The Daniel Webster was a 19th-century pilot boat, built in 1851 at Chelsea, Massachusetts. She was sold to the San Francisco Pilots' Opposition Line in October 1853. In 1864 she sailed for Shanghai, China to be in the pilot service. She operated in Shanghai until 1892 when she was lost in a storm.
 Oil painting of the pilot boat Daniel Webster.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Daniel Webster |
| Namesake | Daniel Webster, American lawyer and statesman |
| Operator | William Robinson Lampee |
| Launched | 1851 |
| Out of service | 1892 |
| Fate | Sank |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | schooner |
| Tonnage | 77-tons TM |
| Propulsion | Sail |
Construction and service
edit
The Boston pilot-boat Daniel Webster, was built in 1851 at Chelsea, Massachusetts. Captain William R. Lampee as a maritime pilot and Thomas Cooper as an apprentice served on the Webster in the Boston pilot service. She was named for Daniel Webster, an American lawyer and statesman. When Webster died on 24 October 1852, the pilots of the Daniel Webster, wanted to attend his funeral. However, when they sailed to Marshfield, Massachusetts, they could not come ashore because there was not enough wind to pilot the boat near the shore.[1]
After losing the Dennison J. Lawlor Boston built pilot-boat Dancing Feather, in 1853 to the newly established San Francisco Merchant Line,[2] the Daniel Webster, was purchased by the San Francisco Pilots' Old Line in October 1853. The Daniel Webster sailed from Boston to Cape Horn to get to San Francisco.[3][4] The company was composed of W. W. Neal, C. L. Abbot, D. Murphy, W. E. Dornette, and O. E. Sampson.[5] The Daniel Webster, served the San Francisco fleet until 1862 when she was replaced by the Boston pilot-boat Caleb Curtis.[1]
The Daniel Webster, left San Francisco in February 1863 and sailed for Shanghai, China to become a pilot-boat. Her owners were Shelby, Palmer, Reddish, and C. L. Abbott, all San Francisco pilots, who went with her to be used a pilot-boat there.[6] Captain N. L. Rogers took the Daniel Webster to Shanghai as the sailing master.[7] She operated in Shanghai until 1892.[1]
End of service
editPilot-boat Daniel Webster, operated until 1892 in Shanghai, when she was lost in a storm. All pilots were rescued.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Eastman, Ralph M. (1956). Pilots and pilot boats of Boston Harbor. Boston, Massachusetts: Second Bank-State Street Trust Company. pp. 56–57.
- ^ "Letter from Buenos Ayres". The New York Times. New York, New York. 27 Apr 1853. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
- ^ "Marine News". The New York Times. New York, New York. 7 Nov 1853. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
Note, San Francisco had two pilot boat lines, the Opposition line and the Merchant line.
- ^ Cunliffe, Tom (2001). Pilots, The World Of Pilotage Under Sail and Oar. Brooklin, Maine: Wooden Boat Publications. pp. 121, 210–211. ISBN 9780937822692.
- ^ "Colville's San Francisco directory for the year commencing". San Francisco: Commercial Steam Presses: Monson, Valentine, & Co. 1857. p. 306. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
- ^ "Going To China". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. 28 Feb 1863. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-12-18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Capt. N. L. Rogers". Retrieved 2020-12-19.