Herreshoff #189602ep [Unbuilt 65ft Torpedo Boat]
Particulars
Type: Navy Steam Torpedo Boat
Designed by: NGH
Not built, not assigned, cancelled, etc.: 1896-2
Construction: Wood
LOA: 65' (19.81m)
Beam: 10' 6" (3.20m)
Propulsion: Steam, Herreshoff
Built for: U.S. Navy
Note: Particulars are primarily but not exclusively from the HMCo Construction Record. Supplementary information not from the Construction Record appears elsewhere in this record with a complete citation.
Model
Model number: 101
Vessels from this model:
9 built, modeled by NGH
Original text on model:
"#148 OUR MARY 1888
#149 JERSEY LILY 1888
#188 SQUIB 1896 stern lengthened
#228 EXPRESS 1902 bow and stern changed
#231 ADRIENNE 1903 " "
#232 HELVETIA 2 1903 " " #248 " " [final name THANIA]
#264 SARAH WEBB " " [Note: Ditto marks indicate these vessels had "bow and stern changed"]
#268 CANVASBACK 1908" (Source: Original handwritten annotation on model. Undated.)
Model Description:
"65' loa Our Mary and Jersey Lily, steam passenger launches of 1888. Also, with stern lengthened, the 78' loa steam cabin launch Squib of 1896, and, with bow and stern changed, the 49'6" gasoline launches Express, Adrienne, Helvetia II, of 1902 & 1903, the 59'8" loa Toddy Wax of 1905, the 50' loa Sarah Webb of 1908, and the 59'11" Canvasback of 1908. Both Toddy Wax, renamed Thania, and Canvasback are in the Herreshoff Marine Museum's Hall of Boats." (Source: Bray, Maynard. 2004.)
Note: Vessels that appear in the records as not built, a cancelled contract, a study model, or as a model sailboat are listed but not counted in the list of vessels built from a model.
Documents
Nathanael G. Herreshoff
"Estimate on Vidette or Torpedo Boat 65ft long on moulds of #148 & #149. Wood construction light. Open forward, with hatches, open aft with watertight floor above w.l., machinery closed.
Preliminary estimation of w[ei]g[h]ts: ... 21000[lbs].
Using one 5 5/8 & 9 & 14 x 9 engine at 550 rev[olutions] and 225lbs steam [pressure] should develop about 165H.P. and give a speed of about 15k.
Using one proposed 6 1/4 & 10 & 16 x 9 engine at 565 rev[olutions] and 225lbs steam [pressure] should develop about 215H.P. and give a speed of about 16 1/3k.
Preliminary drawing made. Feb[ruary] 22 [18]96. ... [Dimensions, est. weights table, power requirements.]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Handwritten (in ink and pencil) notes in Design Book No. 3, p. 26. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. February 11, 1896 and February 22, 1896.)
Other Contemporary Text Source(s)
"London Times. Philadelphia May 7th [1896] --- Messrs. Herreshoff, the Rhode Island yacht builders, are sending a bid to the Spanish Government for the building of six torpedo-boats, of 18 to 21 knots speed, for use as patrol boats on the coast of Cuba. [Might this be a reference to #189602ep Unbuilt 65ft Torpedo Boat? The timing could be right, but note that NGH in his February 1896 notes estimated the speed of his 65ft torpedo boat as 15kn, 16 1/3kn or 17kn, but never as 18 to 21kn as reported in this article.]" (Source: Anon. [Title?] London American Register, May 11, 1895, p. 7.)
Archival Documents
"[Item Transcription:] Handwritten (in ink and pencil) design book. Untitled [this is Design Book No. 3]. Relevant contents:
§52: #189602ep Unbuilt 65ft Torpedo Boat Model 0101 Description, est. weights table, C.G.s, moments, power requirements. 'Estimate on Vidette or Torpedo Boat 65ft long on moulds of #148 & #149' (1896-02-11 and 1896-02-22)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Design Book No 3. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item DsBk3. Model Room, Folder [no #]. 1895-02 to 1899-11.)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150
151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168
"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections titled 'Preliminary for 65ft Torpedo launch [#189602ep]. Feb[ruary] 22, [18]96. Scale 3/4ft from model [Model 101] of #148 [OUR MARY] & 149 [#149p JERSEY LILY]'. With calculations arriving at a displacement of 288cuft = 18500lbs and other calculations arriving at a displacement 'to upper w.l.' of 20340lbs." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_06150. Folder [no #]. 1896-02-22.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #189602ep [Unbuilt 65ft Torpedo Boat] even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.
Further Reading
- Simpson, Richard V. Building the Mosquito Fleet: The U.S. Navy's First Torpedo Boats. Charleston, S.C., 2001.
Description of the first American torpedo boats, with strong emphasis on Herreshoff-built vessels. Unfortunately, numerous small factual inaccuracies.
Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné.
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