Nathanael Greene Herreshoff (March 18, 1848 – June 2, 1938) was an American

naval architect This is the top category for all articles related to architecture and its practitioners. {{Commons category, Architecture occupations Design occupations Architecture, Occupations ...

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

, and

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 ...

design innovator. He produced a succession of undefeated

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 ...

defenders between 1893 and 1920.

Biography

Herreshoff was born on March 18, 1848, in

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of B ...

and was named after General

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependabl ...

. He was one of seven brothers. He graduated from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

in 1870 with a three-year degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

. After graduation, he took a position with the

Corliss Steam Engine A Corliss steam engine (or Corliss engine) is a steam engine, fitted with rotary valves and with variable valve timing patented in 1849, invented by and named after the American engineer George Henry Corliss of Providence, Rhode Island. Engines f ...

Company in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. At the 1876

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, he oversaw operation of the Corliss Stationary Engine, a ,

dynamo file:DynamoElectricMachinesEndViewPartlySection USP284110.png, "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator (electric), commutator. Dynamos were the f ...

that powered the exhibition's machinery. In 1878 Herreshoff returned to Bristol where he and one of his brothers, John Brown Herreshoff (1841–1915), who was blind, formed the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Nathanael provided the engineering expertise and John provided the business expertise, managing the firm's personnel and interacting with clients. Together, they grew the business from about 20 employees to over 400. Herreshoff’s talent for innovation found expression in both design and light-construction techniques. They built a variety of fast, steam-powered vessels and military craft. Having started its design since 1876, The Herreshoffs built the first torpedo spar boat for the U.S. Navy. ''Lightning'', that was purchased for experimental evaluation in 1878. In 1885, ''Stiletto'', a wooden torpedo boat with a length of 7.8 feets, 31 tons of displacement and a speed of 18.2 knots was launched at the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. as a private speculation. It was purchased for the United States Navy under an Act of Congress dated 3 March 1887, and entered service in July 1887, attached to the Naval Torpedo Station in Newport Rhode Island. '' USS Stiletto'' was the Navy's first torpedo boat capable of launching self-propelled torpedoes. In 1888, a serious accident occurred while Herreshoff was supervising speed trials of a ,

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

named ''Say When''. After a

safety valve A safety valve is a valve that acts as a fail-safe. An example of safety valve is a pressure relief valve (PRV), which automatically releases a substance from a boiler, pressure vessel, or other system, when the pressure or temperature exceeds ...

opened to release over-pressure, Herreshoff closed it so the boat could achieve its anticipated maximum speed. But a boiler exploded, fatally injuring a member of the crew. Consequently, Herreshoff lost his steam engineer's license. Herreshoff was an accomplished sailor, and was inducted into the

National Sailing Hall of Fame The National Sailing Hall of Fame is a nonprofit educational organization that promotes sailing and racing by recognizing individuals who have contributed to the sport, highlighting sailing's contribution to the American culture; and demonstrating i ...

in 2011. Two of Herreshoff's sons, Sidney Dewolf Herreshoff and

Lewis Francis Herreshoff L. (Lewis) Francis Herreshoff (November 11, 1890 – December 1972), was a boat designer, naval architect, editor, and author of books and magazine articles. Early in his career he worked for the Herreshoff Manufacturing and for naval archite ...

, also became yacht designers. He died on June 2, 1938, in

Yacht building

While the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company's early work centered on steam-powered vessels, by the 1890s the Herreshoffs turned to the design and construction of yachts for wealthy American clients, including

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Cornelius Vanderbilt III Brigadier General Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt III (September 5, 1873 – March 1, 1942) was an American military officer, inventor, engineer, and yachtsman. He was a member of the Vanderbilt family. Early life Born in New York City to Cornelius ...

Harold Stirling Vanderbilt Harold Stirling Vanderbilt CBE (July 6, 1884 – July 4, 1970) was an American railroad executive, a champion yachtsman, an innovator and champion player of contract bridge, and a member of the Vanderbilt family. Early life He was born in Oakdale, ...

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Harry Payne Whitney Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family. Early years Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872, as the eldest son ...

and

Alexander Smith Cochran Alexander Smith Cochran (February 28, 1874 – June 20, 1929 ) was a manufacturer, sportsman and philanthropist from Yonkers, New York. Biography He was born on February 28, 1874, to William Francis Cochran and Eva Smith. His grandfather was Alex ...

. Herreshoff boat production incorporated power tools that increased productivity at a high level of quality, using craftsmen that received the highest boat-builder wages in the state of Rhode Island. Herreshoff was noted as an innovative sailboat designer of his time. His designs ranged from the 12½, a 16-foot (12½ foot waterline) sailboat for training the children of yachtsmen, to the 144-foot

''Reliance'', with a sail area of 16,000 square feet. He received the first US patent for a sailing

catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...

. The firm built the America's Cup winning Cup yachts ''Enterprise'' (1930), and ''Rainbow'' (1934), designed by

Starling Burgess William Starling Burgess (December 25, 1878 – March 19, 1947) was an American yacht designer, aviation pioneer, and naval architect. He was awarded the highest prize in aviation, the Collier Trophy in 1915, just two years after Orville Wright ...

. Every winning America's Cup Yacht from 1893 to 1934 was built by the Herreshoff yard. The 123-foot '' Defender'' featured

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

-framing,

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

plating up to the waterline and

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

topsides to achieve a lighter and faster boat. This combination of materials had been pioneered in the French fresh-water racing yacht ''Vendenesse'', which had been described in a

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

article and caught the attention of the Vanderbilt Americacup syndicate. In salt water, ''Defender'' was subject to

galvanic corrosion Galvanic corrosion (also called bimetallic corrosion or dissimilar metal corrosion) is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially when it is in electrical contact with another, in the presence of an electrolyte. A sim ...

, which limited its durability in water. ''Defender'' won the America's Cup in 1895 over Lord Dunraven's ''Valkyrie III'', and she was used as an effective trial-horse for Herreshoff's new Cup defender '' Columbia'' in 1899. She was broken up in 1901. Those of the 2,000-plus designs by Herreshoff that survive are sought by connoisseurs of classic yachts. Herreshoff S-Class sailboats, designed in 1919 and built until 1941, are still actively raced in

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sma ...

, Buzzards Bay and Western Long Island Sound (

Larchmont, New York Larchmont is a village located within the Town of Mamaroneck in Westchester County, New York, approximately northeast of Midtown Manhattan. The population of the village was 5,864 at the 2010 census. In February 2019, Bloomberg ranked Larc ...

). His 12½ design of 1914 is still being built and raced in New England as well. The New York 30 is well regarded as a one-design racer/cruiser. In the 1942 the shipyard built wooden hull

APc-1-class small coastal transports ''APc-1''-class small coastal transports were a troopship design used during World War 2 for the United States Navy (USN). These ships were assigned to the Pacific War where they transported supplies, personnel and munitions around the Island ho ...

to support the

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 ...

demand for ships. The

Herreshoff Marine Museum The Herreshoff Marine Museumis a maritime museum in Bristol, Rhode Island dedicated to the history of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, yachting, and America's Cup. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company (1878–1945) was most notable for prod ...

preserves Herreshoff's legacy at the former site of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co.

Notable vessels

Herreshoff Duplex Catamaran sailing in the Thames River--1880

Steam vessels

* ''Lightning''—the US Navy's first purpose-built torpedo boat—a speed record breaking steam launch with a

spar torpedo A spar torpedo is a weapon consisting of a bomb placed at the end of a long pole, or spar, and attached to a boat. The weapon is used by running the end of the spar into the enemy ship. Spar torpedoes were often equipped with a barbed spear at ...

, 1876. * Peruvian Torpedo boats in the War of the Pacific, (1879-1883).

Sailing vessels

In the last quarter of the 19th century, Herreshoff constructed a double-hulled sailing boat of his own design (US Pat. No. 189,459). The craft, ''Amaryllis'', raced at her maiden regatta on June 22, 1876, and performed exceedingly well. Her debut demonstrated the distinct performance advantages afforded by

s over the standard monohulls. It was as a result of this event, the Centennial Regatta of the New York Yacht Club, that catamarans were barred from regular sailing classes, and this remained the case until the 1970s. In 1892 he build ''Wee Win'' a ½ rater for Winifred Sutton, daughter of Sir Richard Sutton, 5th

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, whose yacht

Genesta ''Genesta'' was the unsuccessful English challenger in the fifth America's Cup in 1885 against the American defender ''Puritan''. Design The cutter ''Genesta'' was designed by John Beavor-Webb and built by the D&W Henderson shipyard on the ...

had been beaten in the 1885 America's cup by Puritan. ''Wee Win'' was very successful racing on the Solent, leading to several follow-up orders from British Yachtswomen and Yachtsmen. *''

Amaryllis ''Amaryllis'' () is the only genus in the subtribe Amaryllidinae (tribe Amaryllideae). It is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. The better known of the two, ''Amaryllis belladonna'', is a native of the Western Cape region of S ...

'' – sailing catamaran, 1876 *''

Tarantella () is a group of various southern Italian folk dances originating in the regions of Calabria, Campania and Puglia. It is characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in time (sometimes or ), accompanied by tambourines. It is among the mo ...

'' – catamaran, 1877 *'' Westward'' – racing yacht, 1910 * '' Helianthus III'', 1924 * ''

Herreshoff Bull's Eye The Herreshoff Bull's Eye or Bullseye, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Nathanael Greene Herreshoff and first built in 1914.Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages ...

'' * Herreshoff 12½

America's Cup yachts

Herreshoff designed and built the following America's Cup contenders. All won the series against their challengers. Herreshoff was the helmsman of ''Vigilant''. * '' Vigilant'', 1893 * '' Defender'', 1895 * '' Columbia'', 1899 & 1901 * '' Reliance'', 1903 * '' Resolute'', 1920

Technical achievements

According to his son's biography, Herreshoff's achievements include: #Built the first torpedo boat for the U.S. Navy. #Developed bulb and fin keels for large boats. #Updated the sail track and slide. #Invented the crosscut sail, with panels running at right angles to the leech, in order to combat cotton canvas' tendency to distort under load.

References

Bibliography

* * * *Herreshoff, Nathanael G. ''Recollections and Other Writings'' (Bristol, RI: Herreshoff Marine Museum) *Herreshoff, Nathanael G. and William Picard Stephens, annotated by John W. Streeter, ''Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, William Picard Stephens: Their Last Letters 1930-1938'' (Bristol, RI: Herreshoff Marine Museum) 1998. * *

External links

Herreshoff Marine Museum / America's Cup Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herreshoff, Nathanael 1848 births 1938 deaths American yacht designers Multihull designers America's Cup yacht designers American naval architects MIT School of Engineering alumni People from Bristol, Rhode Island Herreshoff family Engineers from Rhode Island