She was named Enterprise in honor of the six commissioned warships of the United States Navy to have borne the name up to that time[8] (see List of ships of the United States Navy named Enterprise for details), but in particular, the third of these ships.[8] This had been a 12-gun schooner built in 1799 which saw action in the Quasi-War with France and in the First Barbary War against Tripolitania. Refitted as a brig in 1811, she fought in the War of 1812 where she captured the British brig HMS Boxer. For all these exploits, she had earned the nickname "Lucky Enterprise". Rear-Commodore Junius Morgan presented Aldrich with a model of this famous Enterprise, and the yacht sailed with this model prominently displayed in the captain's cabin.[9]
Design and development
When the New York Yacht Club accepted Sir Thomas Lipton's challenge for the America's cup, they decided to form two syndicates to build one yacht each for the defense of the cup, and also to welcome other syndicates who might want to offer a defender. The two NYYC syndicates were to be led by Vice-Commodore Winthrop Aldrich and Rear-Commodore Junius Morgan.[4]
The syndicate named Harold S. Vanderbilt as their captain and engaged Starling Burgess to design their yacht and Herreshoff Manufacturing Company to build it.[2]> Vanderbilt proposed that Burgess base his design on an enlarged version of the M-class sloopPrestige that Burgess had previously designed for Vanderbilt.[11] However, when Burgess presented two models of an 80-foot sloop design to the syndicate for consideration in August, neither of them resembled Prestige.[12] The syndicate members unanimously selected one of the two designs as the basis for their defender.[13]
The precise waterline length of the yacht was fixed after analysis of historical meteorological data to predict the likely wind conditions during the races, followed by experiments with a 15-foot (3-metre) 544-pound (247-kg) model hull at the Naval Model Basin, based on the selected design.[14] Using data from these tests, Burgess calculated the drag on the hull design as it was progressively scaled up at one-foot increments from 78 feet to 87 feet at the waterline (the J-class specification allowed for waterline lengths between 75 feet and 87 feet). By this method, he determined the minimum drag under predicted conditions would be generated with the hull scaled to a waterline length 80 feet.[14]
To maximise sail area, Enterprise's mast was designed to the maximum height allowable under the Racing Rules: 152 feet 6 inches (46.5 m).[15] Based on this mast height, a boom length of 66 feet 6 inches (20.3 m) was selected after consultation with George Ratsey, of sail-making firm Ratsey & Lapthorn.[16] Three masts were constructed for comparison: two wooden masts of different design from Nevins, and an innovative twelve-sided duralumin mast from aircraft builders Glenn L. Martin Company.[17] The duralumin mast was 600 pounds (272 kg) lighter than the lighter of the two wooden masts, and 1,000 pounds (454 kg) lighter than the heavier of them.[17]
Burgess suggested using 19-strand wire for Enterprise's rigging, to achieve a 33% saving in weight. This required the development of new fittings for the ends of the lines, because the wire could not be spliced. The result was a fitting called "Tru-loc", developed for this project by the American Cable Company.[18]
Sails, including four mainsails, were ordered from Ratsey & Lapthorn.[19]
Enterprise's winches came mostly from Resolute, the 1920 America's Cup defender, except for three that were still in use aboard her.[20] In turn, some of these winches had previously been used aboard Reliance, the 1903 defender. They were donated to the syndicate by its member Commodore Walter Clark,[21] who had purchased Reliance in 1925.[22] The three replacement winches were ordered from Herreshoff, who had also manufactured the winches for those two yachts.[23]
Her construction was of steel frames and deck beams, with wooden decks and a hull was built from very expensive Tobin bronze.[24][5] It is estimated that she cost $1 million to build[25] (nearly $18 million in 2022 dollars).
Enterprise was launched at 8 am on April 14, 1930, and christened by her sponsor, Harriet Aldrich.[3] Rhode Island Governor Norman S. Case attended the launch.[3]
Support vessels
The syndicate also obtained several support craft for Enterprise. These included:[26]
Vanderbilt's own motor-yacht Vara, for living quarters for the afterguard
Corona, which had been built as Colonia to unsuccessfully compete against Vigilant to become the America's Cup defender in 1893. She was refitted to serve as Enterprise's mothership, providing living quarters for her crew, and storage for her sails and rigging.
Mut, an old pilot boat fitted with a single-cylinder engine to act as a crew ferry
Bystander, a specially-built 42-foot, 175-hp motorboat to act as a tender and to tow Enterprise and Corona as needed. She was commissioned from Greenport Basin and Construction Company.
Crew
Under the Racing Rules, yachts were allowed a total crew of 31, including any afterguard. The afterguard comprised:[27]
Monsell was delegated to assemble the rest of his crew, some of whom had sailed on Resolute in 1920.[28] The crew was mustered in April 1930.[28]
Testing
Enterprise sailed for the first time on April 19, 1930, with her full crew and a number of guests.[29] From then until May 9, she was taken out almost daily, and on increasingly long and demanding sails.[30]
Beginning on May 10, Walter Clark had arranged for his yacht Resolute to race against Enterprise to better evaluate the new yacht's characteristics and provide training for her crew.[31] Before the first of these races, a Mrs Churchman of Philadelphia, a friend of Clark's, presented the crew of Enterprise with a hamsa that became the boat's mascot and was fixed to the side of the navigator's cockpit.[32] Three days later, Enterprise began to practice against Vanitie as well.[33]
These mock races were of particular significance because of a prevailing opinion that the sturdier and heavier build of Enterprise and other J-class boats would inevitably make them slower than the previous generation of yachts.[32] This opinion was soon disproved by Enterprise's performance in May as set out in the table below:[34]
Test races of Enterprise against Resolute and Vanitie, May 1930
Date
Distance (nautical miles)
Competitor
Winner
Enterprise's time
Competitor's time
May 10
25.8
Resolute
Enterprise
3:25:00
3:29:08
May 12
22
Resolute
Enterprise
2:39:45
2:49:00
May 13
9.6
Vanitie
Enterprise
2:31:00
2:33:26
May 16
32
Resolute
Enterprise
3:39:24
3:51:10
May 17
22
Resolute and Vanitie
Enterprise
2:29:40
2:37:02 (Resolute) 2:38:25 (Vanitie)
May 21
Resolute
abandoned due to weather
May 22
Resolute and Vanitie
abandoned due to weather
May 29
29.5
Resolute
Enterprise
4:10:10
4:37:20
All but the last of these mock races had taken place at Long Island Sound. On May 23, Enterprise had relocated to Newport, and the final race against Resolute was carried out there.[35] They had all been carried out with the heavier of Enterprise's wooden masts, and on June 2, her duralumin mast was fitted for the first time, and tested the next day.[36]
The Long Island Sound series
On June 9, Enterprise returned to Glen Cove for a series of races planned in Long Island Sound by the local clubs.[37]Resolute and Vanitie also competed, and were joined by the three other yachts built as contenders to defend the America's Cup: Weetamoe, Whirlwind, and Yankee.[37] During this series, Enterprise raced with her light wooden mast.[38]
A huge flotilla of spectator craft attended the first of these races, including some 200 small motorboats, and two large steamers chartered by the New York Yacht Club.[7] About a dozen Coast Guard motorboats were stationed to keep the course clear,[37] however wakes from some of the spectator boats caused a minor disruption to the race as the yachts crossed them.[39]
Of the series, Weetamoe won three out of four races, with the other going to Enterprise.[40]Yankee arrived too late to compete in any but the fourth and last race.[37]
The Long Island Sound series, June 1930
Event
Date
Distance (nautical miles)
Winner
Enterprise's time
Resolute's time
Vanitie's time
Weetamoe's time
Whirlwind's time
Yankee's time
Special New York Yacht Club race for J-class boats
A fifth race in the series had been proposed for June 18 off Stamford, but was abandoned due to lack of entries.[41]
Points from races towards the racing season were awarded on the basis of: 1 point for starting a race, plus 1 point for each boat defeated. Therefore, at the end of this series, the points collected were:[41]
Points won in the Long Island Sound series, June 1930
Boat
Points
Enterprise
18
Weetamoe
18
Whirlwind
10
Yankee
4
This series convinced Burgess, and later Vanderbilt, that Whirlwind and Yankee were not a serious threat to Enterprise due to their longer waterline lengths.[42]
The Eastern Yacht Club races
The following week, the J-class boats traveled to Newport for three races organized by the Eastern Yacht Club.[43] Once again, a large spectator fleet attended the first race, including a steamer that the sponsoring club had brought from Boston.
The first race proved eventful when Weetamoe failed to give way as required to Enterpriseleeward of her while they were maneuvering towards the start line (see Racing Rules of Sailing).[43] This caused the latter boat to stand off to avoid a collision and immediately signal a protest.[43] Although Weetamoe finished the race first, her skipper acknowledged the foul and withdrew, leaving Enterprise the winner.[44]
In the second race, while Enterprise led the other boats towards the second mark, her crew spotted a buoy with a red flag that appeared to them identical to the first mark they had already rounded.[45] Although about two miles from where they were expecting to find it, they believed this to be the second mark and turned.[45] The other five boats followed.[45] Only after the finish of the race were the crews informed by the Race Committee that they had all turned at the wrong point and that the second buoy had been a fishing trawl buoy.[45] However, since all competitors had made the same mistake, and acknowledging the similarity of the buoys, the committee decided to let the race stand.[45]
The points won by the contestants for America's Cup defender during these races were:[47]
Points won in the Eastern Yacht Club races, June 1930
Boat
Points
Enterprise
17
Weetamoe
9
Whirlwind
8
Yankee
13
As winner of the races, Enterprise was awarded the Commodore Charles P. Curtiss cup,[48] and a second prize was awarded to Yankee.[47]
Following the races, on July 26, Enterprise was nearly wrecked twice in one day while practicing near Jamestown: first when caught in an ebb tide that nearly carried her onto the Dumpling Rocks, then when a mechanical failure with her rigging nearly forced her aground in the Narrows.[49] In the former incident, a launch from cruiser USS Detroit nearby came to assist, but the danger had already passed.[50]
On July 2, Enterprise was fitted with her duralumin mast again.[51]
Observation
During the first two weeks of July 1930, the America's Cup Committee staged a series of observation races to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the four contenders to defend the cup. [52] The races were conducted by starting the yachts in pairs, with the second pair starting fifteen minutes after the first. The yachts to race in each pair were determined by lot.[52]
In all, ten of these races were staged between July 7 and July 17, although due to weather and mechanical failures, not every race could be completed.[53] A further two races had been scheduled for July 18 and 19 but were not conducted.[54]
The first four races proceeded without incident, with Weetamoe recording four wins, Enterprise two, and Whirlwind and Yankee one each.[55]
In the fifth race, on July 11, Enterprise and Weetamoe competed in the first division.[56] During the first leg of the race, Weetamoe's mainsail failed, forcing her to withdraw from the race.[56] The committee then signalled Enterprise to withdraw as well,[56] thereby granting Enterprise a technical victory.[57]
The sixth race, on July 12, was marred by very light winds. The start time was delayed by 2½ hours before there was even enough wind for the competitors to get underway,[58] and when Enterprise and Whirlwind started in the second division, the yachts of the first division were less than a mile ahead. By the time Enterprise rounded the second mark, she was ahead of not only Whirlwind, but the other two yachts as well.[59] The America's Cup rules of the time specified that if neither boat in a race had finished the course in 5½ hours, the race would be declared void.[60] Therefore, on this day, the first division race was voided for this reason: Weetamoe crossed the line only after 5 hours 44 minutes, leading Yankee, which was awarded a "did not finish".[59] In the second division, Enterprise completed the race with just over 1½ minutes left to spare, meaning that the race was still valid and earning Whirlwind a second place even though she took 6 hours 10 minutes to complete the course.[59]
Weather on the day of race seven, July 14, was quite the opposite: overcast and a 22-knot wind blowing.[61]Enterprise raced Weetamoe in the first division, both yachts with their mailsails reefed.[62]Enterprise's mainsail tore, forcing her to withdraw from the race, and giving Weetamoe a technical victory.[62] Something similar happened in the second division where both yachts were running under full sail: the headboard tore out of Whirlwind's mainsail, forcing her withdrawal and granting technical victory to Yankee.[62] No yacht actually completed the course that day.[62]
The wind died again on the day of race eight, July 15. Whirlwind and Yankee were taking lay days, so only Enterprise and Weetamoe raced.[63] Even so, the wind was so poor that the committee canceled the race after 1½ hours.[63]
Race 9, on July 16, proceeded without incident,[64] but for race 10, on July 17, Whirlwind was once again not available. The Cup Committee therefore decided to hold a three-way race for the other yachts.[65] Other than the participation of an extra competitor, this race was also without incident.[66]
The end results of the observations were that Enterprise, Weetamoe, and Yankee all finished roughly the same, points-wise (14, 13, and 13 respectively), while Whirlwind had won only a single race and finished with only 8 points.[68]Weetamoe won every race that she had finished.[68]
The points won by the contestants for America's Cup defender during these races were:[68]
Points won in the observation races, July 1930
Boat
Points
Enterprise
13
Weetamoe
14
Whirlwind
8
Yankee
13
New York Yacht Club annual cruise
From August 2–9, the 1930 annual cruise of the New York Yacht Club offered a final opportunity for the contenders for the defense of the America's Cup to compete with each other prior to the selection trials.
The first leg of the cruise, on August 2, was a 37½-mile race from New London to Newport. At the start of the race, Enterprise signalled a protest that Yankee had fouled her. Following the race, the Race Committee upheld the protest and disqualified Yankee, which had finished last in any case.[70]Weetamoe won this leg, defeating Enterprise by three minutes.[71]
The next leg was raced on August 4, a 31½-mile run from Newport to Mattapoisett.[71] This leg was won by Yankee, with Enterprise again in second place, this time by only 20 seconds.[72]Weetamoe lost about 30 minutes to recovering a man overboard.[72]
On August 5, a special race for the defender candidates was held in Buzzard's Bay on a 21-mile triangular course.[73] This time, Enterprise won, with all four yachts finishing within 5 minutes of each other.[74]
On August 6, participants in the cruise raced 37½ miles from Mattapoisett to Vineyard Haven.[75] Early in the race, Weetamoe fouled Whirlwind, which had to bear away to avoid a collision.[75]Weetamoe immediately withdrew from the race but continued to sail the course in order to reach the next port.[75]
The final port-to-port leg of the cruise was raced the next day, August 7, 37 miles from Vineyard Haven to Newport. Enterprise won this leg, but a few days after the race, a question of rules came up about her use of two spinnakers at one point during the race.[76] All four yachts had been running with spinnakers to starboard, but while maneuvering, Enterprise had raised her port spinnaker before dropping her starboard spinnaker.[77] When asked for a ruling, the Race Committee interpreted the Racing Rules to mean that a yacht could only sail with one spinnaker at a time.[76] On the basis of this determination, Enterprise's crew withdrew her from the race, which then went to Weetamoe.[76]
On August 8, the four contender yachts all participated in the Astor Cup, a 15-mile windward and leeward course.[78] Confusion arose as the yachts approached the finish because they had been instructed to finish with the Newport lightship to starboard, but also to finish between the lightship and the committee boat.[79] However, due to a mechanical falure, the committee boat was anchored in the wrong position, and finishing between it and the lightship would mean finishing with the lightship to port.[79]Weetamoe, in the lead, did just this, but the crew of Enterprise reasoned that the only way to satisfy the course instructions was to round the lightship and cross the finish line from the other direction, which they did and signalled a protest.[79] The Race Committee upheld the protest, and disqualified Weetamoe for not finishing the course, giving the race to Enterprise.[79]
The final race of the cruise was sailed on August 9, the City of Newport Cup. Again, confusion arose, this time because two other races were being held on the same day, and visibility on the course was not good.[80]Whirlwind completely missed one of the marks and continued sailing past it, and Enterprise turned at a buoy that had been set for a different race and lost considerable time getting back on course.[81] The race went to Weetamoe.[82]
The New York Yacht Club annual cruise, August 1930
Date
Event
Distance (nautical miles)
Winner
Enterprise's time
Weetamoe's time
Whirlwind's time
Yankee's time
August 2
New London–Newport
37.5
Weetamoe
4:05:50
4:02:45
4:15:31
dq
August 4
Newport–Mattapoisett
31.5
Yankee
2:42:02
3:11:10
2:42:14
2:41:42
August 5
Buzzard's Bay
21
Enterprise
2:27:33
2:30:08
2:32:50
2:30:26
August 6
Mattapoisett–Vineyard Haven
37.5
Enterprise
5:52:46
dnf (withdrew)
6:05:38
5:59:48
August 7
Vineyard Haven–Newport
37
Weetamoe
dnf (withdrew)
4:44:44
4:50:48
4:52:44
August 8
Astor Cup
15
Enterprise
3:28:10
dnf
3:36:44
dnf
August 9
City of Newport Cup
15
Weetamoe
4:46:57
4:37:42
4:49:36
5:03:03
dnf=did not finish dq=disqualified
The points won by the contestants for America's Cup defender during these races were:[84]
Points won in the New York Yacht Club annual cruise, August 1930
Boat
Points
Enterprise
21
Weetamoe
16
Whirlwind
15
Yankee
12
"Park Avenue" boom and new rudder
One further refinement to Enterprise came in an innovative boom design by Burgess.[85] The optimum profile for a sail is curved, like an airfoil,[85] but in the Marconi rigs of the day, the foot of the mainsail was fixed all along its length to the rigid, straight boom.[85] As a result, the lowest third of the sail — and the part with the greatest surface area — was flattened and therefore not used to its greatest advantage.[85]
Burgess' solution was to commission a very wide boom, 4 feet (1.2 metres) across, tapered at both ends and triangular in cross section.[85] The boom was mounted with a flat side upwards, and this surface had transverse metal tracks laid into it, crossing the boom at 18-inch (46-cm) intervals along its length.[86] Instead of the foot of the mainsail being fastened directly to the boom as in the past, it was attached to slides that were free to move along the tracks from one side of the boom to the other.[86] This mechanism allowed the mainsail to be shaped to maximise its efficiency, and pegs could be inserted into the surface of the boom to constrain the foot of the sail in a particular shape.[86] The crew painted color-coded lines along the boom to indicate the correct peg placement for three different degrees of curvature.[87] The width of the boom earned it the nickname the "Park Avenue boom".[86]
The new boom was fitted on August 10, and tests began the same day.[86] By August 13, the crew was satisfied that Enterprise sailed faster with the new boom,[88] even though it was substantially heavier than a conventional boom (365 lbs, 166 kg; 16% heavier).[86] This impression had been confirmed by scheduled tests against Resolute, and a chance encounter with Yankee while practising.[88]
The final major modification to Enterprise came on August 14, with the fitting of a new rudder with a smoother surface and a substantially smaller area.[89] The smaller rudder reduced Enterprise's wetted area by 1% and therefore reduced drag.[89] The disadvantage was a change in the yacht's handling immediately before the selection trials.[90]
Trials
Formal trials between the four contenders commenced on August 20, "to continue until the Cup Committee had selected a Defender for the America's Cup".[91] The contenders were to race in pairs, the second division starting 15 minutes after the first division, as in the observation races.[92]
The first race was to be a 30-mile leeward-and-windward course.[92]. In the first division, Enterprise and Weetamoe raced neck-and-neck throughout the race[93] and finished only 31 seconds apart, with Enterprise the winner.[94]Yankee won the second division after Whirlwind became disabled.[94]
The second race, the next day, was a 30-mile triangular course, with the yachts in the same divisions as in the first race.[95] The wind was strong and Weetamoe sailed with her mainsail reefed.[96] A mechanical failure aboard Enterprise nearly forced her to withdraw, but Burgess was aboard and was able to devise a jury-rigged repair to keep her in the race.[97] Even so, Enterprise won her division, and in doing so, also the all-time record for the 30-mile course that had been set by Columbia in 1901.[98]Enterprise's record stood for about 13 minutes before being broken again by Yankee winning the second division.[98]
Trial races on August 25 and 26 were both abandoned when the contenders lay becalmed at the start line for hours.[99]
A final trial race was attempted on August 27, with Weetamoe racing Whirlwind in division 1 and Enterprise racing Whirlwind in division 2 on a 30-mile leeward-and-return course.[100] However, during the race, the wind died and with no hope of the yachts completing the course within the 5½-hour time limit, the Race Committee called off the race.[101]
That same evening, the America's Cup Committee informed the afterguard of Enterprise that their yacht had been selected to defend the cup.[102]
The points won by the contestants for America's Cup defender during these races were:[104]
Points won in the America's Cup trial races, August 1930
Boat
Points
Enterprise
4
Weetamoe
2
Whirlwind
1
Yankee
4
The races for the America's Cup
The first race between Shamrock V and Enterprise took place on September 13,[105] a 15-mile leeward-and-windward course.[106] The start was postponed by an hour due to lack of wind.[105] The race was uneventful,[106] other than the Coast Guard having to move some sightseeing steamers so as not to cut the wind for the race.[107]Enterprise won by almost three minutes.[106]
The second race, on September 15, was a triangular course, 10 miles to each leg.[108] This proved to be an even more decisive victory for Enterprise, of nearly 10 minutes.[108]
The third race, on September 17, 15 miles windward and return,[109] was the most eventful of the series.[110] The way in which Shamrock V maneuvered at the start of the race raised several questions under the Racing Rules.[111] However, trusting that Enterprise was the faster yacht anyway under the prevailing conditions, her crew chose simply to remain clear of Shamrock V and not risk a protest.[112] The point became academic anyway, when 44 minutes into the race, Shamrock V's main halyard broke, causing her mainsail to collapse and forcing her to withdraw from the race.[113]Enterprise went on to complete the course and secure a victory.[113]
The fourth race, on September 18, was again a triangular course, 10 miles to each leg.[6]Enterprise established an early lead of nine minutes on the first leg.[114] Although Shamrock V was able to close that lead to only five minutes by the end of the race,[6] she still finished around half a mile behind Enterprise.[115] Having won four races, Enterprise had successfully defended the America's Cup.[6]
Shortly after the America's Cup competition, Enterprise was dry docked, never to sail again.[25][5]
By 1931, she was standing at the Herreshoff yard with her mast removed and bow projecting over the fence and sidewalk.[117] A placard had been affixed to her bow, carrying the words "Enterprise, Successful Defender of The America's Cup, 1930".[117]
"Resolute". America's Cup. Archived from the original on 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2010-12-07. ... Resolute was sold to E. Walter Clark a Philadelphia banker and director of a railroad company and NYYC member.
Dear, Ian (2004). Enterprise to Endeavour: the J-Class Yachts. London: Adlard Coles Nautical.
Garland, Joseph E. (1989). The Eastern Yacht Club: A History from 1870 to 1985. Marblehead, MA: The Eastern Yacht Club.
"The Yachts: Enterprise". The National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum. Coatesville, PA: The National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum. n.d. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
Vanderbilt, Harold Stirling (1931). Enterprise: The Story of the Defense of the America's Cup in 1930. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
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