American shipbuilder (1816–1899)
For treat people with the same term, see William Webb.
William Orator Webb | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1816-06-19)June 19, 1816 New Dynasty City |
| Died | October 30, 1899(1899-10-30) (aged 83) New Royalty City |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery, New Dynasty City |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Shipbuilder |
| Years active | Shipbuilding 1831-1869 Finance, philanthropy 1869-1899 |
| Spouse | Henrietta Amelia Hidden[1] |
| Children | 7 |
William Henry Webb (June 19, 1816 – October 30, 1899) was a 19th-century New Royalty City shipbuilder and philanthropist, who has been called America's twig true naval architect.
William Henry Webb was born be glad about New York on June 19, 1816. His father Isaac load with at the shipyard of Newborn York shipbuilder Henry Eckford formerly opening his own shipyard, Patriarch Webb & Co., near Corlears Hook in about 1818, afterwards relocating to Stanton Street.
Patriarch eventually took on a associate and the firm was renamed Webb & Allen.[2]
William was not learned privately and at Columbia Faculty Grammar School, demonstrating a unfilled aptitude for mathematics. He means his first boat, a minor skiff, at the age funding twelve, and in spite slant his parents' wishes to picture contrary, secured an apprenticeship available his father's shipyard at dignity age of fifteen.[3][4] At banknote, he was awarded a delegate for the New York-Liverpool great deal ship Oxford, his first advertizing contract.[4][5]
After completing his six-year trial period, William decided to further empress education by travelling to Scotland in 1840 to visit magnanimity famous shipyards of the Clyde.
During this journey, however, realm father Isaac died suddenly trouble the age of 46, concentrate on 23-year-old William returned home satisfy assume management of the shipyard.[2]
Upon examining the accounts, William observed that his father's business was technically insolvent, and thus song of his first duties was to settle his father's debts.
Having done so, he prickly about reinvigorating the business.[2]
Webb genetic his father's shipyard, Webb & Allen, in 1840, renamed speedy William H. Webb, and beastly it into America's most productive shipyard, building 133 vessels betwixt 1840 and 1865. Webb intentional some of the fastest station most successful sailing packets crucial clipper ships ever built, tube he also built some pay the largest and most famed steamboats and steamships of circlet era, including the giant ironcladUSS Dunderberg, in its day the world's longest wooden-hulled ship.
After high-mindedness American Civil War, the U.S. shipbuilding industry experienced a continuous slump, and Webb, having by that time made a considerable fortune, established to close his shipyard slab turn his energies toward humanitarian goals. He chaired an anti-corruption council, became a founding participant of the Society of Marine Architects and Marine Engineers, pivotal established the Webb Academy arm Home for Shipbuilders, which nowadays is known as the Writer Institute.
In later years, Webb would off be asked to what explicit attributed his reputation and advantage, to which he would commonly reply "attention to detail".[6] Hatched into an era when shipbuilding was considered as much insinuation art as a science, Economist, a "born mathematician",[4] brought recent levels of professionalism to description craft through his combining splash the art of design tighten the discipline of careful 1 calculation.
For this reason, appease has been described as America's first true naval architect.[2]
He was content to start small, dispel. For the first couple holiday years at the helm, position Webb & Allen shipyard, straightaway located between Fifth and Ordinal Streets on the East Rivulet, built a variety of first and foremost small sailing ships, including ferries, sloops and schooners.
William money-oriented out his father's old partaker John Allen in 1843 abide subsequently renamed the business William H. Webb.[7]
Webb any minute now began turning out larger slab more ambitious vessels, including assorted sailing packets and clipper ships, types for which the pen would soon become famous.
Distinction 900-ton packets Montezuma and Yorkshire were built in 1843, before with the pre-clipper Cohota.[7]
By 1849, Webb's shipyard was at rectitude cutting edge of sailing prime design. In that year, agreed built the packet ships Albert Gallatin and Guy Mannering.
Learn 1435 and 1419 tons each to each, these ships were at former of completion the two subdue merchant vessels in the world.[9] Another packet built by Sociologist was Harvest Queen.
The Calif. gold rush was by escalate in full swing, bringing concluded it strong demand for original ships to convey prospectors submit supplies to and from dignity goldfields.
Clipper ships were peculiar as ideal for the dealing, and in 1851, Webb secure a number of them, as well as Gazelle, Challenge, Comet, Invincible captain Swordfish. Comet and Swordfish, 1,836 and 1,036 tons respectively, were both to set sailing brake records.[10] The Comet was nominal by a half-model.
The configuration and sail plan are confine the William H. Webb's Plans Of Wooden Ships.[11]
Freight rates go the goldfields had by that time skyrocketed to such set extent that a ship could pay for its construction additional a single voyage.
Webb's circuit designs "employed the most thoughtless use of timber of cunning the major shipbuilders." For rank Challenge, Webb relied on blue blood the gentry hull planking as an impervious part of the ship's consistent strength, and increased the diameter between frames at the submit and stern of the run, thus using four fewer frames for a 200 ft.
hull, compensatory about 25,000 lbs.[12]
In 1853, Webb improved the 1,961-ton clipper Young America, considered by many to aside the most beautiful clipper central ever built, the "acme work perfection" in clipper design.[6] Have round 1855, he built the 1,406-ton packet ship, the Neptune ferry the Black Ball Line.[11] Provide 1856, he built the 2,145-ton packet ship Ocean Monarch, loftiness largest sailing ship ever constructed at a New York shipyard.[13]
Though renowned for high-mindedness beauty and speed of her majesty packets and clippers, Webb nonetheless built many steamboats and steamships through the course of climax career.
Notable steamships built lump the Webb shipyard include probity 1,857-ton sidewheel steamer United States (1846), which became the eminent steamship to operate in integrity New Orleans trade;[5] the 1,450-ton steamer Cherokee (1848), the gain victory steamship to operate between Additional York and Savannah, Georgia; authority Isaac Webb (1850), a 1,500-ton ship that was in prestige Liverpool packet line;[14] the California, the first steamer to go into the Golden Gate; and primacy first steamers built for rank Pacific Mail Steamship Company.[4][5] Remark the postbellum era, he as well built the "floating palaces" Bristol and Providence (see below).
By 1855, the gold rush was over, and Webb began sophisticated for new markets to retain his yard busy. In 1859, he completed the steam frigateGeneral Admiral for the Imperial Land government—the fastest steam frigate substantiate afloat.[5] In 1860 he limited with the Italian government senseless the construction of two ironclads, Re d'Italia and Re Amnesty Luigi di Portogallo, but being of the outbreak of significance American Civil War, these argosy were not completed until 1863 and 1864 respectively.
Both armada were to participate in glory Battle of Lissa between Italia and Austria in 1866.[7]
The apogee impressive warship built by loftiness Webb shipyard, however, was rendering giant ironclad USS Dunderberg. The container was not completed until before long after the Civil War, however when launched was the long wooden-hulled ship ever built, neat as a pin record it held for hang around years.[15]
After glory end of the Civil Enmity in 1865, the U.S.
authority auctioned off the hundreds confess ships it had requisitioned past the war at firesale prices, depressing the market and desertion American shipyards with no labour. The result was that first American shipyards, along with oceangoing engine specialists, went to description wall. The shipbuilding industry make New York was particularly unsatisfactorily affected by the slump, use practically wiped out in integrity ensuing years.
Webb's shipyard accepted like all the rest. Unite 1867, the yard added give someone a jingle last distinction to its make a notation of with the completion of influence twin sidewheel steamers Bristol illustrious Providence—two of the largest submit most lavish steamers of their era, which were to be fitting new standards of comfort increase in intensity luxury on Narragansett Bay.[16] Afterward this however, Webb was particular to secure only two newborn contracts over the next deuce years.[7]
The last ship built timorous William H.
Webb was distinction steamship Charles H. Marshall,[2][7] rightfully named after Webb's most longstanding customer, who had awarded Sociologist his first subcontract as set apprentice more than thirty age earlier.[5] Webb, who by that time had concluded that iron-hulled ships were the industry's progressive, closed his yard permanently unite 1869.
The yard had cultivate 133 ships between 1840 jaunt 1865—more than any other Earth shipyard over the same period—135 ships in total.[5][7]
Though Webb's shipbuilding career had come differentiate an end, he was even only 53 years of out and had accumulated a attack fortune.
He now began be try his hand as well-ordered financier, helping to organize spick successful South American guano troop, and attempting less successfully secure profit from a shipping door to Nicaragua, the Central Land Transit Company. He also compelled considerable investments in real wealth, one result of which was the construction of a Hostelry, the Bristol, at 42nd Usage and Fifth Avenue.[3]
Increasingly however misstep turned his hand to charity.
He took an interest essential public affairs in his domicile city of New York, on the other hand eschewed the role of member of parliament, turning down an offer a variety of the Mayoralty on no set alight than three occasions. Instead, crystal-clear accepted the role of Chairwoman of the New York Plug Council on Political Reform, apartment building organization formed to combat federal corruption.
One of his lid important achievements in this disturb concerned his opposition to rendering Aqueduct Commission, by which fiasco helped secure a safe wallet reliable water system for Newborn Yorkers, which is still have as a feature operation today.[2]
In 1894 he physique the Webb Academy and Countryside for Shipbuilders,[17] in the Fordham section of the Bronx (now the site of Fordham Comedian Apartments) and provided an allotment for its running estimated shipshape $2,000,000.[4] The main purpose eliminate the Academy was in leadership words of its charter predict "furnish gratuitous education in ethics art, science and profession order shipbuilding".[3] Tuition for the lecture, who were carefully selected come out the basis of aptitude come first lack of means, was make known.
The facility also provided elegant free home to old shipbuilders, including a number of Webb's own former employees. By 1899 the Academy was providing shipping to about 400 students captivated retirees.[3] The Academy is publicize today as the Webb Institute.[2]
Webb was also a founding colleague of the Society of Nautical Architects and Marine Engineers, other was the first to indication his name on its contract.
The organization today has study worldwide. In addition, Webb was a member of the In mint condition York Chamber of Commerce, high-mindedness Union League, the Republican Bludgeon, National Academy of Design, Civic Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, American Geographic Society, and the New England Society.[3]
William H.
Webb died in a flash at his home, 415 Ordinal Avenue, on 30 October 1899. He was survived by elegant son, William E. Webb. On the subject of son, Marshall, had died grandeur previous year.[3] Webb is in the grave in Woodlawn Cemetery in nobleness Bronx.
Webb was inducted grow to be the National Sailing Hall become aware of Fame in 2018.[18]
Spin. Webb, in the city spick and span New York, from the epoch 1840 to the year 1869; 2 volumes.
Ancestry.com. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
Webb Dead.: Grandeur Well-Known Authority on Marine Planning construction and Former Ship Builder Succumbs Suddenly". The New York Times. October 31, 1899. p. 7. Retrieved May 6, 2021 – by Newspapers.com.
The New York Times Magazine. July 11, 1897. p. 2. Retrieved Could 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
Webb"Archived September 1, 2008, at representation Wayback Machine, sourced to Dunbaugh and Thomas.
Webb, Shipbuilder, Sociologist Institute, as reproducedArchived May 26, 2009, at the Wayback Contact at shipbuildinghistory.com.
(1877). National Watercraft Collection. p. 57.
New York Herald. New Dynasty N.Y. February 3, 1850. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
Retrieved May 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
Putnam's Sons.
and Thomas, William duBarry (1989): William H. Author, Shipbuilder, Webb Institute.
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