Yankee (pilot boat)

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History
US flag 37 stars.svgUnited States
NameYankee
OwnerNew York Pilots
OperatorWilliam J. Murphy
BuilderHolbrook & Adams of Boston
In serviceSeptember 20, 1848
Out of serviceDecember 3, 1852
Strickenwreck
HomeportNew York
FateSank
General characteristics
Tonnage84-tons TM
Propulsionschooner sail
Sail plan Schooner-rigged

The Yankee was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat built by Holbrook & Adams of Boston in 1848. The schooner was sold to New York pilots and used to pilot vessels to and from the Port of New York. In 1852 the crew of the Yankee received silver medals from the Massachusetts Humane Society for rescuing the captain and mate of the schooner Reaper. The Yankee struck an old wreck and sank 35 miles east of Sandy Hook in 1852. The Ellwood Walter was built to replace her in 1853.

Contents

Construction and service

The 84-ton pilot boat Yankee was built in 1848 by Holbrook & Adams of Boston. She was put up for sale by Holbrook & Adams, 137 Commercial Street, Boston, on August 30, 1848. She left Boston on September 20, 1848 for the Battery in New York City. [1]

On November 12, 1848, in one of the first cruises, the Yankee No. 7, came across the wrecked schooner Justice in need of help. The steamship Washington and first officer Jas. P. Noyes came to the schooner's assistance and towed the her to Newport. Noyes reported that the Yankee did not provide assistance thinking that the schooner's request was not serious. [2]

Captain Clark of the ship James Wright, refused to take a pilot from the pilot boat Yankee, because none of the pilots had grey hair. He wanted an older pilot that had more experience. He even asked them to take off their hats to show their hair. A report of this act of injustice was reported to the editor of the New York Herald on March 28, 1851 by a pilot. [3]

On March 25, 1852, the pilot boat Yankee came across the schooner Reaper of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, that had capsized and sank in a heavy storm off Montauk, New York. The crew of five from the Reaper escaped in a yawl but as they came within twenty yards to the pilot boat the yawl capsized. Captain Isaiah C. Kelley and Frederick Cobb clung to the yawl and were picked up by the Yankee, but the other three men drowned. [4] The pilots on board the Yankee, John Curtis, John Leibby, William J. Murphy and William Champlin, received silver medals from the Massachusetts Humane Society, for rescuing the captain and mate of the schooner Reaper. The medals were presented by the New York Life-Saving Benevolent Association. [5]

End of service

On December 3, 1852, the pilot boat Yankee, No. 7, struck an old wreck and sank 35 miles east of Sandy Hook. The men on board escaped in two yawls. One of the yawls got separated in a violent storm and four men were lost. Those that were lost were pilots Henry Budd and John Curtis; crew members Henry Smith and Frederick West. The other yawl was picked up by the pilot boat E. K. Collins. [6] The names of the rescued men were pilots John McGee and Charles W. Harthorn; crew members Andrew Collier, William Gatenby and Thomas Dennis. [7] An attempt was made on December 16, 1852, to search for the sunken wreck. The steam tug Titan was chartered by the Board of Underwriters with pilot William J. Murphy conducting the search. He reported that the wreck was not found within a circle of seventy miles from Fire Island. [8] [9] [10]

The Ellwood Walter was built to replace the Yankee in 1853. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

Ellwood Walter, No. 7

The Ellwood Walter, No. 7 was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat built in 1853 by Edward F. Williams at Greenpoint, Brooklyn to replace the pilot boat Yankee, which was lost in December 1852. The schooner was used to pilot vessels to and from the Port of New York. She was replaced by the Edmund Driggs, No. 7, in 1864.

<i>Columbia</i> (pilot boat) Sandy Hook Pilot boat

The Columbia was a 19th-century pilot boat built C. & R. Poillon shipyard in 1879 for Sandy Hook and New York pilots that owned the Isaac Webb, which was lost off Quonochontaug Beach, Long Island in July 1879. She was run down by the Guion Line steamer SS Alaska in 1883. A second pilot-boat, also named Columbia, was built by Ambrose A. Martin at East Boston in 1894 that had a unique sppon bow and was extremely fast. She was thrown ashore in the great Portland Gale, and remained on the Sand Hills beach in Scituate, Massachusetts for over thirty years as a marine curiosity. The Louise No. 2 replaced the ill-fated Columbia.

<i>Phantom</i> (pilot boat) Sandy Hook Pilot boat

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<i>Washington</i> (pilot boat) Boston Pilot boat

The Washington was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat built in 1845 by C. & R. Poillon for New York Pilots. She was rebuilt several times, the last with the sail number "22" painted on her mainsail. In 1884, she was sunk by the German steamship Roma, and then replaced by a new Washington.

<i>Francis Perkins</i> (pilot boat) New York Pilot boat

The Francis Perkins, No. 13 was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat, built by Henry Steers in 1866 for a group of New York Pilots. She was considered one of the finest boats ever built. During a snow storm in 1887, the Perkins struck the steamship Aries and sank near the Barnegat shoals.

<i>Edward F. Williams</i> (pilot boat) New York Pilot boat

The Edward F. Williams was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat, built in 1863 at the Edward F. Williams shipyard in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for a group of New York Pilots. She survived the Great Blizzard of 1888. In the age of steam, the Williams was sold in 1896.

<i>James M. Waterbury</i> (pilot boat) New York Pilot boat

The James M. Waterbury was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat built in 1843, at Williamsburgh, Brooklyn for a group of New York Pilots. She helped on many of the rescues along the New York Harbor. One of last reports of the James M. Waterbury was in 1867 when seaman James Roach fell overboard and was drowned off Fire Island.

The Mary Ann, No. 13 was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat built for the New York pilots. She helped transport maritime pilots between inbound or outbound ships coming into the New York Harbor. In 1860, the Mary Ann, was one of only twenty-one pilot boats in the New York and New Jersey fleet. She went ashore outside Sandy Hook in 1863.

<i>Nettle</i> (pilot boat) New York Pilot boat

The Nettle was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat built in 1844 by S. Hall of East Boston, Massachusetts for the New York Pilots. She helped transport maritime pilots between inbound or outbound ships coming into the New York Harbor. In 1868, she found the wreck of the bark Henry Trowbridge, and towed her to Sandy Hook. The Nettle, sank in 1876 in the Pensacola Bay. The sunken wreck was removed in 1878 to improve the Pensacola harbor.

<i>Caprice</i> (pilot boat) Sandy Hook pilot boat built in 1871

The Caprice was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat built in 1871 by Brown & Lovell in East Boston, Massachusetts for Peter McEnany and other New York pilots. In 1876, she was run down and sank, off Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, by the steamship New Orleans. She was raised and was one of the pilot boats that survived the Great Blizzard of 1888. The Caprice was last reported sailing off the coast of New York in 1891.

<i>David Carll</i> (pilot boat) New York Pilot boat

The David Carll was a 19th-century pilot boat, built in 1885 at the David Carll shipyard in City Island, New York. She was named in honor of David Carll, a well-known City Island shipbuilder. The David Carll was considered to be among the fastest schooners in the fleet. She was built to replace the Mary E. Fish that was run down and sank by the schooner Frank Harrington in 1885. She was one of the pilot boats that survived the Great Blizzard of 1888. The David Carll was lost at sea in 1893.

<i>Hermann Oelrichs</i> (pilot boat) New York Pilot Boat

The Hermann Oelrichs was a 19th-century Sandy Hook Pilot boat, built in 1894 by Moses Adams at Essex, Massachusetts for a group of New York Pilots. She helped transport New York City maritime pilots between inbound or outbound ships coming into the New York Harbor. The Herman Oelrichs was said to be the fastest of the New York pilot fleet. She was built to replace the pilot boat Hope, that was wrecked in 1890.

Mary E. Fish Boston Pilot boat

The Mary E. Fish was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat, built at the Edward F. Williams shipyard of Greenpoint, Brooklyn in 1861 for Richard Brown and the New York Pilots. She was built to replace the Mary Taylor. The Fish was hit and sank by the schooner Frank Harrington in 1885 and replaced by the David Carll.

Charlotte Webb New York Pilot boat

Charlotte Webb was a 19th-century New York City pilot boat built in 1865 at the Webb & Bell shipyard to take the place of the James Funk, that was destroyed by the rebel Tallahassee during the Civil War. She survived the Great Blizzard of 1888, but was run down by the French steamship La Normandie in 1889. She was replaced by the pilot boat George H. Warren.

The Mary and Catherine was a 19th-century New York pilot boat built in 1848 by the Jacob Aaron Westervelt shipyard. She was hit and sunk by the steamship Haverton in 1885. The collision was the subject of a court case that went to the Supreme Court of the United States as Devere v. The Haverton. The Mary and Catherine was replaced by the pilot boat William H. Starbuck.

<i>Enchantress</i> (pilot boat) Sandy Hook Pilot boat

The Enchantress was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat built in 1851 by John Maginn who named her after one of the cast in the opera The Enchantress. She was launched from the Westervelt & McKay shipyard. The Enchantress was one of the oldest pilot-boats in the service. She was Cornelius Vanderbilt's favorite pilot boat. The Enchantress went down with all hands in the Great Blizzard of 1888. The pilot boat James Stafford was built to replace her.

The Blossom was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat built for the New York pilots around 1837. She helped transport maritime pilots between inbound or outbound ships coming into the New York Harbor. In 1839, she came across the Slave ship La Amistad. In 1840, there were only eight New York pilot boats, the Blossom being No. 5. Pilot Thomas Freeborn of the Blossom boarded the packet ship John Minturn and tried to guide the ship in bad weather. He was one of thirty-eight passengers that died near the Jersey Shore in 1846.

<i>Coquette</i> (pilot boat) Boston Pilot boat

The Coquette was a 19th-century yacht and pilot boat, built in 1845 by Louis Winde, at the Winde & Clinkard shipyard in Chelsea, Massachusetts for yachtsmen James A. Perkins. Her design was based on a model by shipbuilder Dennison J. Lawlor. The Coquette was a good example of an early American yacht with a clipper bow. As a yacht, she won the attention for outsailing the larger New York yacht Maria at the second New York Yacht Club regatta in 1846. Perkins sold the Coquette to the Boston Pilots' Association for pilot service in 1848. She continued as a pilot boat until 1867 when she was sold as a Blackbirder to be used on the African coast.

The E. K. Collins was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat built in the early 1840s. She was named for the American shipping magnate Edward Knight Collins. During a winter storm, the Collins ran ashore on the outer bar of Fire Island in 1856.

References

  1. "Pilot Boat For Sale, The Pilot Boat "Yankee"". New York Daily Herald. New York, New York. 21 Sep 1848. p. 3. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  2. "Marine Affairs". New York Daily Herald. New York, New York. 12 Nov 1848. p. 3. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  3. "To the Editor of the New York Herald". New York Daily Herald. New York, New York. 28 Mar 1851. p. 2. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  4. "Melancholy Shipwreck-Three Lives Lost". The New York Times. New York, New York. 29 Mar 1852. p. 2. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  5. "The Pilots Of The Pilot Boat Yankee". The New York Times. New York, New York. 1 Jul 1852. p. 1. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  6. "Loss Of The Pilot-Boat Yankee". Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express. Buffalo, New York. 9 Dec 1852. p. 2. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  7. "Loss of the Pilot Boat Yankee, No. 7". Poughkeepsie Journal. Poughkeepsie, New York. 11 Dec 1852. p. 3. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  8. "Search For The Sunken Wreck Upon Which The Pilot Boat Yankee, No. 7 Struck". The New York Times. New York, New York. 16 Dec 1852. p. 8. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  9. Allen, Edward L. (1922). Pilot Lore From sail to Steam. New York: The United New York and New Jersey Sandy Hook Pilots Benevolent Associations. p. XV.
  10. Russell, Charles Edward (1929). From Sandy Hook to 62°. New York: Century Co. p. 114. OCLC   3804485.
  11. "The Pilot-Boat Elwood Walter, No. 7". The New York Times. New York, New York. 16 May 1853. p. 3. Retrieved March 29, 2021.