The ''Mary Taylor'' was a 19th-century

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 ...

and

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 at the Hathorne & Steers

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 ...

in 1849 for Captain Richard Brown. She was designed by

George Steers George Steers (August 15, 1819 – September 25, 1856) was a designer of yachts best known for the famous racing yacht ''America''. He founded a shipyard with his brother, George Steers and Co, and died in an accident just as he was landing a maj ...

with a new radical design with a long thin bow and wide

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...

, which made her faster than any other boat in her class. This design proved successful and led to the famous yacht ''America,'' which won the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

in 1851. The ''Mary Taylor'' sank after colliding with the

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 ...

''Fairhaven'' in 1863. She was replaced by the '' Mary E. Fish''.

Construction and service

New York pilot boat ''Mary Taylor,'' was built in early 1849 at the Hathorne & Steers shipyard, at the foot of North First street, in

Williamsburg, New York Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. As of the 2020 United ...

. She was designed by

for Captain Richard "Dick" Brown. Steers designed her with a new thin bow and wide stern, which made her faster than any boat of her size. Fitting with the new design, Brown named her after a scandalous New York actress Mary Taylor, known for dancing the

bawdy Ribaldry or blue comedy is humorous entertainment that ranges from bordering on indelicacy to indecency. Blue comedy is also referred to as "bawdiness" or being "bawdy". Sex is presented in ribald material more for the purpose of poking fun at ...

polka Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The term ...

. The schooner was a big success, out sailing other boats in the pilot fleet. The ''Mary Taylor'' was followed the next year by the

Moses H. Grinnell Moses Hicks Grinnell (March 3, 1803 – November 24, 1877) was a United States Congressman representing New York, and a Commissioner of New York City's Central Park. Early life Grinnell was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on March 3, ...

, which led to the famous yacht ''America'', which won the America's Cup. The following is from Steers about the ''Mary Taylor'':

When George Steers laid the keel of the pilot boat, Mary Taylor, he engaged in advance to make a faster and steadier craft that had ever left the port of New York, and he succeeded exactly according to expectation. For encountering less resistance from the narrow bows, the vessel went faster, experienced no corresponding strain, and suffered no more in the storm than in the breeze.

The sail number "5" was painted as a large number on the mainsail identified the boat as belonging to the Sandy Hook Pilots. Based on this number, the ''Mary Taylor No. 5,'' appeared in several prominent newspapers from 1849–1863. She was

gaff rig Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the ''gaff''. Because of the size and shape ...

ged, two-masted schooner, 67 feet long; 17.10 feet beam; and 7.9 feet in depth. Without the success of the ''Mary Taylor,'' the ''America'' may not have been built. A half model of the ''Mary Taylor's''

starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...

side was made in 1849 by George Steers. The model is a representation of the boats's molded lines with a long thin bow and plum stern. Inscribed in black letters are the words "MARY TAYLOR."

End of service

On November 10, 1863, the U. S. steam transport ''Fairhaven'', came into collision with the ''Mary Taylor,'' No. 5, near

Barnegat, New Jersey Barnegat Township is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the township's population was 20,936, reflecting an increase of 5,666 (+37.1%) from the 15,270 counted in the 2000 Census, which ha ...

causing her to sink. A crew of six on board were saved.

References

{{List of Northeastern U. S. Pilot Boats : : : : : Individual sailing vessels Schooners of the United States Service vessels of the United States 1849 ships Pilot boats Ships built in Brooklyn

Construction and service

End of service

See also

References