HMCo #1173s Diana

"... The first of the Herreshoff 12 1/2 footers or (Bull's Eye) to be launched this year was the Gremlin [#???s], which in the absence of its youthful skipper's sailing the seas to Europe, has been put into shape by father and mother Pardee, and we hope will be sailed by them.
Second overboard in this class was Mr. and Mrs. Robert Miller's Papoose [#1173s] which has been in storage for about seven years and thus will be an addition to this year's fleet. Other 12 1/2 launched to date are Raven [#???s], Van Tingley; Bevis [#???s], Tony Corey; Raggety Ann [#943s???], Virginia Haffenreffer; Remora [#1092s], Stanley Livington; Minx [#1376s], Halsey Herreshoff; and Rhode Island Red [#1476s], Mrs. Halsey DeWolf. Also the Bristol Yacht Club's 12 1/2 footer, Cock Robin [#???s], is overboard." (Source: Anon ("See Weed"). "Ship Shape 'n Bristol Fashion." Bristol Phoenix, July 1, 1949, p. 3.)

"PAPOOSE (EX-DIANA). 12 1/2 FOOTER CLASS.
During the 1930 construction of ENTERPRISE, designer W. Starling Burgess purchased this 12 1/2 Footer, DIANA. She was subsequently renamed PAPOOSE by Edward L. Leahy, Jr., who with guidance from N. G. Herreshoff and Sidney Herreshoff became the top skipper of Bristol racing. Teenager 'Brother Leahy' was one of the few Bristolians who regularly visited 85 year old 'Captain' Nat in his model room. After the tragic death of Lieutenant Leahy aboard a submarine in World War II, his sister, Ann Rulon-Miller donated PAPOOSE to the Herreshoff Marine Museum. At Herreshoff Rendezvous '87 Bristol teenagers Nathanael Pinheiro and Carter Skemp again raced PAPOOSE.
Donated by Mr. & Mrs. Robert Rulon-Miller in 1985.
LOA 15ft 6in. LWL 12ft 6in. B 6ft 0in. D 2ft 6in. #1173. 1930. [Acc. no.] 85.1173." (Source: Herreshoff Marine Museum. [Plaque on display at the museum.] Bristol, RI, no date [ca. 2005].)

"[Item Description:] Spreadsheet listing original contracts (from 1923 to 1940) by HMCo in the collection of HMM (apparently from the gift of Everett Pearson). Listed boats are: #380p, #381p, #388p, #389p, #391p, #392p, #393p, #395p, #886s, #933s, #934s, #954s, #955s, #962s, #983s, #999s, #1002s, #1017s, #1054s, #1055s, #1057s, #1074s, #1078s, #1122s, #1125s, #1130s, #1131s, #1147s, #1152s, #1153s, #1154s, #1156s, #1157s, #1164s, #1170s, #1173s, #1174s, #1175s, #1175s, #1176s, #1177s, #1179s, #1180s, #1191s, #1192s, #1193s, #1195s, #1196s, #1198s, #1199s, #1200s, #1201s, #1202s, #1203s, #1206s, #1207s, #1208s, #1209s, #1210s, #1211s, #1212s, #1213s, #1214s, #1215s, #1216s, #1217s, #1218s, #1219s, #1220s, #1222s, #1224s, #1236s, #1226s, #1227s, #1228s, #1230s, #1232s, #1234s, #1237s, #1238s, #1240s, #1241s, #1243s, #1244s, #1245s, #1246s, #1247s, #1248s, #1249s, #1250s, #1251s, #1252s, #1253s, #1254s, #1255s, #1256s, #1257s, #1258s, #1259s, #1260s, #1261s, #1262s, #1263s, #1264s, #1265s, #1274s, #1275s, #1277s, #1279s, #1280s, #1281s, #1282s, #1283s, #1284s, #1285s, #1286s, #1287s, #1302s, #1303s, #1315s, #1508s." (Source: Rickson, Norene (creator). Table. Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection Item LIB_4220. HMM Library Rare Books Room (HMCo Contracts), Folder [no #]. No date (2010s ?).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #1173s Diana even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Bray, Maynard. "Restoration of 12 1/2 Footers. Part I." Wooden Boat #56, January/February 1984, p. 93-101. (1,293 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text). Detailed Buzzards Bay 12 1/2 restoration step by step as performed by the Ballentine shop. Part I. Stem restoration, transom and frame replacement.
• Bray, Maynard. "Restoration of 12 1/2 Footers. Part II." Wooden Boat #57, March/April 1984, p. 93-100. (1,036 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text). Detailed Buzzards Bay 12 1/2 restoration step by step as performed by the Ballentine shop. Part II. Keel timber and coamings replacement.
• Bray, Maynard (with photos by Benjamin Mendlowitz). "12 1/2 Footers." Nautical Quarterly, no. 37, Spring 1987, p. 47. (608 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text), Benjamin Mendlowitz (photos). Short class portrait. Part of the larger article "Herreshoff Legacies."
• Nagy, Steve. "The Herreshoff 12 1/2 Footer. Evolution Of The Class." In: Herreshoff Marine Museum (publ.). Proceedings. The 6th Classic Yacht Symposium. May 2-3, 2014. Bristol, RI, 2014, p. 1-23. (4,425 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Steve Nagy / Herreshoff Marine Museum. Short class history of the 12 1/2 as built by HMCo, Quincy Adams, Cape Cod Shipbuilding and others. Different models: Gaff, marconi, wishboom, Fishers Island. Detailed description of changes in configuration and equipment as boats were built over time. Identification guide for 12 1/2s missing their builder's plate. Photos. Original promotional material.
• Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. [Contract for #1173s Diana, 12 1/2-footer.] Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection. Bristol, RI, September 11, 1930. (708 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Herreshoff Marine Museum. Original building/sales contract. Vessel description, scantlings, payment terms, delivery date.

Type: J & M
Length: 12'6"
Owner: Burgess, W. Starling

Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. "A Partial List of Herreshoff Clients." In: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Herreshoff Yachts. Bristol, Rhode Island, ca. 1931.

Name: No name
Type: 12 1/2-footer
Owner: W. Starling Burgess
Row No.: 1033

Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. "Partial List of Herreshoff-Built Boats." In: Herreshoff, L. Francis. Capt. Nat Herreshoff. The Wizard of Bristol. New York, 1953, p. 325-343.

Month: Sep
Day: 11
Year: 1930
E/P/S: S
No.: 1173
Name: Diana
OA: 15'
LW: 12.5
D: 2 1/2
Rig: J & M
K: y
Ballast: Lead
Amount: 1100.00
Notes Constr. Record: Leg-o-mutton. 1158 Class. Towed by O[??] Key9/11/30.
Last Name: Burgess
First Name: W. S.

Source: Vermilya, Peter and Maynard Bray. "Transcription of the HMCo. Construction Record." Unpublished database, ca. 2000.

Note: The transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Peter Vermilya and Maynard Bray was performed independently (and earlier) than that by Claas van der Linde. A comparison of the two transcriptions can be particularly useful in those many cases where the handwriting in the Construction Record is difficult to decipher.

Hull No.: 1173
Contract Date: 1930-09-11
Org. Name: Diana
Org. Owner: W. Starling Burgess
Org. Rig: Leg O' Mutton
Mast Partner: Hinged
Home Port: Bristol
Prior Owners: Edward Leahy - - - Papoose; Ann Rulan-Miller - ???? - 1985 - -
Current Name: Papoose
Current Owner: Herreshoff Marine Museum
Owner Since: 1985
Sheer-strake: Oak
Note: This boat is on exhibit at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. It was renamed Papoose by Edward Leahy, and was donated to the museum in 1985 by Leahy's sister, Ann Rulan-Miller.

Source: Nagy, Steve. "The Herreshoff 12 1/2 Footer Registry." Version 2.0. August 2007. (http://h12.orrsford.com/H12_Registry_Ver_2-0.pdf, last visit May 23, 2008.)

"Donated to the Herreshoff Marine Museum in 1985 by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rulon-Miller." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. May 2, 2008.)

"In July 1939 Papoose ex-Diana was raced by Ann Leahy of the Bristol Yacht Club as per a regatta report in the July 21, 1939 issue of the Providence Evening Journal." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. July 5, 2018."

"Dates of contract '11th day of September 1930' and delivery 'on or about September 11, 1930' from original contract in collection of Herreshoff Marine Museum. Note, that this meant that owner Starling Burgess took delivery of the boat on the date the contract was signed." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 15, 2015.)

"Built in 0 days (contract to delivered)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"Sail area approximately 140 square feet by rule." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Yachts by Herreshoff. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company: Designers and Builders of Sailing and Power Craft since 1861. Bristol, Rhode Island, 1937.)

Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.