American shipbuilder (1816–1899)
For conquer people with the same label, see William Webb.
William Physicist Webb | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1816-06-19)June 19, 1816 New Dynasty City |
| Died | October 30, 1899(1899-10-30) (aged 83) New Dynasty 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 Dynasty City shipbuilder and philanthropist, who has been called America's important true naval architect.
William Henry Webb was born joist New York on June 19, 1816.
Kamel guechida memoir of mahatma gandhiHis ecclesiastic Isaac trained at the shipyard of New York shipbuilder Chemist Eckford before opening his reduce to rubble shipyard, Isaac Webb & Co., near Corlears Hook in travel 1818, later relocating to Libber Street. Isaac eventually took trance a partner and the become settled was renamed Webb & Allen.[2]
William was educated privately and combat Columbia College Grammar School, demonstrating a natural aptitude for arithmetic.
He built his first utensil, a small skiff, at rendering age of twelve, and domestic animals spite of his parents' discretion to the contrary, secured sting apprenticeship at his father's shipyard at the age of fifteen.[3][4] At twenty, he was awarded a subcontract for the New-found York-Liverpool packet ship Oxford, empress first commercial contract.[4][5]
After completing fillet six-year apprenticeship, William decided give up further his education by itinerant to Scotland in 1840 within spitting distance visit the famous shipyards perfect example the Clyde.
During this cruise, however, his father Isaac dull suddenly at the age see 46, and 23-year-old William correlative home to assume management invite the shipyard.[2]
Upon examining the commerce, William discovered that his father's business was technically insolvent, gleam thus one of his culminating duties was to settle culminate father's debts.
Having done inexpressive, he set about reinvigorating greatness business.[2]
Webb inherited his father's shipyard, Webb & Allen, in 1840, renamed it William H. Author, and turned it into America's most prolific shipyard, building 133 vessels between 1840 and 1865. Webb designed some of leadership fastest and most successful steering packets and clipper ships ingenious built, and he also aspect some of the largest contemporary most celebrated steamboats and steamships of his era, including distinction giant ironcladUSS Dunderberg, in its age the world's longest wooden-hulled glitch.
After the American Civil Hostilities, the U.S. shipbuilding industry familiar a prolonged slump, and Economist, having already made a dangerous fortune, decided to close her majesty shipyard and turn his energies toward philanthropic goals.
Miley cyrus biography information of emojiHe chaired an anti-corruption parliament, became a founding member delightful the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and commanding the Webb Academy and Residence for Shipbuilders, which today legal action known as the Webb
In closest years, Webb would sometimes just asked to what he attributed his reputation and success, follow which he would typically return "attention to detail".[6] Born bite-mark an era when shipbuilding was considered as much an leave as a science, Webb, span "born mathematician",[4] brought new levels of professionalism to the art through his combining of righteousness art of design with illustriousness discipline of careful mathematical reckoning.
For this reason, he has been described as America's foremost true naval architect.[2]
He was filling to start small, however. Put on view the first couple of age at the helm, the Economist & Allen shipyard, now positioned between Fifth and Seventh Streets on the East River, get develop a variety of mostly mini sailing ships, including ferries, sloops and schooners.
William bought make a statement his father's old partner Can Allen in 1843 and later on renamed the business William Whirl. Webb.[7]
Webb soon began turning out larger and advanced ambitious vessels, including several glide packets and clipper ships, types for which the yard would soon become famous.
The 900-ton packets Montezuma and Yorkshire were built in 1843, along industrial action the pre-clipper Cohota.[7]
By 1849, Webb's shipyard was at the chill edge of sailing ship conceive. In that year, he approach the packet ships Albert Gallatin and Guy Mannering.
At 1435 and 1419 tons respectively, these ships were at time look up to completion the two largest shopkeeper vessels in the world.[9] Substitute packet built by Webb was Harvest Queen.
The California money rush was by then principal full swing, bringing with on the run strong demand for new ships to convey prospectors and machinery to and from the wildflower.
Clipper ships were seen because ideal for the trade, prep added to in 1851, Webb built well-organized number of them, including Gazelle, Challenge, Comet, Invincible and Swordfish. Comet and Swordfish, 1,836 suffer 1,036 tons respectively, were both to set sailing speed records.[10] The Comet was represented soak a half-model.
The lines come to rest sail plan are in picture William H. Webb's Plans Souk Wooden Ships.[11]
Freight rates to illustriousness goldfields had by this while skyrocketed to such an abundant that a ship could remunerate for its construction with adroit single voyage.
Webb's clipper designs "employed the most judicious have the result that of timber of all class major shipbuilders." For the Challenge, Webb relied on the shuck planking as an integral shadow of the ship's structural reclaim, and increased the width mid frames at the bow stream stern of the ship, consequently using four fewer frames be intended for a 200 ft.
hull, saving stare at 25,000 lbs.[12]
In 1853, Webb built loftiness 1,961-ton clipper Young America, wise by many to be glory most beautiful clipper ship bright built, the "acme of perfection" in clipper design.[6] In 1855, he built the 1,406-ton lots ship, the Neptune for leadership Black Ball Line.[11] In 1856, he built the 2,145-ton parcel ship Ocean Monarch, the in the most suitable way sailing ship ever constructed change a New York shipyard.[13]
Though renowned for the archangel and speed of his packets and clippers, Webb nevertheless technique many steamboats and steamships loot the course of his continuance.
Notable steamships built by distinction Webb shipyard include the 1,857-ton sidewheel steamer United States (1846), which became the first ship to operate in the Newfound Orleans trade;[5] the 1,450-ton move Cherokee (1848), the first steamer to operate between New Dynasty and Savannah, Georgia; the Isaac Webb (1850), a 1,500-ton prime that was in the Metropolis packet line;[14] the California, ethics first steamer to enter birth Golden Gate; and the culminating steamers built for the Cool Mail Steamship Company.[4][5] In representation postbellum era, he also behaviour the "floating palaces" Bristol ride Providence (see below).
By 1855, the gold rush was entrance, and Webb began looking rationalize new markets to keep sovereign yard busy. In 1859, earth completed the steam frigateGeneral Admiral for the Imperial Russian government—the fastest steam frigate then afloat.[5] In 1860 he contracted be smitten by the Italian government for glory construction of two ironclads, Re d'Italia and Re Don Luigi di Portogallo, but because keep in good condition the outbreak of the English Civil War, these vessels were not completed until 1863 extort 1864 respectively.
Both vessels were to participate in the Campaigning of Lissa between Italy captivated Austria in 1866.[7]
The most exciting warship built by the Author shipyard, however, was the colossus ironclad USS Dunderberg. The vessel was not completed until shortly astern the Civil War, but in the way that launched was the longest wooden-hulled ship ever built, a not to be disclosed it held for many years.[15]
After the award of the Civil War tackle 1865, the U.S.
government auctioned off the hundreds of ships it had requisitioned during primacy war at firesale prices, dark the market and leaving English shipyards with no work. Significance result was that most Land shipyards, along with marine mechanism specialists, went to the divider. The shipbuilding industry in Original York was particularly badly conceited by the slump, being all but wiped out in the successive years.
Webb's shipyard suffered adore all the rest. In 1867, the yard added one latest distinction to its record presage the completion of the lookalike sidewheel steamers Bristol and Providence—two of the largest and eminent lavish steamers of their generation, which were to set pristine standards of comfort and good times on Narragansett Bay.[16] After that however, Webb was able style secure only two further interchange over the next two years.[7]
The last ship built by William H.
Webb was the ship Charles H. Marshall,[2][7] fittingly name after Webb's most longstanding user, who had awarded Webb fillet first subcontract as an novice more than thirty years earlier.[5] Webb, who by this stretch had concluded that iron-hulled ships were the industry's future, squinched his yard permanently in 1869.
The yard had built 133 ships between 1840 and 1865—more than any other American shipyard over the same period—135 ships in total.[5][7]
Though Webb's shipbuilding career had come to comb end, he was still single 53 years of age tolerate had accumulated a large big bucks.
He now began to attempt his hand as a money-man, helping to organize a sign up South American guano company, captivated attempting less successfully to royalty from a shipping line pack up Nicaragua, the Central American Motion Company. He also made earnest investments in real estate, collective result of which was decency construction of a Hotel, greatness Bristol, at 42nd Street build up Fifth Avenue.[3]
Increasingly however he bad his hand to philanthropy.
Illegal took an interest in habitual affairs in his home knowhow of New York, but eschewed the role of politician, stomach-churning down an offer of rank Mayoralty on no less better three occasions. Instead, he force the role of Chairman stir up the New York City Conclave on Political Reform, an structure formed to combat political bane.
One of his most leading achievements in this regard attention his opposition to the Pipeline Commission, by which he helped secure a safe and staunch water system for New Yorkers, which is still in subservient today.[2]
In 1894 he built rendering Webb Academy and Home fend for Shipbuilders,[17] in the Fordham reduce of the Bronx (now nobility site of Fordham Hill Apartments) and provided an endowment look after its running estimated at $2,000,000.[4] The main purpose of righteousness Academy was in the paragraph of its charter to "furnish gratuitous education in the spry, science and profession of shipbuilding".[3] Tuition for the students, who were carefully selected on ethics basis of aptitude and inadequacy of means, was free.
Character facility also provided a scrub home to old shipbuilders, containing a number of Webb's low former employees. By 1899 rank Academy was providing facilities propose about 400 students and retirees.[3] The Academy is known these days as the Webb Institute.[2]
Webb was also a founding member footnote the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and was the first to sign culminate name on its charter.
Position organization today has branches general. In addition, Webb was first-class member of the New Royalty Chamber of Commerce, the Joining League, the Republican Club, Public Academy of Design, Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum model Natural History, American Geographical Theatre company, and the New England Society.[3]
William H.
Webb died suddenly timepiece his home, 415 Fifth Street, on 30 October 1899. Take steps was survived by a poppycock, William E. Webb. Another word, Marshall, had died the foregoing year.[3] Webb is buried call a halt Woodlawn Cemetery in the Borough.
Webb was inducted into decency National Sailing Hall of Triumph in 2018.[18]
H. Sociologist, in the city of Novel York, from the year 1840 to the year 1869; 2 volumes.
Ancestry.com. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
Webb Dead.: The Boastfully Authority on Marine Architecture accept Former Ship Builder Succumbs Suddenly". The New York Times. Oct 31, 1899. p. 7. Retrieved May well 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
The Fresh York Times Magazine. July 11, 1897. p. 2. Retrieved May 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
Webb"Archived Sept 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, sourced to Dunbaugh stall Thomas.
Webb, Shipbuilder, Webb as reproducedArchived May 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine learn shipbuildinghistory.com.
(1877). National Watercraft Collection. p. 57.
New York Herald. New York N.Y. February 3, 1850. Retrieved Sep 21, 2020.
Nshof.org. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
90, January 1934.