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Yankee (pilot boat)

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History
United States
NameYankee
OwnerNew York Pilots
OperatorWilliam J. Murphy
BuilderHolbrook & Adams of Boston
In serviceSeptember 20, 1848
Out of serviceDecember 3, 1852
Strickenwreck
HomeportNew York
FateSank
General characteristics
Tonnage84-tons TM
Propulsionschooner sail
Sail planSchooner-rigged

The Yankee was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat built by Holbrook & Adams of Boston in 1848. The schooner was sold to New York pilots and used to pilot vessels to and from the Port of New York. In 1852 the crew of the Yankee received silver medals from the Massachusetts Humane Society for rescuing the captain and mate of the schooner Reaper. The Yankee struck an old wreck and sank 35 miles east of Sandy Hook in 1852. The Ellwood Walter was built to replace her in 1853.

Construction and service

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The 84-ton pilot boat Yankee was built in 1848 by Holbrook & Adams of Boston. She was put up for sale by Holbrook & Adams, 137 Commercial Street, Boston, on August 30, 1848. She left Boston on September 20, 1848 for the Battery in New York City.[1]

On November 12, 1848, in one of the first cruises, the Yankee No. 7, came across the wrecked schooner Justice in need of help. The steamship Washington and first officer Jas. P. Noyes came to the schooner's assistance and towed her to Newport. Noyes reported that the Yankee did not provide assistance thinking that the schooner's request was not serious.[2]

Captain Clark of the ship James Wright, refused to take a pilot from the pilot boat Yankee, because none of the pilots had grey hair. He wanted an older pilot that had more experience. He even asked them to take off their hats to show their hair. A report of this act of injustice was reported to the editor of the New York Herald on March 28, 1851 by a pilot.[3]

On March 25, 1852, the pilot boat Yankee came across the schooner Reaper of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, that had capsized and sank in a heavy storm off Montauk, New York. The crew of five from the Reaper escaped in a yawl but as they came within twenty yards to the pilot boat the yawl capsized. Captain Isaiah C. Kelley and Frederick Cobb clung to the yawl and were picked up by the Yankee, but the other three men drowned.[4] The pilots on board the Yankee, John Curtis, John Leibby, William J. Murphy and William Champlin, received silver medals from the Massachusetts Humane Society, for rescuing the captain and mate of the schooner Reaper. The medals were presented by the New York Life-Saving Benevolent Association.[5]

End of service

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On December 3, 1852, the pilot boat Yankee, No. 7, struck an old wreck and sank 35 miles east of Sandy Hook. The men on board escaped in two yawls. One of the yawls got separated in a violent storm and four men were lost. Those that were lost were pilots Henry Budd and John Curtis; crew members Henry Smith and Frederick West. The other yawl was picked up by the pilot boat E. K. Collins.[6] The names of the rescued men were pilots John McGee and Charles W. Harthorn; crew members Andrew Collier, William Gatenby and Thomas Dennis.[7] An attempt was made on December 16, 1852, to search for the sunken wreck. The steam tug Titan was chartered by the Board of Underwriters with pilot William J. Murphy conducting the search. He reported that the wreck was not found within a circle of seventy miles from Fire Island.[8][9][10]

The Ellwood Walter was built to replace the Yankee in 1853.[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Pilot Boat For Sale, The Pilot Boat "Yankee"". New York Daily Herald. New York, New York. 21 Sep 1848. p. 3. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Marine Affairs". New York Daily Herald. New York, New York. 12 Nov 1848. p. 3. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  3. ^ "To the Editor of the New York Herald". New York Daily Herald. New York, New York. 28 Mar 1851. p. 2. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  4. ^ "Melancholy Shipwreck-Three Lives Lost". The New York Times. New York, New York. 29 Mar 1852. p. 2. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  5. ^ "The Pilots Of The Pilot Boat Yankee". The New York Times. New York, New York. 1 Jul 1852. p. 1. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  6. ^ "Loss Of The Pilot-Boat Yankee". Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express. Buffalo, New York. 9 Dec 1852. p. 2. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  7. ^ "Loss of the Pilot Boat Yankee, No. 7". Poughkeepsie Journal. Poughkeepsie, New York. 11 Dec 1852. p. 3. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  8. ^ "Search For The Sunken Wreck Upon Which The Pilot Boat Yankee, No. 7 Struck". The New York Times. New York, New York. 16 Dec 1852. p. 8. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  9. ^ Allen, Edward L. (1922). Pilot Lore From sail to Steam. New York: The United New York and New Jersey Sandy Hook Pilots Benevolent Associations. p. XV.
  10. ^ Russell, Charles Edward (1929). From Sandy Hook to 62°. New York: Century Co. p. 114. OCLC 3804485.
  11. ^ "The Pilot-Boat Elwood Walter, No. 7". The New York Times. New York, New York. 16 May 1853. p. 3. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
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