]
RaleighSteamship1865868MorganAtlantic Coast Mail SSCNY–New OrleansCaught fire and sank off Charleston, S.C. 1867, 24 killed [80]
RapidanSteamship1865868MorganAtlantic Coast Mail SSCNY–New OrleansDisappeared en route to West Indies, 1886 [81]
Sleepy HollowSteamboat1865SecorLower Hudson SBC [82]
ManhattanSteamship18651337MorganAmer. & Mexican Mail SSCSchooner barge, 1877; sunk 1882 [83]
Vera CruzSteamship18651340MorganAmer. & Mexican Mail SSCStruck and sank near Oregon Inlet, N.C. 1866 [84]
Steamboat1865360NY– Stamford, CT [85]
MaspethFerry1866New York"to be placed on the Grand and Houston street ferry" [86]
OregonianSteamship18662200 Allaire Oregon SNC West coast Scrapped on or after 1886 [34]
Isaac BellSteamship18681500AllaireOld Dominion SSC [87]
Sylvan GlenFerry1869350FletcherHarlem SBCNew YorkScrapped 1915 [88]
Screw yacht1869100"Mr. Cheeseborough" [35]
  • Americus
  • Myndert Starin
  • Newark
Steamboat1870600BurdonNorwalk LineNY-Greenwich, CT [89] [90]
James G. Bennett Pilot boat 1870New York [91] [lower-alpha 8]
Steamboat1871BurdonNew Bedford & Nantucket SBCNY– Nantucket [36]
Tugboat1871Reaney"to replace the Phenix" [92]
FarragutFerry1871Fulton FCNew York HarborIron hull by Continental Iron Works [36] [93]
FultonFerry1871Fulton FCNew York HarborIron hull by Continental Iron Works [36] [93]
HarlemSteamboat1871FletcherMorrisania SBC [94]
MorrisaniaFerry1871BurdonNew York [36]
Sylvan DellSteamboat1872440FletcherHarlem & New York NCNew YorkStruck and sank, 1919 [95]
MidlandFerry1872New Jersey Midland R. [96]
Day StarSteamboat1873BurdonAmerican SBCLong Island Sound [97] [98]
Amos C. BarstowSteamboat1873NY-Providence [99]
FidelityScrew launch1873Commissioners of Charities & CorrectionNew YorkSunk in collision, East River, 1879 [100] [101] [102]
Jane MoselySteamer1873Long Island RRCLong Island Sound [103]
Jennie StoutSchooner1873600——F. Alexander & SonNY-Savannah "largest three-masted schooner ever built" in New York. Sank in storm off Cape Hatteras 1875, 8 killed [43] [104]
JessamineSteamer1873Revenue Service [100] [101]
Governor AndrewSteamer1874503FletcherBoston & Hingham SBC Boston – Hingham [105] [106]
Steamboat1875City of BostonBoston Harbor"to convey prisoners to Deer Island" [11]
Steamboat1875St. John's GuildNew YorkFloating Hospital [11]
Crystal WaveSteamboat1875700HubbardAmerican SBCLong Island Sound [107]
FanwoodFerry18761300Fletcher New Jersey Central RR "Monster ferry" [108]
San RafaelSteamer1877692FletcherSan FranciscoShipped overland in sections to S.F. Collision off Alcatraz Island, 1901 [45] [109] [110]
SaucelitoSteamer1877692Fletcher San Francisco Shipped overland in sections to S.F. Destroyed by fire, 1884 [45] [109] [111]
Riverboat1879NY– Yonkers [112]
NorthamptonSteamship1880483Old Dominion SSCCaught fire and beached at Norfolk, VA 1898 [113]
Steam launch1881SullivanOld Dominion SSC [114]
AlbertinaSteamboat1882FletcherRed Bank Line [28] [114]
  • Kecoughtan
  • Luray
Steamboat1882FletcherOld Dominion SSC Norfolk – Newport News [lower-alpha 9]
  • F. P. James
  • Bronx02
Ferry1884445Broken up 1917 [113]
Jacob H. TremperSteamboat1885571 Albany – Newburgh Broken up 1929 [113] [117]
  • Haarlaem
  • Harlem22
Ferry1889382New York & East River FCNew York?Abandoned 1927 [113]
ClermontSteam yacht1892A. Van Santvoord [28]


Footnotes

  1. ↑ See the various individual entries in the ship table.
  2. ↑ The firm built a total of 144 ships according to The New York Times. [44] Subtracting the 122 ships reportedly built to 1875 [11] yields a total of 22 ships built between 1876 and 1901.
  3. 1 2 Name=name of ship. Where a ship had more than one name in its career, subsequent names are listed in order, followed by a two-digit figure representing the last two digits of the year the vessel was renamed where available.
  4. 1 2 Built = year of ship launch, where available, or else year of completion.
  5. 1 2 Ton. = tonnage of ship.
  6. 1 2 Engine = engine manufacturer. Manufacturers include: Allaire = Allaire Iron Works; Birbecks = Birbecks & Hodges; Burdon = Burdon Iron Works; Esler= Henry Esler & Co.; Fletcher = Fletcher, Harrison & Co.; Fulton = Fulton Iron Works; Hubbard = Hubbard & Allen; Morgan = Morgan Iron Works; Neafie = Neafie & Levy; Novelty = Novelty Iron Works; Polly = Frank Polly; Secor = Sam Secor & Co.; Stanton = Stanton & Mallory; Sullivan = Sullivan & Boyd.
  7. 1 2 Party which ordered the ship. Abbreviations in this column include: FC = Ferry Company; R/RR/RRC = Railroad Company; SBC = Steamboat Company; SNC = Steam Navigation Company; SSC = Steamship Company.
  8. ↑ The full name of this vessel was actually James Gordon Bennett, No. 6, but has been abbreviated in the table for reasons of space.
  9. ↑ The New York Times refers to the ship as Keroughtan (with an "r"), [115] almost certainly a misspelling of Kecoughtan which was an early name for Newport News, Virginia, the steamer's destination. Additionally, Kecoughtan's engine dimensions as reported in the Times match those of only one steamboat in the records of the manufacturer, W. & A. Fletcher Co., that of Luray, built in about 1882 for the Old Dominion SSC. [116] Evidently, Kecoughtan was renamed Luray by the company either prior to or shortly after the vessel entered service.

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The Continental Iron Works was an American shipbuilding and engineering company founded in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in 1861 by Thomas F. Rowland. It is best known for building a number of monitor warships for the United States Navy during the American Civil War, most notably the first of the type, USS Monitor. Monitor's successful neutralization of the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia in the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads—the world's first battle between ironclad warships—would come to heavily influence American naval strategy both during and after the war.

Isaac C. Smith was an American sail and steamboat captain, shipbuilder, sparmaker and entrepreneur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. & R. Poillon</span> American shipping company

C. & R. Poillon was a 19th-century shipyard company in Brooklyn, New York. The company employed over 300 workers, owned several shipyards, and launched 175 vessels. The company was one of the best known clipper ship firms and the last of the wooden hulled boat builders in New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward F. Williams (shipbuilder)</span> Early American shipbuilder

Edward Francis Williams, was a 19th-century shipbuilder. He apprenticed under his father Jabez Williams. Edward F. Williams built his own shipyard, building clipper ships and eleven Sandy Hook pilot boats, some of the finest boats in the fleet. He was the first president of the Greenpoint Savings Bank. Williams died in New Providence, New Jersey, in 1902.

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Ariel Patterson, was a 19th-century American shipbuilder. He apprenticed under shipbuilder Perrine, Patterson, and Stack in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Patterson had his own shipyard, building and designing for 40 years some of the finest steamships. The most notable were the steamer Ericsson, which had the first Hot air engine invented by John Ericsson and the three-masted side-wheel SS Yankee Blade, one of the first steamships to trade between to New York and San Francisco. In 1863, Patterson bought property at the foot of North Third Street, where he started a shipbuilding, dockage and a sawing and planing mill. He died in Brooklyn, New York in 1877.

J.B & J.D. Van Deusen was a 19th-century American shipbuilding company started by Joseph B. Van Deusen and James D. Van Deusen in 1865. The shipyard was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Some of the finest yachts, schooners and steamboats in the New York were designed and built by them. The last boat that was built at the shipyard was the schooner-yacht Mohawk in 1875, which was later renamed Eagre and transferred to the United States Navy in 1903.

William H. Brown was a 19th-century American shipbuilder. He was well known for building fast and seaworthy yachts, paddle steamers and steamboats. He was one of the first shipbuilders in the country and had his business for more than thirty years having built over 300 vessels. He built the yacht America, which was the first winner of the America's Cup; the paddle steamer SS Arctic; and the sidewheel steamer Pacific, as well as other fine ships.

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New York was an American passenger-cargo sidewheel steamboat built in 1836 for service on Long Island Sound. When new, she was the largest steamboat yet to operate on the route between New York and New Haven, Connecticut, and was one of the largest Sound steamboats of her day.

Erik Heyl (1887–1973) was an American maritime historian and illustrator. He is best known as the author of Early American Steamers, a six-volume work that incorporates illustrations, technical details and service histories of almost 800 steamboats and steamships built mainly in the United States between 1807 and 1870.

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The West Street Foundry was an American steam engineering works notable for producing marine steam engines in the mid-19th century. Based in Brooklyn, New York, the company built at least 27 marine engines between 1845 and 1855, including engines for some of the fastest and finest steamboats of the era. The company also built and repaired steam engines and boilers of all types, as well as doing other metalwork. The company failed and was liquidated in 1855.

<i>Daniel Webster</i> (steamboat) American ship built in 1853

Daniel Webster was an American steamboat built in 1853 for passenger service on the coast of Maine. When new, she was the largest and fastest steamer in Maine coastal service, and widely considered to be the finest.

References

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  2. 1 2 3 Silka, p. 20.
  3. ↑ "William Foulks", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1886-08-27, p. 4.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Ship Building in New York", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1852-09-06, p. 2.
  5. ↑ Sitka, p. 50.
  6. 1 2 "Williamsburgh Intelligence", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1854-06-28, p. 2.
  7. 1 2 "Shipyard Removed", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1871-04-24, p. 10.
  8. ↑ Heinrich, p. 21.
  9. ↑ "The Ship Yards", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1873-04-12, p. 4.
  10. ↑ "Law Reports", The New York Times, 1868-04-26.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Shipbuilding. An Account of the Principal Naval Architects of the Country", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1875-07-28, p. 2.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "American Ship Building", The New York Times, 1853-05-26.
  13. 1 2 3 No Title, The New York Times, 1853-07-06.
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  18. ↑ Heinrich, pp. 25-28.
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  25. ↑ Johnson, p. 23.
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  33. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, pp. 239, 437.
  34. 1 2 Heyl, Vol. 1, p. 323.
  35. 1 2 "Our Ship Yards", The New York Times, 1869-09-16.
  36. 1 2 3 4 5 "Boat Building in the E. D." Archived 2011-06-12 at the Wayback Machine , The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1871-04-03, p. 9.
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  38. ↑ Ridgely-Nevitt, pp. 348-349.
  39. ↑ Morrison 1903, p. 562.
  40. ↑ Morrison 1903, p. 363.
  41. ↑ Stanton, p. 211.
  42. ↑ Dayton, p. 429.
  43. 1 2 "Greenpoint Ship Building from a New York Standpoint", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1873-08-12, p. 3.
  44. 1 2 3 "Golden Wedding Celebration", The New York Times, 1901-10-02).
  45. 1 2 3 "Times On The West Coast", The New York Times, 1877-07-22.
  46. ↑ "In Dense Fog: Two San Francisco Ferries Crash Together", St. John Daily Sun, 1901-12-02, p. 1.
  47. ↑ "William Foulks' Serious Fall" Archived 2011-06-12 at the Wayback Machine , The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1886-08-24, p. 4.
  48. ↑ "Obituary Notes", The New York Times, 1886-08-27.
  49. ↑ "Herbert Lawrence", The New York Times, 1902-10-02.
  50. ↑ Morrison 1909. p. 162.
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  52. ↑ Dayton, p. 296.
  53. ↑ Swede, p. 110.
  54. 1 2 "Our Shipyards", The New York Times, 1853-08-13.
  55. ↑ "Ship Building". Semi-Weekly Courier And New-York Enquirer. 1853-11-09.
  56. 1 2 3 4 "Williamsburgh". New York Morning Courier. 1854-12-22.
  57. 1 2 Fairburn, Vol. 5, p. 2825.
  58. ↑ "Despatch to London - Douglas to Stanley, 7832, CO 305/9, p. 116" Archived 2011-07-06 at the Wayback Machine , Colonial Despatches website.
  59. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ship Building in New York—1855". Semi-Weekly Courier and New York Enquirer. 1855-11-28.
  60. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Griffiths, Oliver W. 1856-57, p. 384.
  61. 1 2 3 "The Ship Yards", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1858-01-27, p. 3.
  62. 1 2 "Brooklyn Items". New York Daily Tribune. P. 7. 1859-06-09.
  63. ↑ "Ship Building", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1859-10-08, p. 2.
  64. ↑ "Launch of a Steam Tug", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1860-11-19, p. 3.
  65. ↑ Swede, p. 160.
  66. ↑ American Neptune , Vol. 30, p. 277. While the source does not identify the builder, the ship's original name and build location indicate that the firm in question was Lawrence & Foulks.
  67. 1 2 3 "Ship Building in the Eastern District", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1862-07-19, p. 3.
  68. 1 2 "Our Shipyards: New Steamers for the Merchant Service", The New York Times, 1862-04-09.
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  70. ↑ "Nansemond". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships online edition. Naval History and Heritage Command website.
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  74. ↑ "Mr. Jerome's Yacht", Scientific American, New Series, Volume 11, Issue 7, p. 106, 1864-08-13.
  75. ↑ Peabody Essex Museum. Heyl (V1, p. 325) gives a history of this ship, but lists the builder as "Lawrence & Son", most likely a typographical error.
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  77. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, p. 207.
  78. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, p. 13.
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  84. ↑ Heyl, Vol. 1, p. 437.
  85. ↑ "Lawrence and Foulke", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1865-12-13, p. 2.
  86. ↑ "Two New Ferry Boats", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1866-08-09.
  87. ↑ "Launch", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1868-03-16, p. 3.
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  89. ↑ "Launch Of The Steamboat Americus", The New York Times, 1870-11-29.
  90. ↑ Dayton, pp. 431-433.
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  92. ↑ "Ship-Building Notes", The New York Times, 1871-05-15.
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  110. ↑ "Single Ship Report for "2115556"". miramarshipindex.org.nz(subscription required)
  111. ↑ "Single Ship Report for "2115586"". miramarshipindex.org.nz(subscription required)
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  115. ↑ "A New Old Dominion Steamer". The New York Times. P. 8. 1882-03-14.
  116. ↑ "W and A Fletcher and Co". shipsnostalgia.com.
  117. ↑ "Albany Times". Albany Times. 1885-02-11.

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