Henrietta was a 19th-century wooden

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made 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 ...

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

, designed and built in 1861 by Henry Steers for

James Gordon Bennett Jr. James Gordon Bennett Jr. (May 10, 1841May 14, 1918) was an American publisher. He was the publisher of the ''New York Herald'', founded by his father, James Gordon Bennett Sr. (1795–1872), who emigrated from Scotland. He was generally known as ...

She was acquired by the Union Navy during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. She was placed into the U.S. Revenue Service assigned to support the fleet blockading the ports of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

. The ''Henrietta'' won the first mid-winter

transatlantic Transatlantic, Trans-Atlantic or TransAtlantic may refer to: Film * Transatlantic Pictures, a film production company from 1948 to 1950 * Transatlantic Enterprises, an American production company in the late 1970s * ''Transatlantic'' (1931 film) ...

yacht race across the Atlantic between three American yachts.

Construction and service

Schooner Yacht ''Henrietta'' was launched from the

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

of Henry Steers at

Greenpoint, Brooklyn Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at Bushwick Inlet Park and McCarren Park; on the southeast by the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway and East ...

on May 18, 1861. She was designed and built by Henry Steers for

as a pleasure yacht. She was modelled by William Tooker as a keel yacht of 205 tons.

Purchased by US Navy

In 1861, Bennett volunteered his newly built yacht ''Henrietta'' for the U.S. Revenue Marine Service during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. At the same time, Bennett was commissioned as a third lieutenant in the Revenue Marine Service and assigned to the U.S. ''Henrietta''. She patrolled

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

looking for rebels until February 1862 when she was sent to

Port Royal, South Carolina Port Royal is a town on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 14,220 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area. Port Royal is home to Marine Corps R ...

. She carried a 24-pound

Dahlgren gun Dahlgren guns were muzzle-loading naval guns designed by a United States Navy Rear Admiral John A. Dahlgren (November 13, 1809 – July 12, 1870), mostly used in the American Civil War. Dahlgren's design philosophy evolved from an accidental ...

with 16 men. On March 3, 1862, Bennett commanded the ''Henrietta'' as part of the fleet which captured

Fernandina, Florida Fernandina Beach is a city in and the county seat of Nassau County, Florida, Nassau County, Florida, United States, in the state's northeastern corner. It is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast, situated on Amelia Island, and is o ...

and raised the American flag. Bennett and the ''Henrietta'' was decommissioned and returned to civilian life in New York in May 1862. In September 1865, the ''Henrietta'' lost to the yacht ''Fleetwing'' in a race around Cape May Lightship by 1 hour and 19 minutes. In October 1865, she was defeated by the Vesta over the same course.

Transatlantic race

In what was billed as the "Great Ocean Yacht Race", when three wealthy American men took their yachts on a mid-winter transatlantic race across the Atlantic in December 1866. The three yachts were the ''Vesta'' owned by

Pierre Lorillard IV Pierre J. Lorillard IV (October 13, 1833 – July 7, 1901) was an American tobacco manufacturer and thoroughbred race horse owner. Early life Born in Westchester, New York, he was the son of Pierre Lorillard III (1796–1867) and Catherine ...

, the ''Fleetwing'' owned by George and

Franklin Osgood Franklin Osgood (December 24, 1828January 13, 1888) was a 19th-century businessman and yachtsman. He was an experienced yachtsman having sailed for more than 23 years. He was owner and manager of the racing yachts Widgeon (pilot boat), ''Widgeon ...

and the ''Henrietta'' owned by the 21-year-old yachtsman

Each yachtsman put up $30,000 in the winner-take-all wager. They started from Sandy Hook Light, during high

westerly wind The westerlies, anti-trades, or prevailing westerlies, are prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude. They originate from the high-pressure areas in the horse latitudes (about 30 ...

s and raced to

The Needles The Needles are a row of three stacks of chalk that rise about out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, United Kingdom, close to Alum Bay and Scratchell's Bay, and part of Totland, the weste ...

, the furthest westerly point of the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

, before reaching the

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...

Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...

on the Isle of Wight. Bennett's ''Henrietta'' won with a time of 13 days, 21 hours, 55 minutes, with Captain Samuel S. Samuels as the skipper. The ''Fleetwing'' and ''Vesta'' took over 14 days to reach Cowes. After his win, Bennett bought the rival yacht, the ''Fleetwing,'' for $65,000 and named her the ''Dauntless''. After the race, on January 1, 1867, Commodore McVickar of 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. ...

and Mr. Bennett, of the ''Henrietta'' had a personal meeting with

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house in the style ...

End of service

In 1870, the ''Henrietta'' was sold for $16,000 to Captain Nickerson of Boston for fruit trade in

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. She was later sold again and used in the African trade and then transferred to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

and the Bay Island Fruit company. On December 16, 1872, the ''Henrietta'' was lost off the coast of

Roatán Roatán () is an island in the Caribbean, about off the northern coast of Honduras. The largest of the Bay Islands Department, Bay Islands of Honduras, it is located between the islands of Utila and Guanaja. It is approximately long, and le ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

on her return voyage to New York during a heavy gale. Her crew were saved.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henrietta Ships of the Union Navy Schooners of the United States Schooners of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy Dispatch boats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Individual sailing vessels Service vessels of the United States 1861 ships Maritime incidents in December 1872