The ''Phantom'' was a 19th-century centerboard

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 ...

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 1865 by Joseph D. Van Deusen and first owned by yachtsman

Henry G. Stebbins Col. Henry George Stebbins (September 15, 1811 – December 9, 1881) was a U.S. Representative from New York during the latter half of the American Civil War. Early life Stebbins was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, to Mary Largin (1783–1874) ...

. She was one of the fastest yachts in the New York

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

. The ''Phantom'' won 1st place in the June 1867

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 ...

. She came in 7th place in an unsuccessful

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 ...

defense in 1870. She was sold as a racing yacht several times before she went out of service in 1900.

Construction and service

The ''Phantom'' was a centerboard schooner built in the summer of 1865 by Joseph D. Van Deusen and owned by yachtsman

and part of the New York Yacht Squadron. She was constructed on the same model as the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

yacht ''Sylvia''. She was 123.3 tons burden, and 92 length on deck. She was painted a deep maroon.

June Regatta

In June 1867, the schooner ''Phantom'' was in the annual June

. Commodore H. G. Stebbins was listed as owner. She raced against the ''Magic'', ''Dauntless'', ''Widgeon'', ''Vesta'', and other schooners and sloops. The course was from Owl's Head to the S.W. Split, then across to the

Sandy Hook Light __NOTOC__ The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, located about one and a half statute miles (2.4 km) inland from the tip of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States. It was designed and built on June 11, 1764 by Isa ...

ship and back. ''Phantom'' came in 1st place at 5hr. 40min, and 57 secs; the ''Magic'' 2nd place at 5hr. 48min, and 24 secs and the ''Dauntless'' 4th place at 6hr. 7min, and 12 secs.

1870 America's cup

On August 8, 1870, the international

1870 America's Cup The 1870 America's Cup was the first America's Cup to be hosted in the United States, and the first "America's Cup" due to the trophy being renamed from the 100 Guineas Cup of 1851. It was the first competition after the founding of the "America ...

(also called the Queen's Cup) was the first America's Cup to be hosted in the United States at

New York Harbor New York Harbor is at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...

. Henry G. Stebbins with his American schooner ''Phantom'' was in the competition. The course started from the

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

N.Y.Y.C anchorage down through the

Narrows A narrows or narrow (used interchangeably but usually in the plural form), is a restricted land or water passage. Most commonly a narrows is a strait, though it can also be a water gap. A narrows may form where a stream passes through a tilted ...

to the S.W. Split

buoy A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...

, across to the Sandy Hook lightship and return to Staten Island. The race was won by the Franklin Osgood's ''Magic'' with the ''Phantom'' finishing in 7th place. Franklin Osgood's yacht ''Magic'' beat 16 competitors from the

, including

James Lloyd Ashbury James Lloyd Ashbury (1834 – 3 September 1895) was a British yachtsman and Conservative Party politician. Early life The son of John Ashbury, founder of the Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Company Ltd of Manchester, James trained as an engine ...

's English yacht ''Cambria'' that sailed to New York on behalf of the

Royal Thames Yacht Club The Royal Thames Yacht Club (RTYC) is the oldest continuously operating yacht club in the world, and the oldest yacht club in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are located at 60 Knightsbridge, London, England, overlooking Hyde Park. The club ...

and the yachts ''Dauntless,'' ''Idler,'' ''Fleetwing,'' ''Phantom,'' ''America'' and others. In September, 1870, there was a single match race for the Newport Cup against Asbury's yacht ''Cambria,'' Stebbins yacht ''Phantom'' and the yacht ''Madeline,'' owned by Jacob Voorhis, Jr. The course was off the

. The ''Cambria'' was badly beaten by the ''Phantom'' and ''Madeline''. In June 1873, yachtsman William Henry Osgood purchased the yacht ''Phantom'' from ex-Commodore Henry G. Stebbins. She was fitted out in New London for the July season. In August 1874, the ''Phantom'' was in the

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...

yacht regatta. She won a silver service as the first prize for first-class yachts. She competed against the ''Loreled'', ''Startle'', ''Emily'', and ''Le Roy'' yachts. On May 12, 1879, Osgood sold the ''Phantom'' to Henry S. Hovey of Boston. He moved her to the

Eastern Yacht Club The Eastern Yacht Club is located in Marblehead, Massachusetts and founded in 1870. It is one of the oldest yacht clubs on the east coast with significant involvement in the history of American yachting. History The current clubhouse was c ...

located in

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends ...

. Hovey sailed her for the next five years, where he took her on a number of trips to New York for races there and at

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 ...

. In 1881, the Phantom was one of the yachts which took part in the Yorktown celebration. In 1882, Hovey had the keel schooner-rigged yacht ''Fortuna'' built by C. & R. Poillon of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York from a design by A. Cary Smith. Hovey sold the ''Phantom'' in August 1883 to Eugene V. R. Thayer of Boston. Thayer took the ''Phantom'' on races in New Bedford at the Eastern Yacht Club. Hovey then sold her in March 1886 to E. Griscom Haven, owner of the schooner ''Lotus'' and member of the N.Y.Y.C. He sailed the yacht from Boston to New York. In July 1889, the ''Phantom'' was purchased by Commodore Henry S. Parmelee of the New Haven Yacht Club in Connecticut where she served as a flagship. She sailed from New York to New Haven. On July 30, 1893, Parmelee was in command of eighteen boats entered in the squadron for the twelfth annual cruise of the New Haven Yacht club, held at the

Thimble Islands The Thimble Islands is an archipelago consisting of small islands in Long Island Sound, located in and around the harbor of Stony Creek in the southeast corner of Branford, Connecticut. The islands are under the jurisdiction of the United Sta ...

off

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

, near

Branford, Connecticut Branford is a shoreline New England town, town located on Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut, New Haven County, Connecticut, about east of downtown New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven. The population was 28,273 at the 2020 United Sta ...

. The course was from the Thimble Islands to

Stonington, Connecticut The town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington (borough), Connecticut, Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and W ...

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, ...

, and

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the Northeastern United States, located south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, known for being a popular, affluent summer colony. Martha's Vineyard includes the s ...

. In May 1894, Parmelee had the ''Phantom'' condemned and summoned out of service because her timbers had become decayed. In May 1896, Parmelee had the ''Phantom'' rebuilt at a cost of $12,000 and went into commission May 15. Captain James Carberry was the sailing master of the yacht.

End of service

On Oct 24, 1900, the sailing days of the ''Phantom'' were over when she was purchased by James E. Stannard of New Haven and turned into a houseboat.

References

External links

America's Cup

THE RACE OF THE FIRST CHALLENGE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phantom Schooners of the United States Individual sailing vessels Ships built in New York City Yachts of New York Yacht Club members 1865 ships America's Cup challengers America's Cup regattas 1870 in American sports 1870 in sailing