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Re: Massachusetts schooners, 1750s
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2008 Dec 22, 17:26 -0000
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2008 Dec 22, 17:26 -0000
Thanks to Hewitt for a useful suggestion. The only one of Chappelle's books I have on my shelves is his "Search for speed under sail", which isn't appropriate to my quest. But I'm aware of his reputation. Chappelle also wrote a book about American fishing schooners, which might well be worth consulting, although its stated date range is 1825 - 1935, so it starts 70 years after the vessel I'm interested in. He also wrote, in 1935, "The history of American sailing ships", and I wonder if that goes back to the small schooners of colonial days. Does anyone have a copy, who can tell me a few words about it? If it seems useful, I can read it in the Bodleian library. George. contact George Huxtable, at george@hux.me.uk or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222) or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Hewitt Schlereth"To: Sent: Monday, December 22, 2008 2:26 PM Subject: [NavList 6797] Re: Massachusetts schooners, 1750s | | Hi George - | | I'm virtually certain you've already checked Howard Irving Chapelle, | but just in case... He wrote a number of books on American working | schooners and as I recall them, they were all minutely detailed. | | Hewitt | | On 12/21/08, George Huxtable wrote: | > | > I wonder if any Navlist member knows about this, or knows where I can find | > information. It's not really a navigational question, though. | > | > It relates to the years when James Cook was surveying Newfoundland, in 1763 | > to 1767, before he became famous. | > | > In 1763, the British Admiralty bought a schooner for the purpose, which they | > named "Grenville". John Robson's website, at | > http://pages.quicksilver.net.nz/jcr/ships , tells me that she was originally | > the "Sally", which had been built in 1754 in Massachusetts. She was 55 feet, | > 69 tons. Apparently, the Admiralty thought it a useful design, because | > several similar vessels were purchased around that time. | > | > Cook made Atlantic passages back to England for each Winter, regular as | > clockwork. It's those passages I am taking an interest in, rather than the | > survey work itself. | > | > I would like to discover a bit more about those schooners, particularly | > their rig. It would be interesting to discover how the mainmast was | > supported from forwards: whether it had a mainstay coming down to deck level | > near the foot of the foremast. And if so, how clashes were avoided with the | > gaff foresail, whether it was loose-footed or was stretched by a boom. I | > wonder if that information exists. | > | > Cook didn't retain that rig for long, because on her first winter in London, | > Grenville was rerigged as a brig. | > | > Sally, a schooner, may perhaps have hailed from Marblehead, but I would | > like to emphasise that am NOT seeking information about the famous | > Marblehead schooner yachts of a much later era, beautiful objects though | > those rich man't playthings may have been. It's the trading / fishing | > vessels, the working craft of the mid 18th century, that I'm following up. | > | > George. | > | > contact George Huxtable, at george@hux.me.uk | > or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222) | > or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK. | > | > | > > | > | | | | | --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Navigation List archive: www.fer3.com/arc To post, email NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---