George Steers (pilot boat)

The George Steers was a 19th-century pilot boat built in 1852 for the New Jersey Pilots' Association. She was designed by the yacht designer George Steers and considered to be one of the fastest boat sailing. She had a popular shorter bow overhang, similar to the celebrated yacht America.[1]

Pilot Boat George Steers, c. 1882.
History
US
Name: George Steers
Namesake: George Steers designer of yachts
Owner: New Jersey Pilots
Builder: George Steers
Cost: $15,000
Launched: August 9, 1852
Out of service: February 12, 1865
General characteristics
Class and type: Schooner
Tonnage: 60 tons TM
Length: 77 ft 0 in (23.47 m)
Beam: 18 ft 0 in (5.49 m)
Draft: 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m)
Depth: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Propulsion: Sail

Construction and service

Pilot-boat George Steers No. 6, was built by George Steers in 1852, at the William H. Brown shipyard in East River, New York City, for a company of New Jersey pilots. She was named in honor of George Steers. She was similar to the yacht America, that was built in 1851.[2]

George Steers was launched by moonlight at 12 o'clock on August 9, 1852, at the William H. Brown shipyard at the foot of twelfth street, East River. She left the port under the command of George Steers along with other friends and acquaintances. They went down to White Stone to test out the sails and navigation of the new boat.[3]

Steers made a half hull model of the pilot-boat George Steers, that shows the boat lines and construction details with a deep draft and keel that slopes up to the forefoot. She had a popular shorter bow overhang. This new design had the same lines as the popular yacht America,[1] that was designed by James Rich Steers and George Steers.

Howard I. Chapelle, an American naval architect, considered George Steers, as a "fine example of that designer's final ideas of what a pilot schooner should be." Chapelle thought she was an improvement over the America and that the balance of her ends was exceptional. She is considered to be the finest of pilot-boats ever built,[1] and the fastest boat sailing from the port of New York.[4]

End of service

On February 12, 1865, the George Steers, No. 6, was driven ashore on the South Shoals near Barnegat Island in a northeasterly gale and snowstorm. All five hands perished.[1][4][5]

A. T. Stewart

On October 11, 1865, the pilot-boat A. T. Stewart, No. 6, was launched from the shipyard of Edward F. Williams, at Greenpoint, at a cost of $21,000, to replace the George Steers, No. 6, which was lost in February 1865.[6] When the A. T. Stewart, was lost in 1869, the James Gordon Bennett, No. 6 was built in 1870 to replace her.[7]

See also

References
  1. Cunliffe, Tom (2001). Pilots, The World Of Pilotage Under Sail and Oar. Brooklin, Maine: WoodenBoat. p. 82.
  2. "New York City". The New York Times. New York, New York. 20 Aug 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  3. "New York City". The Buffalo Commercial. Buffalo, New York. 9 Aug 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  4. "Probable Loss of the Pilot-Boat George Steers and Crew". The New York Times. New York, New York. 23 Feb 1865. p. 4. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  5. Russell, Charles Edward (1929). From Sandy Hook to 62°. New York: Century Co. p. 387. OCLC 3804485.
  6. "LAUNCH OF A PILOT-BOAT". The New York Times. New York, New York. 11 Oct 1865. p. 8. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  7. "The New Pilot Boat". The New York Herald. New York, New York. 12 May 1870. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-12-24 – via Newspapers.com.
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