''Thomas D. Harrison'' was a 19th-century

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

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 for New Jersey pilots. She was launched from the Jacob S. Ellis & Son

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 ...

, at

Tottenville, Staten Island Tottenville is a neighborhood on the South Shore, Staten Island, South Shore of Staten Island, New York City. It is the southernmost settlement in both New York City and New York (state), New York State. Tottenville is bounded on three sides by w ...

in 1875. The ''Harrison'' went ashore in the

Great Blizzard of 1888 The Great Blizzard of 1888, also known as the Great Blizzard of '88 or the Great White Hurricane (March 11–14, 1888), was one of the most severe recorded blizzards in American history. The storm paralyzed the East Coast from the Chesapeake Ba ...

with no lives lost. She continued as a pilot boat with Pilot Stephen Cooper in command. She was purchased in 1897 by Allerton D. Hitch and used for coastal trade in the

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

islands off the west African coast.

Construction and service

The ''Thomas D. Harrison'' was a pilot boat built in 1875. She was launched from the Jacob S. Ellis & Son

. She was registered as a pilot

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 ...

with the ''Record of American and Foreign Shipping,'' from 1876 to 1882. Her ship

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

was Thomas Dexter and her owners were New Jersey Pilots; built in 1875 at Tottenville, Staten Island; and her hailing port was the Port of New York. Her dimensions were 80 ft. in length; 22 ft. breadth of beam; 7.9 ft. depth of hold; and 70-tons

Tonnage Tonnage is a measure of the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on ''tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically ref ...

. On February 12, 1879, the pilot boat ''Thomas D. Harrison,'' No. 3, and was reported as a New York pilot boat that took on incoming pilots whom had finished piloting ships out to sea and were returning home. During the terrible

Blizzard of 1888 The Great Blizzard of 1888, also known as the Great Blizzard of '88 or the Great White Hurricane (March 11–14, 1888), was one of the most severe recorded blizzards in American history. The storm paralyzed the East Coast from the Chesapeake B ...

, the ''Thomas D. Harrison,'' No. 3, went ashore in a secure anchorage at

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Bay Ridge is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by Sunset Park to the north, Dyker Heights to the east, the Narrows and the Belt Parkway to the west, and Fort Hamilton Army Base and ...

in the upper harbor without loss of life. On August 24, 1893, Pilot Stephen Cooper of the pilot boat ''Thomas D. Harrison'' was 20 miles off the Highlands when he picked up the only survivor from a sinking three-masted 200-ton schooner ''Narragansett'' and was taken to Staten Island. The crew of five men were lost. In the ''October 31, 1893, Annual Report Of The Board Of Commissioners Of Pilotage,'' ''Thomas D. Harrison,'' No. 3, was listed as one of the eight New Jersey Sandy Hook pilot boats. She was listed as weighing 69.72-tons On January 27, 1894, the pilot boats ''Thomas D. Harrison,'' No. 3, and the ''Elbridge T. Gerry,'' No. 2, were in a race to reach the steamship ''Caracas'', fifteen miles of

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 Cooper reached the ''Caracas'' first and climbed aboard to bring the steamship into port. The ''Thomas D. Harrison'' was listed as a New Jersey pilot-boat in 1895 with pilot Stephen Cooper in command. They were on regular pilot duties and brought in the steamer ''Massasoit'' into port.

Out of service

On January 26, 1897, the ''Thomas D. Harrison'' went on a 4,000 mile voyage to

São Vicente, Cape Verde São Vicente (Portuguese for " Saint Vincent") is one of the Barlavento Islands, the northern group within the Cape Verde archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, off the West African coast. It is located between the islands of Santo Antão and Sant ...

off the west African coast. Captain John Correa took a crew of five men on the trip. The ''Harrison'' was purchased by Allerton D. Hitch and was used for coastal trade in the islands.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas D. Harrison Service vessels of the United States Individual sailing vessels 1875 ships Schooners of the United States Ships built in Staten Island Pilot boats

Construction and service

Out of service

See also

References