''Westward'' was an American racing yacht designed and launched by

Nathanael Herreshoff Nathanael Greene Herreshoff (March 18, 1848 – June 2, 1938) was an American naval architect, mechanical engineer, and yacht design innovator. He produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893 and 1920. Biography Herr ...

on March 31, 1910. She was the largest yacht built under the International Rule of 1908. Westward 1910

She was owned by Alexander Cochran a successful businessman and member of the New York Yacht Club. Her skipper was Charlie Barr, notorious for his wins in the

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 ...

Races. In her first season in German waters, she smashed Kaiser Wilhelm's fleet displaying a faster speed to windward than any other

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 ...

. This was due to her ability to carry more canvas than her competitors although in high winds this extra load made her nearly unmanageable. Following her successes in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, the ''Westward'' sailed to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and competed in races there. Due to continuously changing handicap rules, Cochran chose to race the ''Westward'' in the A Class of the International rules for which she had been designed. Despite some controversy, ''Westward'' was eventually allowed to compete as Barr and Cochran had demanded. She made a decent showing of herself in her first race in British waters, defeating America's Cup challenger
Shamrock
' with Thomas Lipton aboard by 15 minutes. Her racing career was put on hold seemingly indefinitely when Captain Barr died suddenly of a heart attack on January 24, 1911. Cochran was heartbroken at the loss of his friend and sold the ''Westward'' for £100,000 to Albert Ballin who was the director of

Hamburg-America Line The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Aktien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), known in English as the Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent citi ...

. The new owners changed the ''Westward'' sail plan, painted her black and renamed her ''Hamburg II''. After a brief run in the 1913 Kiel Regatta in which she placed third, ''Hamburg II'' was laid up.

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

delayed her return to service and she passed through a string of owners before falling into the hands of Mr. Clarence Henry, a well known

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

financier who also restored her original name. In the 1920 Deal Regatta, ''Westward'' would meet a rival yacht she would become very familiar with, none other than the King's yacht ''

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

''. For the next 15 years the two yachts would grace British races with their presence, often leaving the rest of the fleet behind. When

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

died, ''Britannia'' followed him to the grave and the ''Westward'' retired from racing. She continued to serve her owner T.B. Davis until his death in 1947 when accordance with his will, she was scuttled and sunk off Jersey in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

.{{cite web , title=Herreshoff-Westward , url=http://classicsailboats.org/portfolio-view/n-g-herreshoff-westward/ , website=Classic Sailboats , access-date=February 6, 2021 Westward Oil Painting

References

Sailing yachts 1910 ships Sailboat type designs by Nathanael Greene Herreshoff