View source for William H. Aspinwall (pilot boat)

{{short description|Sandy Hook Pilot boat}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin|infobox caption=}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=William H. Aspinwall.jpg
|Ship caption=William H. Aspinwall Pilot Boat, No. 21.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1880}}
|Ship name= ''William H. Aspinwall'' (1807-1875)
|Ship christened=
|Ship builder = [[J.B & J.D. Van Deusen|J. B. Van Dusen Bros.]] [[shipyard]]
|Ship operator= Captain Walter Brewer
|Ship owner= 
* Captain Dale
* Henry L. Weaver
* John Shooks
* James Callahan
* Walter Brewer
|Ship namesake=[[William Henry Aspinwall]], American businessman 
|Ship original cost=$10,000
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched= January 30, 1861
|Ship out of service=April 20, 1880
|Ship renamed=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honors=
|Ship fate=Wreck (1880)
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[schooner]]
|Ship tonnage=46-tons [[Thames Measurement|TM]]<!--using Custom House not tons burden-->
|Ship length=
|Ship beam=
|Ship draft=<!--distance between ship's keel & waterline (height)-->
|Ship depth=<!--top of keel to the top of deck beam -->
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship propulsion=Sail
|Ship complement=
|Ship armament= 
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The '''''William H. Aspinwall''''' was a 19th-century [[Sandy Hook Pilots|Sandy Hook]] [[pilot boat]] built in 1861 and launched from the [[J.B & J.D. Van Deusen]] [[shipyard]] at [[East River]] for [[New York City|New York]] Pilots. She was a replacement for the former pilot boat [[Virginia (pilot boat)|''Virginia'']]. In 1880, the ''Aspinwall'' was caught in a thick fog and went ashore at the [[Long Island]] bar and became a total loss. She was replaced by a new pilot boat, the [[America (pilot boat)|''America,'']] No. 21.

==Construction and service==

On January 30, 1861, the pilot boat ''William H. Aspinwall,'' No 21, was launched from the [[J.B & J.D. Van Deusen|J. B. Van Dusen Bros.]] [[shipyard]] at the foot of Sixteenth street, [[East River]]. She was a replacement for the former pilot boat [[Virginia (pilot boat)|''Virginia'']].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72622612/wm-h-aspinwall/ |title=Miscellaneous |work=New York Daily Herald |place=New York, New York |date=30 Jan 1861|page=2|access-date=2020-10-14}}</ref> Her owners were Mrs. Dale, Henry L. Weaver, John Shooks, and James Callahan. Captain Walter Brewer was in command of the vessel.<ref name="Wreck"/> She was also referred to as the ''W. H. Aspinwall''.

The ''William H. Aspinwall,'' was registered as a pilot [[schooner]] with the ''Record of American and Foreign Shipping,'' from 1877 to 1879. Her ship [[Master (naval)|master]] was Captain Walter Brewer; her owners were the N. Y. Pilots; built in 1861 in New York; her hailing port was the [[Port of New York and New Jersey|Port of New York]]. Her dimensions were 46-tons [[Thames Measurement|Tonnage]], 100-tons [[Builder's Old Measurement|burthen]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l0179721877/1032/|title=Record of American and Foreign Shipping 1877|work=Mystic Seaport Museum |place=New York |access-date=2020-10-14}}</ref>

The boat number "21" was painted as a large number on her [[mainsail]], that identified her as belonging to the Sandy Hook pilots. In 1860, the ''W. H. Aspinwall'' was listed as No. 21, in the list of twenty-one New York pilot boats.<ref name="Russell">
{{cite book |last=Russell|first=Charles Edward |date=1929|title=From Sandy Hook to 62°|location=New York|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7KBOAQAAMAAJ|publisher=Century Co.|oclc=3804485|page=159}}</ref>

On April 10, 1869, the pilot boat ''William H. Aspinwall,'' No. 21 and Captain Walter Brewer spoke to the [[Great Britain|British]] steamship ''Prairie Bird.'' They transferred five men to the pilot boat and brought them to New York City. The men were on the steamship ''Thames,'' which had caught on fire and were in need of rescue.<ref name="America">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72601252/prairie-bird/|title=The Thames Disaster. |work=The Times-Picayune |place=New Orleans, Louisiana |date=20 Apr 1869|page=9|access-date=2021-03-03}}</ref>

On February 15, 1874, pilots Charles Cummiskey, John Shooks, and William Germond, were on the pilot boat ''William H. Aspinwall,'' No 21, 45 miles from [[Barnegat Bay|Barnegat]], when they came across the [[yacht]] ''Anita'' of Gravesend, that had been in a snow storm. The pilots helped pump out the water from her [[bilge]], provided provisions, and towed her into the harbor.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72601718/pilots/ |title=Nobel Hearted Pilots. |work=New York Daily Herald |place=New York, New York |date=15 Feb 1874|page=9|access-date=2020-10-14}}</ref>

==End of service==
[[File:Pilot Boat America, No 21.jpg|thumb|Pilot [[America (pilot boat)|''America,'']] No 21.]]

On April 20, 1880, the 19 years old pilot schooner ''William H. Aspinwall,'' No. 21 of New York, was returning to port after all her pilots had boarded [[steamship]]s when she was caught in a thick fog. She sailed one mile from the [[Fire Island Lighthouse]] and hit the outer [[Long Island]] bar. She was a total loss. A lifesaving crew reached the boat and rescued the pilot crew.<ref name="Russell"/>{{rp|p387}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HIEDAAAAYAAJ&q=Aspinwall|title=Annual Report of the Operations of the United States Life-Saving Service for the Fiscal Year Ending|work=U.S. Government Printing Office |date=880|page=137|access-date=2021-01-07}}</ref> 
Captain Walter Brewer commanded the lost boat and was part owner. She was valued at $10,000, but was not insured.<ref name="Wreck">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72624076/wreck/|title=Wreck Of A Pilot Boat.|work=The New York Tribune |place=New York, New York|date=21 Apr 1880|page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/72623309/went-ashore/ |title=Long Island.|work=The New York Times |place=New York, New York|date=21 Apr 1880|page=8}}</ref>

On October 25, 1880, a new pilot boat, the [[America (pilot boat)|''America,'']] No. 21, replaced the ''William H. Aspinwall,'' No. 21, due to her loss in April 1880.<ref name="America2">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/20464636/?terms=%22Pilot%2Bboat%2BAmerica%22|title=Annual Meeting of the Commissioners-A Year of Prosperity. |work=The New York Times |place=New York, New York|date=1881-01-05|access-date=2020-08-24}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Northeastern U. S. Pilot Boats]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commons category}}
{{List of Northeastern U. S. Pilot Boats}}
{{1880 shipwrecks}}   
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Individual sailing vessels]]
[[Category:Schooners of the United States]]
[[Category:Service vessels of the United States]]
[[Category:1861 ships]]
[[Category:Pilot boats]]
[[Category:Ships built in Brooklyn]]