The Nobska was a

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

that plied the waters of

Nantucket Sound Nantucket Sound_(geography), Sound is a roughly triangular area of the Atlantic Ocean offshore from the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is long and wide, and is enclosed by Cape Cod on the north, Nantucket on the south, and Martha's Vineyard on ...

as part of The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority's fleet between 1925 and 1973 as a

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

. She was eventually scrapped in 2006 despite efforts to save her. She was America's last East Coast coastal steamer,Hickey, J. (2006, June 2). Final farewell to historic Steamer Nobska. Vineyard Gazette.
/ref> had been on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in Maryland,Stewardson, J. (1996, December 1). Students power Nobska. SouthCoast Today.
/ref> and had been considered one of America's 10 most endangered maritime resources by the National Maritime Alliance and

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...

Construction and service

Built in 1925 at the

Bath Iron Works Bath Iron Works (BIW) is a major United States shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, founded in 1884 as Bath Iron Works, Limited. Since 1995, Bath Iron Works has been a subsidiary of General Dynamics. It is the fifth-largest de ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

,Coastal Steamer Nobska
/ref>
/ref>
/ref> the ''Nobska'' was named after Nobska Point,

Woods Hole Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The population was 781 at ...

, on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

.NESF. (2001). Nobska's History.
/ref> Two hundred and ten feet long, she had a four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine and could make 14 knots. She ran many different routes for the

Steamship Authority The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, doing business as The Steamship Authority (''SSA''), is the statutory regulatory body for all ferry operations between mainland Massachusetts and The Islands (Massachusetts), the ...

over her decades of service for southeastern Massachusetts, mainly for the

Cape and Islands Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...

but also including

New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...

. Although launched as the ''Nobska'', from 1928 to 1956 she was named the ''Nantucket''.NESF Home Page.
/ref> Since she was renamed ''Nobska'' in 1956, two other Steamship Authority vessels have had that name: the later '' Naushon'', and the current ''Nantucket'' itself. She was considered elegant and, at the time of her launch, modern, "the queen of

the Sounds The Sounds are a Swedish indie rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1998, the group's musical style has been compared to new wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons. Their debut album, '' Living in America'', was r ...

." In 2006 one reporter wrote that "She embodied style, grace and modern technology, and was an immediate hit with the Islanders she served," and that she was "beloved" by many during her years of service. In her later years she was "the grand lady of the ferry service."Stewardson, J. (1996, April 25). First step: Old ferry is Boston-bound for repairs to hull, refitting. SouthCoast Today.
/ref> One story often told from her service years was when, in February 1961,

Nantucket island Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

was iced in and no ferries were able to make the trip. The ''Nobska'', with its sharp bow, was sent to break through the ice and did so, although she was then iced in over the weekend. Other stories can be found a
the NESF site

End of service

The ''Nobska'' ended her service in 1973, taking her last trip for the

on September 18 of that year,NESF. (2003). Background.
/ref> and was added to the

in 1974. She was sold off in 1975, and was converted to a floating restaurant in Baltimore,Sea History 108 (Autumn, 2004).
/ref> which did not work out. The Nobska sat derelict for over a decade
/ref> until Friends of the Nobska, a group created to save the ship, was able to purchase her in 1988.

Friends of the Nobska

The Friends of the Nobska, organized in 1975 and later renamed the New England Steamship Foundation (NESF), was a non-profit group specifically created to save the ''Nobska''. However the NESF experienced fundraising problems, legal battles, a scandal involving fundraising, and bankruptcy.
/ref>

Scrapping

In 2006, the ''Nobska'' had sat for ten years in a dry dock at the historic

Charlestown Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

, but the slip was needed for work on other historical vessels such as the

USS Constitution USS ''Constitution'', also known as ''Old Ironsides'', is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world's oldest ship still afloat. She was launched in 1797, one of six original frigates authorized ...

and the . The ''Nobska'' needed to be removed, intact or in pieces. The Friends of the Nobska were unable to raise the funds to finish the necessary work, and the ''Nobska'' was ordered scrapped by the National Park Service.Nobska steam whistle installed on Eagle. (n.d.). Inquirer and Mirror.
/ref>
/ref> She had been the last surviving American coastal steamer.

Whistle and engine survive

Some of the ship had been removed for restoration, such as the massive engine and the ship's steam whistle. In 2006 the

installed the ''Nobska's'' whistle on their modern vessel the ''Eagle'' (built in 1987),Lancaster, M. (2006, November 1). Curmudgeon objects to Nobska's whistle. Nantucket Independent.
/ref> although it is now air-powered instead of steam-powered, and pu

References

External links

*Photos
Morris, D. (n.d.). Working aboard the Steamship Nobska and the Islander Ferry, 1971.
*Postcards

Other photos are also scattered about the NESF site. *Photo of engine

* ttp://www.steamshipauthority.com/ Steamship Authority home page.br>New England Steamship Foundation home page.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nobska (Steamship) 1925 in Maine 1925 ships Ferries of Massachusetts Maritime history of the United States Martha's Vineyard National Register of Historic Places in Baltimore Ships built in Bath, Maine Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Steamboats of Nantucket Sound Transportation in Barnstable County, Massachusetts Transportation in Dukes County, Massachusetts Transportation in Nantucket, Massachusetts