The ''Northern Light'' 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 ...
, built in 1839 at the Whitemore & Holbrook
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 ...
for Colonel
William P. Winchester, a Boston merchant. She was designed by Louis Winde, an early yacht designer and shipbuilder. She sank en route to California in 1850. A second ''Northern Light,'' was built in 1927 and bought by the Boston Pilots' Association to serve as a pilot-boat from 1934 to 1941. She was sold to the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
in 1941 to serve in the war effort during World War II.
Construction and service
First ''Northern Light''
The Boston yacht ''Northern Light,'' was built in 1839 at the Whitemore & Holbrook
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 ...
for Colonel
William P. Winchester who was a Boston merchant. Winchester commissioned Louis Winde, an early yacht designer and shipbuilder, to design and build a model for the yacht. His unique design was later used 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 ...
. Her dimensions were, 47.6 feet Length of keel, beam was 17.6 feet, depth was 7.3 feet, and she was 70-tons.
She went into Boston commission on July 22, 1939. She was recognized as the "Queen" of the Boston harbor.
In 1840, the yacht ''Northern Light'', met the steamer ''Brittania'' off
Nixes Mate
Nixes Mate, also known as Nixes Island, Nix's Mate and Nick's Mate, is one of the smaller islands in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. Located in Boston Harbor's outer limits near the convergence of three major channels, the isl ...
to welcome her to Boston.
![Northern Light](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Northern_Light.jpg)
In 1843 she started racing and in 1844 she sailed to
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...
to race in the
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...
regatta
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...
. In 1846, she sailed in the club's second regatta in New York. Captain Winchester was on board the ''Northern Light''. She raced against the schooner
''Coquette'' and other entries.
End of service
The ''Northern Light,'' was sold in 1847 as a
packet ship
Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...
sailing between Boston and
Plymouth, Massachusetts
Plymouth (; historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Greater Boston, the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as ...
. Winchester repurchased her in 1848, then sold her on 4 December 1849 to a group of men living in Massachusetts.
On 17 December 1849, her new owners sailed the ''Northern Light'' from Boston on their way to
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. On 14 March 1850, she ran into fog entering the dangerous
Strait of Magellan
The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural pass ...
, so she anchored in Gregory Bay. When the wind picked up, she dragged her anchors, then struck the rocky shore of Barranca Point. The crew escaped from the
shipwreck
A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...
and arrived safely in
Valparaíso
Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. That same year, friends of Winchester presented a silver punch bowl with the inscription, "Presented To William P Winchester. To Commemorate The Pleasant Hours His Friends Have Passed With Him On Board His Yacht Northern Light."
Second ''Northern Light''
![Northern Light (pilot boat)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Northern_Light_%28pilot_boat%29.jpg)
On 20 January 1927, another boat named the ''Northern Light,'' was built in
W. F. Stone & Sons shipyard in
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
, as a yacht for John Borden, a rich Chicago banker. On 21 April 1927, Borden took her to the
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
on an expedition for the
Field Museum of Chicago to collect
Kodiak bear
The Kodiak bear (''Ursus arctos middendorffi''), also known as the Kodiak brown bear, sometimes the Alaskan brown bear, inhabits the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago in southwest Alaska. It is the largest recognized subspecies or population o ...
and polar bear and other
zoological
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and dis ...
specimens. Borden, his wife, several friends and a crew of eight.
In December 1928, Borden's wife wrote a book about the Arctic trip on the ''Northern Light,'' called "The Cruise of the Northern Light." It was the first book in which a woman recorded her experiences in the Arctic.
The Boston pilot-boat
''Liberty'', was built in
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...
in 1896. She was in pilot service until 1934, when she was replaced by the ''Northern Light'' on 15 May 1934.
The ''Northern Light,'' was bought by the
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
Pilot's Association to serve as a pilot-boat for the
Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States.
History
Since ...
. She was changed over to be pilot boat and served from 1934 to 1941.
Charles Francis Adams was a distinguished guest when she was in pilot service. As Secretary of the Navy, he was interested in her construction.
End of service
The ''Northern Light,'' was sold to the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
in 1941 during
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 ...
. The ''
Roseway
''Roseway'' is a wooden gaff-rigged schooner launched on 24 November 1925 in Essex, Massachusetts. She is currently operated by World Ocean School, a non-profit educational organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, and is normally operated ...
'' was a replacement for the ''Northern Light'' when she was sold.
See also
*
List of Northeastern U. S. Pilot Boats
References
{{List of Northeastern U. S. Pilot Boats, state=collapsed
Individual sailing vessels
Schooners of the United States
Service vessels of the United States
1839 ships
Pilot boats
Ships built in Oakland, California
Ships built in Boston