Consolidated Yachts is a former shipbuilder and () present-day marine service company located on
City Island in
The Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
History
The company was founded as the Gas Engine and Power Company & Charles L. Seabury Company in 1896 after the merger of the Charles L. Seabury Company (founded in 1885 in
Nyack, New York
Nyack () is a Village (New York), village located primarily in the Town (New York), town of Orangetown, New York, Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, Rockland County, New York (state), New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, it retai ...
) and the Gas Engine & Power Company (founded about the same time in
Morris Heights, Bronx
Morris Heights is a residential neighborhood located in the West Bronx. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: West Burnside Avenue to the north, Jerome Avenue to the east, the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the south, and ...
). Seabury was famous for its
steam yacht
A steam yacht is a class of luxury or commercial yacht with primary or secondary steam propulsion in addition to the sails usually carried by yachts.
Origin of the name
The English steamboat entrepreneur George Dodd (1783–1827) used the term ...
s; the Gas Engine & Power Company's primary focus was on
naptha
Naphtha ( or ) is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture.
Mixtures labelled ''naphtha'' have been produced from natural gas condensates, petroleum distillates, and the distillation of coal tar and peat. In different industries and regions '' ...
-powered launches.
Among other products, the combined company manufactured
express cruisers,
runabouts,
yacht tender
A yacht tender is a vessel used for servicing and providing support and entertainment to a private or charter yacht. They include utilitarian craft, powered by oar or outboard motor, and high-speed luxury craft, supporting superyachts, powered by ...
s,
gas engines and alcohol
range
Range may refer to:
Geography
* Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra)
** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands
* Range, a term used to i ...
s under the Speedway brand. The manufacturing facility in Morris Heights was referred to as the Speedway Shipyard, and it stood along Mathewson Road, near what is today the location of
Roberto Clemente State Park
Roberto Clemente State Park is a state park in Morris Heights, Bronx, New York City. The park is adjacent to the Harlem River, the Major Deegan Expressway ( Interstate 87), and the Morris Heights station on Metro-North's Hudson Line.
History
...
. On July 16, 1908 Charles L. Seabury & Co's shipyard launched the "largest
yacht
A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...
in the world driven by motor power ... in the presence of its owner
Charles Henry Fletcher
Charles Henry Fletcher (aka Chas. H. Fletcher in company advertising) organized and led the Centaur Company, makers of "Fletcher's Castoria", serving as president and general manager. Standard Remedies, April 1922.
Early life
He was born Decembe ...
". She was 111 feet over all, with a 21-foot beam, and 260 horse power and an engineering feat for luxury yachts of the time.
After the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the company
rebranded
Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...
itself as Consolidated Shipbuilding. It was heavily involved in the production of small yachts and military vessels, employing as many as 3,000 skilled tradespeople to that end.
Upon the conclusion of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the company moved from Morris Heights to the former Robert Jacobs shipyard on
City Island, and it continued to build ships until 1958.
World War II shipbuilding
* tugboats
** , , ,
** YT-364 ... YT-367, YT-388 ... YT-393, YT-520, YT-532 ... YT-545
** DPC-81 ... DPC-92, ST-752 ... ST-757, ST-769, ST-771
* 51 of 343 s
** ... , ,
** ... , ...
** ... , ,
** ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gas Engine and Power Company and Charles L. Seabury Company
Defunct shipbuilding companies of the United States
Defunct manufacturing companies based in New York City
Companies based in the Bronx
Manufacturing companies established in 1908
Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1958
1908 establishments in New York City
1958 disestablishments in New York (state)
Defunct companies based in New York City
Morris Heights, Bronx
City Island, Bronx
Harlem River
American companies established in 1908
American companies disestablished in 1958
Yachting in New York City