The ''Edward Cooper'' was a 19th-century

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...

pilot boat A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting. Pilot boats were once sailing boats that had to be fast because the first pilot to reach the incoming ship ...

, built in 1879 for

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Pilots at

Greenpoint, Brooklyn Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at Bushwick Inlet Park and McCarren Park; on the southeast by the Brooklyn� ...

. She was named in honor of the Mayor of

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 ...

. The ''Edward Cooper'' helped transport

maritime pilot A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who maneuvers ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots are regarded as skilled professionals ...

s between inbound or outbound ships coming into the

New York Harbor New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...

. She survived the

Great Blizzard of 1888 The Great Blizzard of 1888, also known as the Great Blizzard of '88 or the Great White Hurricane (March 11–14, 1888), was one of the most severe recorded blizzards in American history. The storm paralyzed the East Coast from the Chesapeake Ba ...

. In 1892, the ''Cooper'' sank in a snowstorm and was replaced by the ''Joseph Pulitzer'' in 1894.

Construction and service

On April 8, 1879, the ''Edward Cooper,'' was launched from the Samuel Pine

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

at the foot of Kent Street. A large number of guests attended and a photograph of the boat was taken. During the

Ceremonial ship launching Ceremonial ship launching involves the performance of ceremonies associated with the process of transferring a vessel to the water. It is a nautical tradition in many cultures, dating back thousands of years, to accompany the physical pro ...

, Sadie W. Heath christened the boat by breaking a

sacrificial Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exis ...

bottle of

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

over the bow. The ''Edward Cooper,'' was named in honor of the Mayor of

(1879–1880). The boat number "20" was painted as a large number on her

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot ...

, that identified her as belonging to Sandy Hook pilot No. 20. Captain Jacob E. Lockman was in command. The ''Edward Cooper,'' was registered as a Pilot

Schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

with the ''Record of American and Foreign Shipping'', from 1881 to 1893. Her ship

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

was George Waldie (1881-1883) and Captain Jacob Heath (1884-1893); her owners were N. Y. Pilots; built in 1879 at the Greenpoint, New York; and her hailing port was the Port of New York. Her dimensions were 78.8 ft. in length; 21.6 ft. breadth of beam; 8.2 ft. depth of hold; and 58-tons

Tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on ''tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically ref ...

. In 1885, the ''Edward Cooper,'' No. 20, was on a cruise to

Sable Island Sable Island (french: île de Sable, literally "island of sand") is a small Canadian island situated southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and about southeast of the closest point of mainland Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic Ocean. The island i ...

and came across the Thingvalla

ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...

''Island'' off the

Grand Banks of Newfoundland The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordf ...

, that had broken her rudder. The ''Cooper'' saved her by attaching steel cables to the liner, which were used as a drag and rudder. In the

, ''Edward Cooper,'' No. 20, was one was one of 17 vessels out on pilot duty at the time of the storm. She went ashore on the

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

coast. The pilot and crew took cover at a house near the

Sandy Hook Light __NOTOC__ The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, located about one and a half statute miles (2.4 km) inland from the tip of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States. It was designed and built on June 11, 1764 by Isa ...

house. Mrs. W. W. Stewart fed the men and allowed them to stay the night. The men from the pilot boats '' Edward F. Williams,'' and the ''Centennial,'' joined them. John Taylor was attached to the ''Edward Cooper,'' in 1889. On February 27, 1892, Pilot James Smith fell overboard and drowned off

Barnegat Light, New Jersey Barnegat Light is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 574,Wilson Line Thomas Wilson Sons & Co. was a British shipping company, founded in 1840,Greenway (1986), p. 48 It evolved from a joint venture formed by merchants Thomas Wilson, John Beckinton and two unrelated partners named Hudson in 1822. The company expan ...

S. S. ''Marengo''. Thomas Marks and John Hammer were pilots on the ''Cooper''. The ''Edward Cooper'' was replaced by the ''Joseph Pulitzer,'' No. 20, on February 21, 1894, at

Essex, Massachusetts Essex is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, 26 miles (42 km) north of Boston and 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Newburyport. It is known for its former role as a center of shipbuilding. The population was 3,675 at the 2020 ce ...

for the New York Captain Jacob M. Heath.

References

{{List of Northeastern U. S. Pilot Boats, state=collapsed Individual sailing vessels Schooners of the United States Service vessels of the United States 1879 ships Pilot boats Ships built in Brooklyn

Construction and service

See also

References