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 ...
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 by the
shipbuilder
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...
Jacob Bell for a group of New York Pilots in 1840. She was named in honor of the shipbuilder Jacob Bell, who was a partner in the Brown & Bell firm. After fourteen years of service she went ashore in a gale off
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 ...
in 1854.
Construction and service
On 22 January 1840, the pilot boat, ''Jacob Bell,'' was launched from the Brown & Bellshipyard, on the
East River
The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Quee ...
. She was built by shipbuilder Jacob Bell. The ''Bell,'' was named in honor of the shipbuilder Jacob Bell, who was a partner in the Brown & Bell firm. The launch was witnessed by a large party of ladies and gentlemen. She was owned by a company of New York pilots, including James Britton, Mitchell Eleock, Halston, and others. Her dimensions were 71 ft. in length; 19 ft. breadth of beam; 8 ft. in depth; and 84-tons burthen. Her cost was $8,000. She was expected to beat the famous ''Washington'', which was known for her speed. The boat number "4" was painted as a large number on the
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 i ...
.
In 1840, there were only eight New York pilot boats. They were the ''Phantom'', No. 1; ''Washington'', No. 2; ''New York'' No. 3; ''Jacob Bell,'' No. 4; ''Blossom,'' No. 5; ''T. H. Smith,'' No. 6; ''John E. Davidson,'' No. 7; and the ''Virginia,'' No. 8.
On 14 December 1840, Wm. H. Rolston, of the pilot boat ''Jacob Bell'', along with other pilots from the port of New York, stated that they had never been employed by J. D. Stevenson and no compensation has been offered or demanded.
On March 15, 1844, an Admiral of the New York Clipper Boats thanked the pilots of the Charlotte Ann, Jacob Bell, Blossom, and Joseph N. Lord for their service and for the fact that they have often been boarded two hundred miles at sea by New York pilots.
On February 15, 1848, pilot-boat ''Jacob Bell,'' off
Egg Harbor City, New Jersey
Egg Harbor City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 4,396, an increase of 153 from the 2010 Census.brig that was
capsized
Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel fro ...
. The wreck was also seen by the pilot-boat ''Washington'', the previous day.
End of service
After fourteen years of service, the ''Jacob Bell,'' went ashore in a gale at the Sandy Hook beach on February 16, 1854 with a loss of all the crew. She was filled with water. She lay on the beach through February and March and was reported in bad condition. By April 13, the ''Bell'' was taken off the beach and returned to the city.