Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion. This week we continue our series of Sail Freighters involved with the Great Grain Races, with likely the most famous of them all: The 4 masted Barque Herzogin Cecilie. Built in 1902 at Bremerhaven, Germany, and was named for the German Crown Princess. She was initially employed in the Nitrates trade between Chile and Europe for making fertilizer and explosives, as did the Parma, Passat, and Pamir. After spending the First World War interned in Chile, she was granted to France as war reparations, then quickly purchased by Gustaf Erikson of Finland. Erikson continued to employ Herzogin Cecilie for 16 years, in the Australian Grain Trade. Her speed and unique while paint made her stand out, and she became quite famous worldwide. Alan Villiers, a major figure in the end of the windjammer era and the preservation of sailing skills in the 20th century, was aboard for one of these grain runs, which inspired his book "To Falmouth For Orders." He would later purchase and sail the Parma in the 1933 Grain Race, one of the few Herzogin Cecilie didn't win in her era of competition. Herzogin Cecilie was a fast ship, one of the fastest of the windjammers. At one point in her career she booked over 20 knots. She even beat the record of the Famous tea clipper Cutty Sark, while carrying 5000 tons of grain to the Cutty Sark's empty holds. This turn of speed let the Herzogin Cecilie win 8 of the 11 Great Grain Races she participated in. In 1936, under the command of a less experienced captain (after her previous skipper retired), she won the grain race in a mere 86 days, the second-fastest ever. A few days later, she departed Falmouth for Ipswich to deliver the cargo to its final destination, but she ran aground in a fog on the coast of Devon, UK. Despite a protracted rescue effort which involved hauling her ashore, a storm battered her on the beach and she capsized, then sank, rendering her unrecoverable. Thus ended the career of one of the most famous of the 20th century Windjammers. Most of the vessel's fittings were salvaged, and the Captain's Saloon is now reassembled as part of the Mariehamn Aland Islands Maritime Museum, Finland. She is also remembered in folk songs. The Herzogin Cecilie was a very remarkable sail freighter, and a classic piece of the end of working sail in the Atlantic. While she is gone, her model is one to follow, and even with modern technology and knowledge, might be hard to beat. AuthorSteven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
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Editor’s Note: The following text is a verbatim transcription of an article featuring stories by Captain William O. Benson (1911-1986). Beginning in 1971, Benson, a retired tugboat captain, reminisced about his 40 years on the Hudson River in a regular column for the Kingston (NY) Freeman’s Sunday Tempo magazine. Captain Benson's articles were compiled and transcribed by HRMM volunteer Carl Mayer. See more of Captain Benson’s articles here. This article was originally published May 21, 1972. On Saturday, May 19, 1928, in the early afternoon of a beautiful spring day, a collision occurred off Rondout Lighthouse between the ferryboat “Transport” and the steamer “Benjamin B. Odell” of the Central Hudson Line. At the time, I was deckhand on the steamer “Albany” of the Hudson River Day Line, helping to get her ready for the new season after her winter lay up at the Sunflower Dock at Sleightsburgh. On Saturdays, we knocked off work at 11:30 a.m. As I rowed up the creek in my rowboat to go home, the big “Odell” was still at her dock at the foot of Hasbrouck Avenue at Rondout. At 12:25 p.m. the “Odell” blew the customary three long melodious blasts on her big whistle, high on her stack, as the signal she was ready to depart. At home, eating lunch, I heard her blow one short blast promptly at 12:30 p.m. as the signal to cast off her stern line. From the Porch Following a habit of mine from a young boy, I went out on our front porch to watch her glide down the creek at a very slow pace past the Cornell shops, Donovan’s and Feeney’s boat yards, and the freshly painter [sic] “Albany.” The “Odell” looked to me like a great white bird slowly passing down the creek. At the time, I thought how in less than two weeks we would probably pass her on the “Albany” on the lower Hudson on Decoration Day, both steamers loaded with happy excursionists on the first big holiday of the new season. As the “Odell” passed Gill’s dock at Ponckhockie, I went back in the house to finish lunch. A few minutes later I heard the “Odell” blow one blast on her whistle, which was answered by the “Transport” on her way over to Rhinecliff, indicating a port to port passing. Hearing steam whistles so often in the long ago day along Rondout Creek was something one took for granted, assuming they would be heard forever. Then I heard the danger signal on the whistle of the “Transport” followed by three short blasts from the “Odell’s” whistle, indicating her engine was going full speed astern. Shortly thereafter, I could hear the “Transport” blowing the five whistle signal of the Cornell Steamboat Company of 2 short, 2 short, 1 short, meaning we need help immediately. I ran down to my rowboat tied up at the old Baisden shipyard, and looked down the creek. I could see the “Transport” limping in the creek very slowly, her bow down in the water, and her whistle blowing continuously for help. I also noticed several automobiles on her deck. Looking over the old D. & H. canal boats that were deteriorating on the Sleightsburgh flats, I could see the top of the “Odell” stopped out in the river. After a few minutes, she slowly got underway and proceeded on down the river, her big black stack belching smoke, so I figured she was not hurt. Decision to Beach As the “Transport” approached the Cornell coal pocket, her captain, Rol Saulpaugh, decided to beach her on the Sleightsburgh shore. Nelson Sleight, a member of her crew, asked me to run a line over to the dock a the shipyard in the event she started to slide off the bank. I took the line and ran it from where the “Transport” grounded to the dock. In the meantime, the Cornell tugboat “Rob” came down the creek, from where she had been lying at the rear of the Cornell office at the foot of Broadway, and pushed the ferry a little higher on the bank. After taking the line ashore, I went back and asked if there was anything else I could do. Captain Saulpaugh asked me if I would row up to the ferry slip and get Joseph Butler, the ferry superintendent, and bring him over to the “Transport,” which I did. On the way over, Butler told me he had already called the Poughkeepsie and Highland Ferry Company to see if he could get one of its ferries to run in the “Transport’s” place. The afternoon about 5 p.m., the Poughkeepsie ferryboat “Brinckerhoff” arrived in the creek and began running on the Rhinecliff route. When we got back to the “Transport,” mattresses and blankets had been stuffed in the hole the “Odell” had slicked in the over-hanging guard and part of the hull. When she was patched, the “Transport,” with the “Rob’s” help, backed off the mud and entered the Roundout slip stern first - and the cars on deck were backed off. Then, the “Rob” assisted the ferry to make her way up to the C. Hiltebrandt shipyard at Connelley for repairs. There she was placed in drydock, the damage repaired, and in a week she was back in service on her old run. A Flood Tide The cause of the mishap at the mouth of the creek was a combination of a strong flood tide, a south wind and a large tow. Out in the river, the big tugboat “Osceola” of the Cornell Steamboat Company was headed down river with a large tow. She had just come down the East Kingston channel and at that moment was directly off the Rondout Lighthouse. When there is a strong flood tide, there is a very strong eddy at the mouth of the creek. The tide, helped by a south wind, sets up strong and when it hits the south dike, it forms a half moon about 75-100 feet out from the south dike and then starts to set down. As the “Odell” was leaving the creek and entering the river, the “Transport” was passing ahead of the tow, around the bow of the “Osceola.” The “Transport” probably hit the eddy caused by the flood tide. In any event, she didn’t answer her right rudder and took a dive right into the path of the “Odell.” The “Odell” couldn’t stop in time and cut into the forward end of the ferry about 6 or 8 feet. No one was hurt and there was no confusion on either boat. The “transport” bore the brunt of the bout; the only damage to the “Odell” being some scratched paint on her bow. I heard later from the Dan McDonald, pilot on the “Osceola,” that there would be the lawsuit as a result of the collision - and he had been served with a subpoena to appear as a witness. He never had to appear, however, as Captain Greenwood of the “Odell” later told me the case was settled out of court. The next year the Central Hudson Line, because of the inroads made by the automobile, went out of business. The “Benjamin B. Odell”, however, continued to run on the river for another company until February 1937 when she was destroyed by fire in winter lay up at Marlboro. The “Transport” continued running on the Rhinecliff ferry route until September 1938 when she was withdrawn from service. She was later cut down and made into a stake boat for the Cornell Steamship Company for use in New York harbor. AuthorCaptain William Odell Benson was a life-long resident of Sleightsburgh, N.Y., where he was born on March 17, 1911, the son of the late Albert and Ida Olson Benson. He served as captain of Callanan Company tugs including Peter Callanan, and Callanan No. 1 and was an early member of the Hudson River Maritime Museum. He retained, and shared, lifelong memories of incidents and anecdotes along the Hudson River. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
The Schooner Wyoming was one of the largest wooden sailing vessels ever constructed. Built in Bath, Maine in 1909 as a collier ship, she was designed as a state-of-the-art sail freighter. Using a donkey generator and automated systems and winches for raising and lowering sails, and a telephone system for onboard communication, she was 450 feet long, but crewed by just 14 men. Like many of the 20th century sail freight vessels, the Wyoming was a support ship for steamboats. Colliers carried coal to coaling stations around the world, allowing steamships to refuel and travel long distances. Because sailing vessels didn't use any of the coal they carried, they were ideal for transporting fuel efficiently around the world. But in order to stay competitive with steam vessels, sailing vessels had to be efficient in crew costs as well, which is why the Wyoming had such a small crew. Sadly, this enormous sail freighter met with a tragic fate. To learn more about her disappearance in 1924, check out the short documentary film below. If you'd like to learn more about the Wyoming, visit the Maine Maritime Museum, which includes the site of the Percy & Small Shipyard, and a memorial to the Wyoming. If you'd like to learn more about sail freight, be sure to visit our upcoming exhibit, "A New Age of Sail: The History and Future of Sail Freight on the Hudson River," opening Sunday, May 29, 2022. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion. In sticking with the major ships of the Great Grain Races while the Northeast Grain Race is going on, this week we're featuring the Passat, another of the Flying P-Liners of the Laeisz line from Hamburg, Germany. A Four-Masted, Steel-Hulled Barque, Passat was launched in 1911, and worked in the Nitrates trade like so many of the early 20th century windjammers, bringing Guano from Chile to Europe for making fertilizer and explosives. Like many of the other P-Liners, she was interned in Chile through the First World War, and granted to France as War Reparations in 1920. She was re-purchased by the Laeisz Line in 1921, and returned to the nitrates trade. In 1932 she was sold to Gustaf Erikson of Finland, who put her on the Australian Grain Trade, and she racked up an impressive 4 victories in the Grain Races. Her fastest run was in 94 days, an average of nearly 160 nautical miles per day, or 6.65 knots. Eventually, Passat and Pamir were the only two windjammers left on the Australia Run, and they raced each other for the last time in 1949, with Passat taking home the final victory of the Grain Races. After the 1949 race, regulatory changes made her operation economically impossible, when the 2-watch system was barred in favor of the 3-watch system used on motor vessels. The 3-watch system required more crew, which meant too much operating expense, and she was sold to be broken up in 1951. Passat had an eventful and long career, rounding Cape Horn 39 times in her 38 years. When you account for the 6 years she sat in Chile during the First World War, and sitting out 6 years of the Second World War, she rounded the horn more than once per year! Luckily, she was purchased and saved for use as a sail training vessel in the 1950s, and now serves as a youth hostel and museum ship in Lubbock, Germany. AuthorSteven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Editor's Note: The following text is a verbatim transcription of an article written by George W. Murdock, for the Kingston (NY) Daily Freeman newspaper in the 1930s. Murdock, a veteran marine engineer, wrote a regular column. Articles transcribed by HRMM volunteer Adam Kaplan. For more of Murdock's articles, see the "Steamboat Biographies" category. The First Steamboat "North America" The first “North America” made her appearance on the Hudson river in the days when steamboats were scarce and not very practical, and after a little more than 10 years of service, she encountered the heavy ice- the nemesis of many steamboats- and had her career abruptly ended on the bottom of the river. The wooden hull of the “North America” was built by William Capes at New York in 1827, and her engine was constructed by John Stevens at Hoboken, N.J. Her hull was 218 feet long, her beam measured 30 feet across, and her hold was only eight feet deep. She had two vertical beam engines with cylinders having a diameter of four inches with a nine foot stroke. Robert L. Stevens was the owner of the “North America,” and she was built for service between New York and Albany at a time when river transportation was entering upon an era of prosperity which brought forth many of the now famous steamboats and recorded in history glorious tales of the Hudson river. The “North America” had a pair of beam engines and, as she was a rather light vessel, her owner had a hog frame on a truss placed in her to stiffen the hull. This was a departure from the methods of steamboat construction of that period and as a result the water lines of the “North America” were rather “hard” and she had what was termed a “spoon bow.” These engines of the “North America” made 24 revolutions per minute and her history indicates that the vessel was not noted for speed- her best time recorded from New York to Albany being 10 hours and 30 minutes. When loaded with freight the “North America” drew six feet of water and burned from 25 to 30 cords of wood on the 155 mile trip between New York and Albany. Robert L. Stevens ran the “North America” for several years and finally sold her to Isaac Newton and others who ran her in line with the “DeWitt Clinton.” In the fall of 1839, while on one of her regular trips from New York to Albany, the “North America” ran afoul of a field of heavy ice a short distance below Albany. She was unable to cope with the pressure of the ice which eventually cut through her planking, causing her to sink into the waters of the Hudson river and thus brought her career to an abrupt end. The second steamboat "North America" The 230 foot “North America” appeared in 1839, built by Devine Burtis at Brooklyn. Her vertical beam engine had a 48 inch cylinder and 11 foot stroke and she had two Milliken Patent boilers. The new steamboat was built for Isaac Newton and other parties for the People’s Line of Albany, and was the second boat called the “North America” which was built for this line plying between Albany and New York. The “North America” was in service only a short time when she had a new and larger consort, the “South America.” Together, these vessels brought fame to the Hudson river as they plied between the two cities, setting a fine style for the construction of steamboats. They eclipsed all their predecessors both in speed and style, and the “North America” was the first steamboat to use blowers for artificial blast, in the furnaces of boilers, by an independent engine. The “North America” ran on the Albany route until the year 1850 or 1851, when she was retired from the People’s Line and then used as a consort to the “South America” and the “Hero” on the New York-Hudson night line. She was finally purchased by Captain Jacob H. Tremper, of the Rondout firm of Romer & Tremper night line, and was placed in service between Rondout and New York in line with the steamboat “Manhattan” until the fall of 1860, when she was replaced by the new “James W. Baldwin.” The vessel was then sold to J. W. Hancox and D.D. Chamberlain, and was chartered out in 1862 and 1863 at $325 and $400 per day. Finally, on July 9, 1863, she was sold to the federal government for $55,000. The “North America” was sunk at Algiers, Louisiana, opposite New Orleans, on October 8, 1863- and later was raised and taken to New Orleans, where she was broken up. AuthorGeorge W. Murdock, (b. 1853-d. 1940) was a veteran marine engineer who served on the steamboats "Utica", "Sunnyside", "City of Troy", and "Mary Powell". He also helped dismantle engines in scrapped steamboats in the winter months and later in his career worked as an engineer at the brickyards in Port Ewen. In 1883 he moved to Brooklyn, NY and operated several private yachts. He ended his career working in power houses in the outer boroughs of New York City. His mother Catherine Murdock was the keeper of the Rondout Lighthouse for 50 years. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
As we approach the opening of our new exhibit, "A New Age of Sail: The History and Future of Sail Freight on the Hudson River," we thought we'd introduce this classic folk song about a collier named Nightingale by Stan Rogers. In it, a brave captain sacrifices himself to save his crew. Rogers was a Canadian folk singer who wrote "The Flowers of Bermuda" in 1978, apparently based on a true story. He wrote of the song, "I took my first trip to Bermuda in May, 1978 and loved it. While I was there, I discovered that the whole area around Bermuda is a kind of ship graveyard. I found a map showing the location of most of the known wrecks and discovered that a coal carrier called the Nightingale sank off the North Rock in the early 1880s. The rest of the details are pure invention, except for the fact that Bermuda is lovely." There was in fact a collier named Nightingale, although she foundered in the North Atlantic in the 1890s, not Bermuda in the 1880s. However, North Rock Reef in Bermuda was home to several shipwrecks, and you can still dive some today. Stephen Winick of Sing Out! magazine looked further into the history of Rogers' song and ship, and may have found the real vessel that inspired the song. Colliers were important cargo sailing vessels throughout the 19th and 20th centuries as they were able to ship coal without using any of it to fuel themselves. Bermuda was an important coaling station for the British Royal Navy's steamships and so the semi-fictional Nightingale would have been bringing coal from England or the United States to resupply the coaling station at Bermuda. Early steamships could not carry enough coal to go long distances without refueling, so stations like Bermuda were crucial to Naval operations. The Flowers Of Bermuda by Stan Rogers He was the captain of the Nightingale Twenty-One days from clyde in coal. He could smell the flowers of Bermuda in the gale, When he died on the North Rock Shoal. Just five short hours from Bermuda, in a fine October gale, There came a cry "O there be breakers dead ahead!" From the Collier Nightingale. No sooner had the captain brought her round, Came a rending crash below. Hard on her beam ends groaning went the Nightingale, And overside her mainmast goes. He was the captain of the Nightingale Twenty-One days from clyde in coal. He could smell the flowers of Bermuda in the gale, When he died on the North Rock Shoal. "O Captain are we all for drowning?" Came the cry from all the crew. "The boats be smashed, How are we all then to be saved? They are stove in through and through." Oh, are ye brave and hearty collier men? Or are ye blind and cannot see? The captain's gig still lies before ye whole and sound. It shall carry all O' we. He was the captain of the Nightingale Twenty-One days from clyde in coal. He could smell the flowers of Bermuda in the gale, When he died on the North Rock Shoal. But when the crew was all assembled, And the gig prepared for sea, Twas seen there were but eighteen places to be manned, Nineteen mortal souls were we. But cries the captain "now do ye not delay, Nor do ye spare a thought for me, My duty is to save ye all now if I can, See ye return quick as can be." He was the captain of the Nightingale Twenty-One days from clyde in coal. He could smell the flowers of Bermuda in the gale, When he died on the North Rock Shoal. Oh there be flowers in Bermuda. Beauty lies on every hand. And there be laughter, ease, and drink for every man, But there is no joy for me. For when we reached the wretched Nightingale, What an awful sight was plain, The captain drowned, lay tangled in the mizzen chain, Smiling bravely beneath the sea. He was the captain of the Nightingale Twenty-One days from clyde in coal. He could smell the flowers of Bermuda in the gale, When he died on the North Rock Shoal. To learn more about colliers and other sail freight vessels, be sure to check out "A New Age of Sail: The History and Future of Sail Freight on the Hudson River," opening Sunday, May 22, 2022! If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today! Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion. Today's featured Sail Freighter is the Pamir, built in Hamburg, Germany in 1905. She was rigged as a 4-masted Barque, with her three forward masts square rigged and her aftermost mast rigged Fore-&-Aft. The Barque rig was used in later sailing vessels as it saved slightly on crew, compared to a full ship rig which would be square-rigged on all masts. The Pamir had an eventful 52-year commercial career, and is worth studying as a classical early 20th century engineless Windjammer. Pamir was built as one of the Flying P-Liners, which were part of the Laeisz Line of Germany, all had names starting with a "P." They earned the name of "Flying" P-Liners because of their speed: Many made up to 16 knots, better than most steamers at the time. After being launched in 1905, she sailed under the Laeisz Line in the Nitrates trade between South America and Germany, moving Guano in loads of more than 3000 tons at a time. Guano, or bird and bat dung, is rich in Nitrates, and was used in the production of fertilizers and explosives in Europe. It could not safely be transported in coal-fired steamers due to the risk of explosions ignited by any leak from smoke stacks. Sailing vessels stayed in this trade for many years after steamers had taken over other routes due to this risk, but were eventually replaced by internal combustion engine propelled ships that had a lower risk of fire and explosion. After the First World War, the Pamir was granted to Italy as War Reparations, then a few years later was purchased again by the Laeisz Line. In 1931, she was acquired by Gustaf Erikson, a Finnish ship owner who had the last fleet of windjammers until his death in 1947. The Pamir was captured by New Zealand during the Second World War, and was only returned to the Erikson Line in 1948, when she had the chance to participate in the Last Grain Race from Australia to England against the Passat, another former Flying P-Liner. After her participation in the Last Great Grain Race, she was sold to two different German lines in the 1950s. She was the last windjammer in commercial service in the Atlantic World in 1957 when she made her last voyage. In 1957, she set sail with a load of more than 3,700 tons of grain, which had been stowed by her inexperienced sail trainees. The captain was also inexperienced in sail powered cargo operations, though he had experience in Sail Training ships before taking command of the Pamir. The cargo was stowed loose in the holds and ballast tanks, with only a small amount in sacks on top to keep it from shifting in heavy seas. En Route to Germany, she encountered a hurricane, which caused her to heel and the cargo to shift. When it did, the ship did not right herself, leaving the hatch covers exposed to the direct impact of hurricane-driven seas. The hatch covers gave way, water filled the holds, she capsized, then sank. Because she had been heeled hard over by the shifted cargo, half of her lifeboats were underwater, while the other half could not be launched because they could only be dropped onto the side of the hull, where they were damaged by waves. Most of the crew made it to the few lifeboats which could be launched. Only two of the unprovisioned lifeboats were found after a nine day search off the Azore Islands, and of the 86 people on board, only 6 survived. The combination of unskilled hands and rough weather sealed her fate. The Pamir's fate is tragic, but is the ending point of a career spanning more than half a century. She was a remarkably successful Barque, and the last commercial sailing vessel in the Atlantic. This is worth recognizing and celebrating, while we learn some lessons about how to handle cargo from her demise. AuthorSteven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
After the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, the Hudson River-Erie Canal corridor immediately became one of the leading access routes to the mid-west. In addition to the movement of people, the transportation of freight and agricultural products in substantial quantities took places in both directions. It was a new and relatively easy method for the products of the west to reach the east coast of the relatively young country. At first the early steamboats provided the principal means of transportation on the river for both people and freight. However, as the variety and quantity of the freight products increased, barges began to be used. At times they were lashed alongside of the steamboat or towed singly astern. This method obviously slowed the passage of the steamer and barges in tows behind a towing vessel became the general practice. Early Albany entrepreneurs who recognized the monetary returns to be gained from towing were “Commodore” Alfred Van Santvoord, Samuel Schuyler with his Albany and Canal Towing Line, and Jerry Austin. All three used older side wheel steamboats that had lost their appeal to the traveling public but still possessed serviceable engines and boilers. These were converted to towing vessels by the removal of most of their superstructure and the installation of towing bitts and winches. The barge tows of the Albany trio traversed the entire length of the river and the competition was spirited. It would appear that Alfred Van Santvoord was perhaps the most foresighted of the Albany towing operators. In any event, in 1848 he undertook the construction of a side-wheel steamboat designed solely for use as a towboat. She was named “Oswego” and was the first of seven such vessels to be built for the towing of large barge tows on the Hudson River. In 1849, Van Santvoord followed with “Cayuga”, Samuel Schuyler in 1852 followed with “America”, and in 1853 Jerry Austin added “Austin”. All were 200’ to 213’ in length. “Anna”, the smallest of the seven, was built in 1854 for Van Santvoord, and “Syracuse” in 1857, at 218’ the largest, for Austin. To complete the septet, the “Geo A. Hoyt” was built in 1873 for Thomas Cornell. During the latter half of the 19th century, the steamboat operators traded vessels, somewhat like major league baseball teams trade players today. For example, in 1868 Van Santvoord traded the towboats “Oswego”, “Cayuga” and “New York” to Thomas Cornell for the passenger steamboat “Mary Powell”. During the decade preceding the Van Santvoord-Cornell trade of vessels, Van Santvoord had become more and more involved in the operation of passenger steamboats. With the completion of the trade, Van Santvoord got out of the business of towing entirely and devoted his efforts solely to that of passenger steamers, which in time became the famous Hudson River Day Line. Thomas Cornell, whose towing operations had been centered on the lower river south of Rondout, gained access to the upper river and the operation of towing over the river’s entire length. Thomas Cornell and his son-in-law, S.D. Coykendall were extremely aggressive competitors. By the last decade of the 19th century, their Cornell Steamboat Company had fashioned a virtual monopoly of towing on the Hudson River and their fleet of towing vessels was the largest in the nation. Steamboats, like people, during their life time achieve minor claims to fame. “Oswego”, the first of the seven built, lasted the longest and out lived all of her successors. She made her last trip in September 1918, 70 years after her launching. “Syracuse”, the largest of the group, was generally considered by boatmen to be the best looking of all the towboats that saw service on the river. “America”, perhaps because of her name, was the subject of more paintings by the famed maritime artist James Bard than any other vessel. The towboats were big and probably had generous accommodations for their crew. However, they were also cumbersome and in time were succeeded by the smaller, but more efficient and maneuverable screw-propelled tugboats. By the early years of the 20th century the towboats were history. They were, however, an important part of the maritime saga of the Hudson River and deserve to be remembered for the role they played in it. This article was originally published in the 2002 Pilot Log. Thank you to Hudson River Maritime Museum volunteer Adam Kaplan for transcribing the article. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
In 1964, New York hosted the World's Fair. The theme was "Peace Though Understanding." As part of the festivities, an unusual sight was to be seen in New York Harbor that summer - a sight likely not seen for at least a few decades (although probably less time than most spectators would expect) - a gathering of large square-rigged vessels from all over the world. Operation Sail - also known as OpSail - was founded as a non-profit in 1961 and coordinates international sailing events centered around promoting goodwill and cooperation between nations as well as celebrating maritime history and sail training efforts around the world. The 1964 World's Fair was OpSail's inaugural event. On July 14, 1964, a parade of some of the world's last windjammers took place through New York Harbor. British Pathe covered the event: "Gathering of Great Ships" by Anthony Anable, Jr. The Jan-June, 1964 issue of Boating magazine included the following article describing the origins and plans for the 1964 OpSail: On July 14th, if the wind is fair, New York Harbor will be treated to a sight not seen in over half a century; a fleet of square-rigged ships slipping in under thousands of square feet of sail. As they pick up their moorings in the river, they will be completing a history-making voyage that for most of them began in Lisbon six weeks ago. "Operation Sail" will be the largest rendezvous of square-riggers - now mostly maritime training vessels - assembled in any port in modern times. As of this writing, 13 countries will send some 25 sailing craft to participate in "Operation Sail," and by the time July 14th - the rendezvous date - rolls around it is hoped that the latter figure will be doubled. While the fleet will consist of all manner of ships, boats and yachts, the most spectacular sight will be ten, or more, full-rigged ships, barks, brigantines and topsail schooners towering above their smaller sisters as they move up the river. Nations sending vessels are, in alphabetical order: Argentina, the full-rigged ship Libertad and the yacht Fortuna; Canada, the privately-owned brigantine St. Lawrence II; Chile, the four-masted schooner Esmerelda; Republic of China (no training ship, but a contingent of midshipmen and a 70-foot junk from San Francisco); Denmark, the bark Danmark; Dominican Republic, the bark Patria; Germany, the bark Gorch Fock; Great Britain, (two yachts, as yet unspecified); and Italy, the yawl Corsaro II. Also Japan, a motor training ship; Norway, either one or all of the Christian Radich, the Sorlandet and the Staatsraad Lemkuhl, all full-rigged ships; Panama, the three-masted schooner Wandia; Portugal, the full-rigged ship Sagres; and Spain, the four-masted schooner Juan Sebastian de Elcano. Undecided as of this writing are Sweden's Albatross; Poland's three-masted schooner Iskra; Romania's bark Mircea; and Nova Scotia's Bluenose II, a replica of the original fisherman owned by Col. Victor deB. Oland. The United States will be represented by the bark Eagle from the Coast Guard Academy, which will be the host ship; the Icefire and Mariner from the Merchant Marine Academy; Freedom and Royono from the Naval Academy; the brigantine Tabor Boy from Tabor Academy, Marion, Mass.; and the bark Joseph Conrad and the schooners L. A. Dunston and Brilliant from Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Conn. Operation Sail grew from one man's dream Nils Hansell, an ardent yachtsman and Art Director of the IBM Journal of Research and Development, was among an admiring crowd gazing at the Coast Guard's stately bark Eagle lying along a New York City dock in the early spring of 1960. He wondered to himself what it would be like if most, if not all, of the square-riggers in the world were to convene in New York Harbor and then participate in the ceremonies to be held in the city and at the grounds of the World's Fair. Contronted with Nils' idea, the Coast Guard and the State Department were among the first to endorse the proposal. An "Operation Sail" committee was formed and included Hansell, Frank O. Braynard, Director of Information for Moran Towing and Transportation Co., and Commodore John S. Baylis, former Superintendent of the New York State Maritime College and a retired Coast Guard officer. General Chairman of "Operation Sail" is John J. Bergen, Rear Admiral USNR (Ret.); Chairman of the Executive Committee is the well-known yachtsman Walter S. Gubelmann. Further endorsement came from many sources including New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, who sent out invitations to more than 20 countries requesting participation; New York Senator Jacob K. Javits; New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner; General Dwight D. Eisenhower; Capt. Alan Villiers, skipper of Mayflower II; Edouard A. Stackpole, Curator of Mystic Seaport; and Prince Philip of England. Also endorsing "Operation Sail" are the federally-sponsored People-to-People Program; the Sail Training Association of London; and most recently, the late President John F. Kennedy. Impressive as are these, and other endorsements, the success of "Operation Sail" will be due to the efforts of Braynard, Baylis and Hansell, all of whom have given freely of their time and money to arrange the whole program. A trans-Atlantic race will begin many events The program will begin on June 5th with a race from Lisbon, Portugal to Bermuda. Sponsored by the Sail Training Association, there will be four classes of vessels competing; Class Ia for square-rigged vessels of 500 tons and over; Class Ib for square-rigged vessels between 50-499 tons; Class II for fore-and-aft rigged vessels of 50 tons and over; and Class III for fore-and-aft rigged vessels under 50 tons and over 30 feet on the waterline. Those ships participating in the race will convene with others at Bermuda and will embark in company for New York City, where they are expected to arrive on July 12th. They will lie at anchor off Graves End for two days, until the fleet is complete, and on July 14th will set sail and head out to sea for about 10 miles for the benefit of press photographers and the huge spectator fleet which is expected to cluster about the windjammers. The flotilla will then come about, make for the Narrows, and will enter New York Harbor and the Hudson River. Whether they will be able to sail up the river is anybody's guess at the moment, but if a fair wind fails to materialize the ships will power, or be towed, along the parade route. Upon making fast to moorings assigned to them, all hands will take up review positions on deck and the yardarms as the Reviewing Vessel proceeds along the formation. Although not yet assigned, either the Navy's Enterprise, the country's newest carrier, or Mystic Seaport's Joseph Conrad, the maritime museum's famed square-rigger, may be the Reviewing Vessel. Whichever wins the honor, she will have an impressive company of dignitaries striding her decks, including the President of the United States, the Governor of the State of New York, the Mayor of New York City, several Ambassadors, distinguished guests, and reviewing officers. The second day of the planned ceremonies will see the crews of the various ships assembling at the Battery with escort contingents from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U. S. Merchant Marine Academy and/or the New York State Maritime College. Thus formed, the cadets and their escorts will proceed under a ticker-tape parade to New York's City Hall for the Mayor's Reception. Following the formalities, numerous events are planned throughout the week for officers and crew alike. A full-dress inspection of the ships is planned; a symposium for the officers and contests of seamanship for the crews will be held; and it is expected that television networks will program various national groups singing sea chanties. Receptions at the Merchant Marine Academy and various consulates are planned, as are such divertissements as longboat racing near the World's Fair Marina, soccer games between ships's [sic] crews, and sightseeing trips to Washington, D.C., the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., and Mystic Seaport. The program will come to a close at the World's Fair grounds, where plaques, prizes and certificates will be presented. That evening an Operation Sail Grand Ball will be held at Madison Square Garden with the Naval Attaches as Honorary Patrons. The following day the cadets will set sail and the ships will disperse for their various home ports. The project is a tribute to training under sail In this modern age of nuclear power and Polaris missiles, it may seem odd that so many nations train their naval and merchant marine cadets under sail. However, such training has many advantages, not the least of which is learning a respect for the sea - which makes equal demands of a huge carrier or a brigantine. There is no better way to gain an intimate knowledge of these natural forces than to serve in sail. As Nils Hansell - whose feeling for the sea resulted in the project - put it: "Operation Sail in New York excites the imagination of so many of us. Sailing ships of all kinds, large and small and fore-and-aft and square-rigged, will crowd the harbor for a sight that few shall have seen before, and one that may never come again. "But for all the excitement of the many masts and sails, the show will be meaningful, for these are sail training ships manned by seamen trainees. Their work aboard is not easy. Discipline is firm. They will have sailed from distant shores, on foul winds probably as much as fair or, sometimes, no winds at all. "Theirs should prove an exciting demonstration of training under sail as a way for character building of young men in today's world." This, then, is "Operation Sail." Not only a demonstration of training under sail, but a reaffirmation of the fact that great sailing ships still span the seven seas. The following tall ships ultimately participated in the 1964 Operation Sail:
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In May of 2022, the Hudson River Maritime Museum will be running a Grain Race in cooperation with the Schooner Apollonia, The Northeast Grainshed Alliance, and the Center for Post Carbon Logistics. Anyone interested in the race can find out more here. If you've been following the Northeast Grain Race thus far, you've likely noticed that the cargos are arranged mostly on an Ad Hoc basis, with everyone trying to find farmers, bakers, brewers, shippers, and other interested parties in their area to make their entries happen. While this is amusing and interesting in the context of this competition, it really isn't how a logistics system is normally run, and it certainly isn't efficient. Historically on the Canals and Waterways of the world, this cargo-coordination role was undertaken by Freight Offices, who knew their local area, kept track of transportation routes and schedules, and would serve as a broker for cargos. If you needed to ship 5 tons of grain from Kingston to New York, for example, you could simply call on the Freight Office and let them know. The freight broker would know who was plying that route at the time you needed the shipment made, who would be likely to have the space to handle the cargo, and would then arrange the shipping for you. And, of course, for a fee. Some also ran warehouses, which served as storage and staging space when cargo had to change from one mode of transport to another. Some specialized in certain types of cargo or routes, as well. For the revival of Sail Freight, the return of Freight Offices will be important. As shipping brokers, freight offices save both carriers and shippers a large amount of work by making the connections between the two. Idle time for ships can be reduced, while the time to search out a ship to take a cargo is also cut down for those looking to move a cargo. While there isn't an absolute need for a freight office, since eventually relationships will be built between carriers and shippers, the use of freight offices for some cargo will make shipping easier for those who ship items less often, and for small cargos which do not need an entire vessel to handle them. A good example of the latter is trying to ship a case of Maple Syrup from Burlington Vermont to New York City from the shipper's perspective: Hiring an entire ship is a waste of capacity and very expensive. Finding a ship headed for New York City with that space by simply calling every ship in port or walking the docks involves a large investment in time figuring out each vessel's route and open capacity. Calling a broker who knows who is headed to New York soon and has spare capacity to fill will save everyone time. From the Ship Captain's perspective, the deal is equally easy. Instead of hunting the docks for people with small cargoes, the captain can tell the Freight Office how much capacity they still have to fill, as well as when and where they plan to go next. Ships make the most for their crews and captains when they are full of cargo, so filling unused space is critical to keeping the ship financially viable. If they have a regular cargo which isn't their full capacity, using a broker helps the ship earn more money. If the ship doesn't have a regular cargo, the Broker can find them for less than the idle time on the docks would cost the ship. Establishing a Sustainable Freight Office in the Northeast wouldn't be a bad idea for those who like coordinating things. While the capacity and demand might not quite have reached the point where a freight office is likely to be self-supporting, it is likely to happen in the next few years. Hopefully the Grain Race will be an event which increases demand, capacity, and interest in sustainable food transportation and brings the job of a freight office closer to viability. Until then, we get to watch what just creative problem solving and informal links can do in the realm of food movement. You can find more information on the Grain Race here. AuthorSteven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
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