Guide to The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection...Introduction A comprehensive online guide to the design records of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company (HMCo.) is long overdue. ...
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Guide to The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection
The Design Records of The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company
Bristol, Rhode Island
The Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collection
Kurt Hasselbalch Frances Overcash & Angela Reddin
The Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections MIT Museum
Acknowledgments 3 Introduction 5 Historical Sketch 6 Scope and Content 8 Series Listing 10 Series Description I: Catalog Cards 11 Series Description II: Casting Cards (pattern use records) 12 Series Description III: HMCo Construction Record 13 Series Description IV: Offset Booklets 14 Series Description V: Drawings 26 Series Description VI: Technical and Business Records 38 Series Description VII: Half-Hull Models 55 Series Description VIII: Historic Microfilm 56 Description of Database 58
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Acknowledgments The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Project and this guide were made possible by generous private donations. Major funding for the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Project was received from the Haffenreffer Family Fund, Mr. and Mrs. J. Philip Lee, Joel White (MIT class of 1954) and John Lednicky (MIT class of 1944). We are most grateful for their support. This guide is dedicated to the project donors, and to their belief in making material culture more accessible. We also acknowledge the advice and encouragement given by Maynard Bray, the donors and many other friends and colleagues. Ellen Stone, Manager of the Ships Plans Collection at Mystic Seaport Museum provided valuable cataloging advice. Ben Fuller also provided helpful consultation in organizing database structure. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge the excellent work accomplished by the three individuals who cataloged and processed the entire Haffenreffer-Herrehsoff Collection. Their archival professionalism is reflected in the current state of the collection. Marge Ellis worked part-time on the project for two years. She processed Series I, II, III, IV, and entered all of the plan index card data in the database. Frances Overcash and Angela Reddin came to the project during a major transition and got steam up in a hurry. They cataloged and processed more than 13,500 plans, organized and cataloged Series VI, created databases for Series IV and VI, assisted with organization for microfilming and compiled the core data for this guide. Kurt Hasselbalch Curator Hart Nautical Collection MIT Museum April 14, 1997
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The Herreshoff Legacy Project
This recently completed effort was a multi-year project to refine and expand the cataloged data gathered in the early 1990s, upload it into the Museum’s database, and digitally capture 17,000 objects that resulted in over 33,000 high-resolution image files. The project included the creation of a new online collection portal by the MIT Museum and an exhibition entitled: Lighter, Stronger, Faster: The Herreshoff Legacy that opened at MIT Museum October 18, 2018. The online collections portal was launched in January 2019. The project was made possible through numerous key collaborations and contributions of colleagues within and outside of the MIT Museum. Major funding to make this extensive effort
possible was generously provided by: (Title Sponsor), Ulf B. Heide (MIT Class of 1960) and Elizabeth Heide, The Britton fund, in memory of Charles S. Britton II, Founder Tartan Marine Corporation, and Anonymous. Additional funding was provided by the Gregory Foundation Trust, Anonymous, and the Council for the Arts at MIT.
The Museum’s superb project team who accomplished an extraordinary quantity of outstanding imaging and database refinement included: Evelyn Ansel, Anna Britton, Hayley Hinsberger and Rachael Robinson, Curatorial Associate. Kurt Hasselbalch Curator Hart Nautical Collection MIT Museum January 16, 2019
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Introduction A comprehensive online guide to the design records of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company (HMCo.) is long overdue. The sustained high-level inquiries for information and prints from the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection made it clear that improving access should become a high priority. This need was addressed through meticulous cataloging and preservation microfilming, completed under the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Project. The project evolved following my first meeting with Maynard Bray at the MIT Museum in 1992. We talked for several hours about the problems of providing access to a large and complex design archive. The key problem was that general access to vessel design data was labor intensive, and required excessive handling of the plans. Access was difficult because no comprehensive item-level cataloging had ever been accomplished, and only small sections of the collection had been microfilmed. At the time, we didn’t have the ability to make prints in-house. If plans were not microfilmed they had to be carried out of the Museum to be filmed. The only known microfilm record of the collection was thought to have been lost (see Series VIII). It was daunting to realize that in the event of a catastrophe, no backup of this important collection was known to exist. We agreed that item level cataloging, creating a database, and microfilming were the keys to improving access and preservation. It was clear that this work would require a great deal of time and money. However, we felt that a Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Project could be privately funded. We began to develop a project proposal, and Maynard agreed to help the Museum find funding. In early 1993, Maynard contacted Mr. Carl W. Haffenreffer, Senior Trustee of the Haffenreffer Family Fund. In May of 1993, the Haffenreffer Family agreed to cover half of the project budget, provided that we raised the other half first. Maynard went on to contact Joel White, Chief Designer of Brooklin Boat Yard, ME who pledged to support one quarter of the budget. In 1993, Mr. & Mrs. J. Philip Lee also pledged their support. By November of 1993 the project was underway. The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Project was a comprehensive cataloging and preservation microfilming operation involving every element in the design records of the HMCo. The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection was divided into eight series, and cataloged and microfilmed according to these divisions. When the microfilming was completed, all collections were rehoused in new acid/lignin-free enclosures. The project also funded a digital microfilm reader/printer and computer with database. Approximately 17,000 collection objects were cataloged in detail, approximately 14,000 database records were created and well over 30,000 items were captured on microfilm. This guide contains general information about the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection and detailed information about each series listed in the table of contents. In addition, the appendices contain a description of the database, a complete listing of the microfilm, a facsimile of the original Construction Record of the HMCo.* Study of this guide will provide an overview of the complex design/manufacturing systems and products of the HMCo.
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The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Project has become a model for processing other Hart Nautical collections. Following the cataloging and microfilming of the Herreshoff design record in 1993, these additional Hart collections have been cataloged, imaged, and entered into the Museum’s database: George Owen’s designs and photographs, William Hand and R. O. Davis’s designs, C. H. W. Foster photograph collection, Hart General collection photographs, William A. Baker’s slide collection, Arthur H. Clark marine prints and Allan Forbes Whaling Collection. All of these collections and the Alden design collection (over 50,000 objects) will be available in the Museum’s online collections portal by July 2019. This important work is the result of generous private funding. The MIT Museum welcomes gifts in support of our ongoing mission to preserve, organize and make accessible the nautical material culture of New England and MIT. The Herreshoff Legacy Project has significantly extended and enhanced the work described above through high-resolution digitization of the entire Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection as a key startup step in producing a high quality online catalog for all of MIT Museum’s digital collections. Updated information about this collection and access in the Museum’s online portal are in bold.
Historical Sketch
The HMCo came into existence in early 1878 when John Brown Herreshoff (JBH) and his brother Nathanael Greene Herreshoff (NGH) entered into a business agreement to build boats and engines. The company resided on Herreshoff family property along the waterfront of Bristol, Rhode Island. With significant design contributions from NGH, and other family members, JBH had been building a variety of boats on this site for 15 years prior to the founding of HMCo. NGH had designed and built a number of boats with his family, and on his own, prior to entering into the partnership with his brother. NGH enrolled at MIT in 1866 for a special three-year course in mechanical engineering. After completing his studies at MIT, NGH secured employment as a designer/draftsman with the Corliss Steam Engine Co., Providence, RI. He held this position until resigning on December 31, 1877 to join his brother in forming HMCo. During 67 years of operation, HMCo was operated by three distinct ownership groups. JBH and NGH retained complete control of the company from 1878 to 1915. The Herreshoff’s sold their primary interests in 1916-1917. JBH managed the business aspects of the company while NGH did the designing and was superintendent of manufacturing. In the early years, the company built primarily steam-powered vessels, for both private and military customers. Record breaking speeds produced by the Herreshoff steam vessels in the 1880’s brought national recognition to the company. Orders for new boats increased significantly in the 1890’s. The US Navy contracted for six torpedo boats, built between 1890 and 1897, based on four NGH designs. It was not until after 1890 that the company began in earnest to produce sailing vessels. With the success of the 46-foot class sloop Gloriana, built for E.D. Morgan, major orders for HMCo sailboats began to increase (prior to 1890, the company built only three small sail boats for customers outside of the Herreshoff Family). In 1893, the HMCo designed and built three large sloops. Two of the three, Colonia and Vigilant, were built for the defense of the America’s Cup. Vigilant’s success lead the company into a
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tradition of designing and/or building great sloops to contend for the America’s Cup, including: Colonia and Vigilant (1893), Defender (1895), Columbia (1899), Constitution (1901), Reliance (1903), Resolute (1920), Weetamoe and Enterprise (1930) and Rainbow (1934). In 1915, at the age of 74, JBH passed away. NGH now found himself responsible for business as well as design and manufacturing. Within a year after JBH’s death the trustees of his estate decided to sell their interest in the company. A short time later NGH also sold his interest to several wealthy yacht owners from Boston and New York. After the HMCo was sold, it was reorganized under new stockholders, and A. Loring Swasey was hired as Chief Designer. NGH retired from the day-to-day operations while holding the title of President, essentially an honorary position. In 1924 the HMCo was for sale again—this time by auction. A Bristol, RI entrepreneur named Rudolph F. Haffenreffer (MIT class of 1895) bid successfully and kept the company intact. Haffenreffer and his sons, Carl W. and Rudolph F. III built the business back up, improved the facilities and successfully operated the Company through World War II. All the while, members of the Herreshoff family maintained a close relationship with the company. A. Sydney DeWolf Herreshoff (MIT Class of 1911), NGH’s oldest son, acted as chief designer and engineer from 1924 to 1944, helping to meet the steady stream of orders provided by military contracts throughout World War II. The HMCo built approximately 100 vessels for the Army and Navy during this time, and finally closed for business in 1945. Additional sources: Herreshoff of Bristol: A Photographic History of America’s Greatest Yacht and Boat Builders, by Maynard Bray and Carlton Pinheiro, published by WoodenBoat Publications, Brooklin, ME. 1989. For the most extensive historical background available on Herreshoff boats, explore the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonne´, created and maintained by Claas Van der Linde http://www.herreshoff.info/Menu/index.htm
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Scope and Content
The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection is the largest body of yachting and marine engineering related material in the Hart Nautical Collections. It consists primarily of drawings for the construction of boats and steam engines made by the HMCo. The collection also contains 243 offset booklets, 3.7 cu. ft. of technical and business records, 2,500 casting cards (records of pattern use), 3,400 catalog cards indexed by vessel name, contract number, and drawing number and the HMCo Construction Record (list of vessels built between 1868 and 1945). The collection also holds seventeen half-hull models of HMCo built vessels and twenty-two reels of microfilm commissioned by HMCo in 1944. See Series VII & VIII. For cataloging purposes the collection was divided into the following series: Series I, Catalog Cards; Series II, Casting Cards (pattern use records); Series III, Construction Record; Series IV, Offset Booklets; Series V, Drawings; Series VI, Technical and Business Records; Series VII, Models; and Series VIII, Historic Microfilm. The majority of materials in the collection range in date from 1878 to 1945. A very small number of items pre-date the founding of HMCo. The largest series consists of approximately 13,500 drawings. The drawings include construction plans for many different types of vessels, and the marine engineering products built by HMCo. For example, drawings for steam engines of thirty different sizes are extant. There are even architectural drawings that document the buildings and site of the HMCo. Also represented in the collection are plans for the seven great sloops designed and built by the HMCo for the defense of the America’s Cup: Colonia (1893), Vigilant (1893), Defender (1895), Columbia (1899), Constitution (1901), Reliance (1903) and Resolute (1914). The HMCo Construction Record lists 935 steam and power yacht contracts between 1868 and 1945, and 1,121 sailing yacht contracts between 1883 and 1945. The small tenders and lifeboats designed to complement larger vessels generally do not appear in the Construction Record, but plans for most of these small boats may be found in Series V (plan folder # 28). Offsets, plans, and specifications are present for a large number of the vessels and engines built by HMCo. It is rare to find hull shape lines plans in this collection because HMCo built hull construction molds directly from data in the offset booklets, which bypassed the usual lofting process. Although the collection is large, it is not a complete record of the work of the HMCo. Relatively few business or accounting records of the company are extant in the MIT Collection. Other sources of extant primary documents are held at the Herreshoff Marine Museum and Mystic Seaport Museum. Although much of the design record is present, gaps do exist. For example, offset booklets are missing on certain designs for which we hold the plans. In other cases, plans for Naval vessels built in WW II, or those of non-company designers, are generally not present. A small number of designs have only a small number of plans available. The original plans/offsets for four designs: S-class [# 828], Fishers Island One-Design [# 1212], Buzzards Bay 121/2 foot-class [#744], and a 14 foot design, Fano [# 1133], were purchased in 1948 by the
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Cape Cod Shipbuilding Co., of Wareham, MA. We hold microfilm and prints for many of the plans related to these designs. Questions regarding access to this part of the collection should be referred to the Curator of the Hart Nautical Collections at the MIT Museum.
Provenance
The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection originally came to MIT in 1948 as a long-term loan. Negotiations relating to this loan between the President of the HMCo, Rudolph F. Haffenreffer (MIT class of 1895), and MIT began in 1946 during the voluntary liquidation of the yard. Vice Admiral E. L. Cochrane (MIT class of 1920), Head of the MIT Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in 1946, was the key faculty member involved with these negotiations. Management of the Herreshoff materials was eventually taken over by the Hart Nautical Museum, which, in 1948, was administered by MIT’s Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. The collection remained on loan and continued to be administered by the Hart Nautical Museum until 1961. On September 22, 1961 the Haffenreffer Family Foundation deeded their collection to MIT. In 1982 the Hart Nautical Museum merged with the MIT Museum.
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Series Listing Series I: Catalog Cards
Series II: Casting Cards (pattern use records)
Series III: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. Construction Record
Series IV: Offset Booklets
Series V: Drawings
Series VI: Technical and Business Records
Series VII: Half-Hull Models
Series VIII: Historic Microfilm
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Series I
Catalog Cards 11/2 file drawers (.3 cu. ft.)
The catalog cards are 3” x 5” ruled index cards that have functioned for many years as a key finding aid to the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. There are three different sets of catalog cards. The first is organized by HMCo plan number, the second is organized alphabetically by vessel name, and the third set is organized by hull (job or contract) number. The first two sets of index cards were produced by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. The third set of catalog cards, arranged numerically by vessel contract number, was created after the collection was transferred to MIT. The plan number index cards are a historic inventory of the drawings. This system may have evolved as new plans were created. Each card lists approximately ten plan records with the following information: the drawing number, date, title, job number (hull number), “kind” and scale. “Kind” (of plan) refers to the support or the material used to make the plan. The order of plans listed on the cards mirrors the physical arrangement of the drawings. The information on these cards account for approximately eighty-five percent of the extant plans in the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Plan titles listed on these cards may vary slightly in wording from titles on the drawings. Transcription errors also appear occasionally. In many cases these cards indicate a drawing number cross-reference to a vessel hull number. When these cards do not list a vessel job number it is an indication that the drawing may relate to standard components, which were used for many vessels. The alphabetical card index of vessel names locates the primary plan (construction drawing) for most of the vessels listed in the construction record (Series III). The information found on these cards is similar to information listed in the construction record. Most of these cards list the plan number for the construction drawing, vessel name, hull number, vessel dimensions and other construction information. The cards also provide a contract or completion date and various notes regarding the vessels. In addition, the cards contain a page number reference to an as yet unknown index. The catalog cards, organized by vessel contract (hull) number, are simply a cross-reference to the vessel name or class with some cards containing dates or additional information. It is believed that these cards were created after the collection was transferred to MIT because information written on the reverse relates to MIT and not HMCo. The catalog cards are not yet easily searchable in the Museum’s online collections portal. However, the majority of data represented on the cards is more directly and efficiently searchable and viewable through the portal.
The Casting Cards are 5” x 7” ruled cards that were produced by HMCo to track the use of individual patterns and the production of castings. The cards are organized by pattern number. Each entry on the cards lists: the dates, the number of castings produced, the job number, the job urgency, the metal used, the weight for each casting made from the pattern, and remarks. Most of the cards also depict a sketch of the casting. If a pattern was sent to an outside foundry, the routing was tracked on the reverse of the related card. This series begins with a card for pattern number 461/2 and ends with number 12,736. Although most of the cards are missing from this sequence, approximately 2,500 casting cards do exist in this series. An important feature of these cards is that they generally list the drawing number used to make the pattern. Unfortunately, these cards often do not exist for pattern numbers referenced on the drawings. Additional pattern lists and cross-references to parent drawings exist in several other series of the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Beginning around 1890, the HMCo began a system of drawings that are lists (Series V, plan folders # 91 & # 25) for castings, blocks, and construction lists related to a specific hull number or class. These lists often provide a cross reference to the drawings related to patterns cited. Usually pattern numbers are also cited on the plans next to the related part; a cross-reference to the related drawing is sometimes next to the pattern number. Drawings of patterns usually have the pattern number written within or next to the part itself. Various lists of pattern numbers are also located in Series VI. In summary, when a block or casting list does not exist for a particular hull number, a list of patterns will have to be developed from the available plans. Most cross-references between plans and patterns are now searchable within the Museum’s database. This particular searching function is not yet fully available in the Museum’s online collection portal. However, all “index cards” (casting cards) and pattern “lists” created in plan format are searchable and viewable in the portal.
Series II – Casting Index Cards
Box Number Casting Card Object Number Range Microfiche Number
1 manuscript box (.5 cu. ft.) The HMCo Construction Record is a listing of sailboats, and steam and power yachts built by J.B. Herreshoff and HMCo between the years of 1868 and 1945, and represents the most complete list of vessels produced by the company. It is arranged into two distinct parts: “sailing boats” listed first, followed by “steam and power yachts.” Each section contains a list of vessels arranged chronologically by contract date, and numerically by contract number. The sailboat entries date from 1883 to 1946 and are assigned contract numbers from 400 to 1521. The steam and power yacht entries date from 1868 to 1945 and are assigned contract numbers from 1 to 935. The contracts dated from 1868 to 1877 relate to J. B. Herreshoff’s boat building business before HMCo was founded in 1878. For information about Herreshoff built boats not recorded in this record, consult http://herreshoff.info An overlap in hull numbers occurs between the two lists of the construction record. Since the steam and power yacht list was up to hull number 100 in 1883, it was likely anticipated that by starting the sailboat list with contract number 400, an overlap would not become a problem. In order to maintain clarity, the letter [P] is used next to all powerboat hull numbers over 399. The HMCo Construction Record is a tan corduroy-covered and red leather trimmed ledger style binder that is labeled, CONSTRUCTION RECORD HERRESHOFF MFG. CO., INC. It contains eighty-three pages of vessel data. Each page is organized into columns for twenty entries. The pages are numbered in handwriting, alternately in the upper left and right. Fourteen columns in the “sailing boats” section include: contract date, vessel contract number, vessel name, overall length of vessel, waterline length, beam, draft, rig (by type), keel (a check for yes and blank for no), centerboard (a check for yes and blank for no), ballast (type used), who the vessel was built for, contract price and notes (e.g., class name or weight, extra costs). Twelve columns of data for the “steam and power yachts” section include: date completed, vessel contract number, vessel name, overall length, waterline length, beam, draft, engines (size, type, and quantity), boiler (by type and dimensions), screw (by type, number of blades, left hand or right hand), contract price and notes (type of vessel or the name of vessel owner). The HMCo Construction Record * is part of the database. * The construction record facsimile has been removed from the 2019 version of the guide; instead, it may be accessed in color through the MIT Museum collections portal by searching by object number (HH.3.001).
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Series IV Offset Booklets
9 storage boxes (2.6 cu. ft.) As mentioned in the Scope and Content section, HMCo did not produce lines plans as part of their normal vessel design process. NGH developed a new hull shape by first making a half-hull model. Offsets and displacement estimates were generated directly from this half-hull model. The offsets were recorded in various types of small booklets. In addition to a listing of offsets, most booklets begin with a title page, which lists the frame spacing, as well as additional construction information. Offset booklets are generally organized by contract (hull) number. See a listing of the offset booklets in the table below. L. Francis Herreshoff documented the method NGH used to record offsets from his half-hulls, and described how construction plans were started. According to L. Francis Herreshoff (Capt. Nat Herreshoff The Wizard of Bristol, L. Francis Herreshoff, New York, 1953), NGH designed a machine, which used various scales to record the model’s shape at regular intervals along the length. The full-scale offsets for each frame of the boat were then recorded in consecutive pages. NGH used a pantograph to record several sections from the model. The model and tracings of sections were then used to transfer profile, plan, and section shapes to the construction plan. The construction plan was drawn to the same scale as the model. The offset booklets were next used by workers to make the molds that mirrored the inside hull shape, over which the boats were constructed. Many of the booklets contain numbers crossed out with corrections added next to them. The corrections were likely made while recording model offsets or when fairing the molds. It is important to note that a single booklet may contain hull shape data for one or more designs. Offsets and technical information for a single design may also be recorded in more than one booklet. The following list indicates that particular offset booklets reference cited hull numbers or vessel types. In some cases, offsets for yacht tenders and lifeboats may list a mother vessel’s hull number. It is not certain that the complete offset data is present for all the vessels listed below. Relevant data for vessels not listed may also be present and not noted. Further study is required to document all designs related to the offsets listed. A brief description of vessel length, and type and/or name, is provided next to the vessel hull numbers. Note: In the following table, information in square brackets was extrapolated by catalogers, and/or cross-referenced from the Construction Record. Please also note that [P] signifies that the vessel is a powerboat. Only the leading first few and final few pages are available for viewing in the online collections portal. See the Museum’s Plan Policy for access to offset data.
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Series IV – Offset Booklets Box Number Object
Number Vessels Cited (hull #/description) Microfilm
HH.4.209 no vessel contract number [#100?] HAFH.4.6R
HH.4.210 108, 109, 60’ torpedo boat (5/22/1890), estimate of machinery for torpedo vessel of Admiral Porter, 90’ sloop yacht model measurements (1885), proposed steamer yacht for [J.] A. Bostwick, model for large sloop (2/28/1886) about 84’ w. l. preliminary measurements [# 429], 65’ w. l. model (9/13/[18]86), 65’ w. l. second model (10/3/1886), preliminary model for steamer 151, preliminary model for 60’ torpedo boats (5/1890), Orienta [# 89]
HAFH.4.6R
HH.4.211 preliminary for 100’ scout boat [not used] HAFH.4.6R
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Series V
Drawings 46 flat files (90 cu. ft.)
Series V comprises the bulk of the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection and contains approximately 13,866 drawings. These drawings include detailed construction plans for many different types of vessels and marine engineering products of the HMCo. The drawings are organized by individual plan number. This order is generally chronological. The plan number is a two-part number composed of a drawer/plan folder number, and a drawing number within a plan folder. The present plan folder groups were located in numbered drawers while HMCo was in business. The plans are stored in 152 numbered plan folders, located in metal flat files. The plans are essentially in the original sequence maintained by the HMCo. The system maintains the design history of the drawings and all components used for construction, but makes it difficult to develop complete vessel and power plant plan lists. Little evidence exists for the HMCo systems used to locate all of the related plans for a given design. Fortunately, item level cataloging and the cross referencing ability of the Museum’s database has enhanced the ability to produce fast and relatively complete plan lists of vessels and engines. The types of plans represented in Series V include but are not limited to: vessel construction and arrangement, engines, boilers, propellers, marine hardware, rigging details, sail and sail cutting plans, and building and site plans. The construction drawing is the primary plan. It was generally the first plan produced, and it records the primary cross-references to other related drawings and pattern numbers. Plan number references on a drawing are usually depicted as a hyphenated number in brackets (3-45). Pattern numbers are normally preceded by the number sign (# 1175). Each drawing contains references to ancillary drawings and patterns. Prior to the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Project, a complete plan list was developed by tracking down all plan and pattern references. In the case of power vessels, if a plan list does not include references to the power-plant, knowledge of the engine and boiler size/type can help in locating the appropriate plan folder or database location. The Construction Record lists boiler type and engine sizes for each hull. In addition to cross references to other plans and pattern numbers, most plans include a title block containing the plan number, title, hull number, vessel name, scale and date. The plans also may list information regarding related hull numbers, internal job numbers (not relating to hull #), patterns/castings, scantlings, any blueprints made, and general notes. A tremendous amount of cross-reference information is contained on the plans themselves. Most of this data was recorded during the cataloging phase of the project. Virtually all of this cross-reference data is now entered in the Museum’s database—complete searching of these connections is not yet available in the portal but can be searched by collections staff. Many folders contain a small number of sketches or plans which do not have an HMCo. plan number. Many of these plans did not appear to follow an original organization. When an original folder number did not exist, plans were reorganized and filed after the folders holding company numbered plans. In the final digitization, additional folders were added to decrease the number of plans in each folder; original folder numbers were retained, and alphas were
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added to differentiate between additional folders (eg. Folder 1 became Folder 1A, 1B, 1C etc.). Furthermore, small plans in oversize folders were relocated to new folders given the new folder names: HH-V1, HH-V2, etc. Some large folded drawings were also removed to larger folders in order to store them unfolded permanently. This minor reorganization of original HMCo plan order was made for preservation purposes. The database maintains the original physical order intellectually and tracks each object location. The following table is a listing of all plan folders in Series V, except the subdivisions and newly created folders. The plan folder label is a summary of the type of drawings or the type of vessel structures and components, which the drawings relate to. The object number is the Museum’s unique number for each plan. The drawing number is the HMCo plan number.
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Series V - Drawings
Plan Folder Number
Plan Folder Label Object Number Drawing Number (2nd part)
Microfilm Reel Number
1 Construction and Arrangement Plans of Large Steamers and Sailing Yachts
HH.5.414-HH.5.443 1 - 29 HAFH.5.1R
1 Construction and Arrangement Plans of Large Steamers and Sailing Yachts
HH.5.444-HH.5.475 30 - 53 HAFH.5.1R
1 Construction and Arrangement Plans of Large Steamers and Sailing Yachts
HH.5.476-HH.5.502 54 - 75+ HAFH.5.1R
2 Construction and Arrangement Plans of Small Steamers and Launches
HH.5.1-HH.5.84 1 - 82 HAFH.5.1R
2 Construction and Arrangement Plans of Small Steamers and Launches
HH.5.85-HH.5.146 83 - 121 HAFH.5.1R
3 Construction and Arrangement Plans of Small Steamers and Launches
HH.5.147-HH.5.185 1 - 46 HAFH.5.1R
4 Preliminary Construction and Arrangement Plans of Large Steamers
HH.5.186-HH.5.235 1 - 53 HAFH.5.2R
5 Preliminary Construction and Arrangement Plans of Large Steamers
HH.5.236-HH.5.327 1 - 99 HAFH.5.2R
5 Preliminary Construction and Arrangement Plans of Large Steamers
HH.5.328-HH.5.413 100 - 197 HAFH.5.2R
6 Propellers HH.5.503-HH.5.635 1 - 128 HAFH.5.2R
7 Shafts and Cap Nuts HH.5.636-HH.5.699 1 - 71 HAFH.5.3R
8 Shafts and Cap Nuts HH.5.700-HH.5.782 1 - 81 HAFH.5.3R
9 Couplings HH.5.783-HH.5.842 1 - 56 HAFH.5.3R
10 Stern Tubes - Stuffing Boxes - Line Bearings
HH.5.843-HH.5.925 1 - 79+ HAFH.5.3R
11 Stern Tubes - Stuffing Boxes - Line Bearings
HH.5.926-HH.5.1012 1 - 82+ HAFH.5.3R
12 Steam Engines - Primarily 4” and 5” Stroke
HH.5.1013-HH.5.1054 1 - 40 HAFH.5.4R
13 Steam Engines - Primarily 3”, 31/2” and 4” Stroke
165 Plans Relating to Hull #408 [Avoca] HH.5.13086-HH.5.13134 no #s HAFH.5.34R
166 Plans Relating to 25 Man Lifeboat [no hull #] [1945]
HH.5.13135-HH.5.13170 no #s HAFH.5.34R
167 General Construction Details HH.5.13171-HH.5.13229 no #s HAFH.5.34R
168 Outside Design Plans [blueprints] HH.5.13234-HH.5.13307 no #’s HAFH.5.34R
169 Outside Design Plans [blueprints] HH.5.13308-HH.5.13370 no #’s HAFH.5.35R
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Plan Folder Number
Plan Folder Label Object Number Drawing Number (2nd part)
Microfilm Reel Number
170 Outside Engine Plans [blueprints] HH.5.13392-HH.5.13432 no #’s HAFH.5.35R
171 L. Francis Herreshoff [blueprints] HH.5.13433-HH.5.13468 no #’s HAFH.5.35R
172 Rigging Details for Endeavor (non HMCo vessel)
HH.5.13470-HH.5.13474 no #’s HAFH.6.3R
V1 Various drawings from folders 49 64 30 68 76 82 83 85 92
#’s vary #’s vary See orig. folder
V2 Various drawings from folders 82 93 105 107 109 110 111 112 118 125
“ “ “
V3 Various drawings from folders 125 128 132 136 141 142 143 164
“ “ “
V4 Various drawings from folders 114 131 135 136 138 139 140 144
“ “ “
V5 Various drawings from folders 82 88 89 92 93 94 115 118 125 140
“ “ “
V6 Various drawings from folders 110 136 139 143 153
“ “ “
V7 Various drawings from folders 131 132 135 136 137 138 139 140 144
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V8 Various drawings from folders 82 92 141 142 143
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V9 Various drawings from folders 153 163 164 171
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V10 Various drawings from folders 150 152 155
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V11 Various drawings from folders 159 168 169
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38
Series VI Technical and Business Records
7 manuscript boxes (3.7 cu. ft.) Series VI consists of technical and business records pertaining to the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. This series is unique because it contains a variety of materials that originated in other series and related museum files. Series VI is of interest because of its diversity and its previous inaccessibility. As the collection was processed, these records were organized by the type of document and the content of the material. These records supplement and contain information similar to the materials found throughout this collection. Materials found in Series VI include: contract specifications booklets, test results, design notes, sketches, equipment lists, internal memos, product correspondence, advertising materials, photographs, and various artifacts. The technical and business records are arranged by subject in order of vessel number, vessel type, and general subject classification. The subject folders are followed by photographs and artifacts. The information transcribed from the photographs was taken from the verso. Sketches and other large documents that do not fit in these folders can be found in the Series VI oversize folder. A list of the documents contained in the oversize folder follows the box/folder list. The following list gives the storage box number and folder number for each unit. The folder label provides a summary of the contents of each folder in Series VI. This data is now linked to specific vessels that are associated within the database and is searchable and viewable in the Museum’s database and in the online portal.
39
Series VI – Technical and Business Records Object Number
Folder Label Summary of Contents
Box HAFH.6.1B
HH.6.1 Hull No. 88 • “Report...on Hull, Engine and Boiler of the Steam Yacht Siesta,” B.F. Isherwood, Department of Navy, 1883.
HH.6.2 Hull No. 118 • List of items required for Stiletto
HH.6.3 Hull Nos. 150, 151, 152 • Order for cylinders for strs. # 150, 151, 152 (1/1/1888) • Calculations • Memo regarding 15” stroke quadruple expansion engine
for strs. # 150, 151, 152 (1/1/1888)
HH.6.4 Hull No. 379 • Weight summary (2 copies) • Schedule of shapes and plates • Notes
HH.6.5 Hull No. 381 • Specifications for the 30’ tender for the steam yacht Corsair (9/10/1925)
HH.6.6 Hull No. 393 • HMCo application for documentation certificate for Ariel II (4/15/1931, copy)
HH.6.217 Hull Nos. 406, 407 • Weight list • Calculations • Sketches of hardware details, sections, profile, deck
framing • Bolt and equipment list • Casting list and scantlings
HH.6.7 Hull No. 408 • Correspondence and specifications from Sparkman & Stephens Co. (1938-1939)
HH.6.8 Hull No. 425 • List of estimates and displacement (8/20/1942)
HH.6.9 Hull No. 426 • Displacement calculations • Estimate of power required (8/20/1940)
HH.6.12 Hull No. 719 • Specifications for all work and material required for the master’s and guest’s portions of cabins for Harold S. Vanderbilt by Walker & Gillette Co.
HH.6.13 Hull No. 722 • Sketches of hardware details, accommodation details and sections
• Specifications for schooner yacht
40
Object Number
Folder Label Summary of Contents
HH.6.14 Hull No. 725 • Displacement and other data • Memo regarding changes in Resolute to schooner rig
(8/16/1925)
HH.6.15 Hull No. 725 • Sketches of hardware details, hull details • Specifications • Lists of blocks (2/3/1914) • List of forgings (2/23/1914) • List of mast fittings • List of shapes and shafts (3/9/1914)
HH.6.16 Hull No. 900 • Estimate of weights
HH.6.17 Hull No. 907 • Specifications (copy)
HH.6.18 Hull No. 932 • Specification for R-class boat (3/1925)
HH.6.19 Hull No. 933 • Estimates (2/13/1925) • Specifications for the construction of a class of two 39’
w.l. keel cruising schooner yachts
HH.6.20 Hull No. 954 • Specifications for an auxiliary cruising schooner yacht... for Mr. Harold W. Brooks
HH.6.21 Hull No. 955 • Specifications for 40’ one-design class
HH.6.22 Hull No. 962 • Specifications for Q-class sloop designed by Burgess, Swasey & Paine
HH.6.23 Hull No. 983 • Specifications for 40’ one-design class • Offsets of templates of lead on Rugosa II
HH.6.27 Hull No. 1078 • Displacement list • List of measurements (8/2/1928) • Notes • Sketches of sections, sails, rigging, hardware • Calculations • Correspondence 5/4/1928 • Estimate of weights
HH.6.28 Hull No. 1078 • Tests (2/8/1930)
41
Object Number
Folder Label Summary of Contents
• Certificate from Lloyd’s Register of Shipping • List of sheering strength of model
HH.6.29 Hull No. 1122 • Correspondence from Hubert H. Judge (9/7/1941)
HH.6.30 Hull No. 1146 • List of fittings for Enterprise • Tentative block list for America’s Cup defense sloop from
Merriman Brothers (1/6/1930)
HH.6.31 Hull No. 1147 • Correspondence with spinnaker sketches (1/19/1934) • Correspondence with backstay sketches (4/17/1934) • Calculations for mast
HH.6.32 Hull No. 1147 • Sketches of hardware • Floor plate pattern list • Displacement list • Offsets list (1/22/1934) • Centerboard list • Specifications for refitting J-class sloop yacht • List of weights
HH.6.33 Hull No. 1164 • Sketch of models, sections • Correspondence from NGH (2/16/1930) • Displacement lists • List of lead calculations
HH.6.41 Hull No. 1317 • List of drawings in plan folder (7/23/1936) • Equipment list • Sketches of hardware, layout of wiring (4/29/1936) • Outline specification and equipment list (1/9/1936) • Block list (4/30/1936) • Estimate lists (4/16/1936) • Advertisement for Maxim Silencer model TR for marine
HH.6.48 Catamaran • Advertisement written by NGH (5/1/1877) with drawing of other boat on back
• Correspondence (5/16/1941) • Observations on trials of the catamaran Sea Spider
(11/30/1944)
HH.6.49 Class “M” Sloops • Meriman Brothers block list for Burgess, Rigg & Morgan M-class sloop for Mr. Vanderbilt (5/13/1927)
• Sketches of hardware, rigging • Blocks for Prestige - revised rig (3/20/1931) • Blocks for Avatar • Memo regarding Avatar (3/3/1931) • Blocks for Valiant (3/20/1931) • Memo of work to be done on Valiant (1/14/1931)
HH.6.50 Commuter Boat 1926 • Sketch of model of proposed commuter boat for Junius Morgan, Esq. (6/2/1926)
HH.6.72 One Design 30 Foot • List of equipment • Estimates
HH.6.73 One Design 30’ w.l. Cruising Yacht
• Proposed measurement rule
HH.6.74 One Design 30 Square Meter Boat
• Estimates (10/16/1931)
HH.6.75 One Design 32 Foot • Hull cross-section
44
Object Number
Folder Label Summary of Contents
• Dispersion data (1/25/1938)
HH.6.76 One Design 40 Foot • Estimates • Proposal
HH.6.77 One Design 40 Square Meter Sail Boat
• Contract
HH.6.78 One Design 431/2 Foot • Estimates
HH.6.79 One Design 92 Foot Motor Yacht
• Weight estimates (1929)
HH.6.80 One Design 93 Foot • Estimated displacement • Sketch of curves of form
HH.6.81 “R” Class • Specifications (3/1925)
HH.6.82 Ratsey Schooner • Correspondence with sketch of cabin plan from W. Starling Burgess Corp. (2/27/1931)
HH.6.83 “S” Class • Advertisement
HH.6.84 Scout Boat 100 Foot • List of elements of design • Weight estimates (1917) • Calculations • Sketch of machinery details, guns • Copy of offset booklet
HH.6.85 600 Class • Sketch of canvas boat (2/2/1944)
HH.6.86 Star Class Yacht • Yacht specifications • Measurement certificate (1935)
HH.6.87 Submarine Destroyer 200-Footer • Data/Calculations book with laying-up records for season 1907-1908, 1908-1909, 1909-1910
HH.6.88 Torpedo/PT Boats • Specifications for inspection of steel for use in the construction of the hulls and machinery for Torpedo Boats # 14, 15, 16 (1896)
• Specifications for inspection of copper, brass and bronze...(1908) (Signed by NGH)
• Detail specifications for building motor torpedo boats nos. BPT 21-52 Vosper type (1942)
• Specifications for triple-expansion twin screw propelling engines with boilers and auxiliary machinery for torpedo boats nos. 24 to 35 (1898)
HH.6.89 Vanitie • Estimates (10/7/1929)
HH.6.90 Vedette Boats • “Report... on the Vedette Boats constructed for the British and French Navies by the HMCo,” B.F. Isherwood, 1882.
45
Object Number
Folder Label Summary of Contents
HH.6.91 Weekend Auxiliary Cruiser • Sketch of section (10/1930) • Estimate of weights • Proposed specifications • Correspondence between A.G. Herreshoff and NGH
(1930) • Correspondence (1930)
Box HAFH.6.3B
HH.6.92 Administrative - Billing Rates 1945 Second Quarter
• 1945 second quarter billing rates, terms and conditions
HH.6.93 Administrative - Card File • List of headings and vessel types
HH.6.94 Administrative - Correspondence
• John G. Alden (6/9/1938) • Mr. A. Rogers (11/23/1903)
HH.6.95 Administrative - History • The Herreshoff Plant at Bristol by Leonard M. Fowle, Jr. (1924)
• Yachts by Herreshoff (1931)
HH.6.96 Administrative - Lists • Drawings borrowed by AS DeWH
HH.6.97 Administrative - Notes • Drawings to be made • Casting list for governor pontoons • Questions to ask governor • Sail plan #722 instructions from Mr. Brightman (1/5/1941)
HH.6.98 Administrative - Notes • Stock 31 foot [boat], [#]526 • Proposed list of Herreshoff bronze Penguin jib
HH.6.122 Detail Sketches • LWG drawings: batten clips, deck pad clips, tapers and washers, plan of packing flange, gland nut, engine room hatch, eyeplates for lifelines at deckhouse and bow, chock for bolts, smoke pot racks-covers, canvas bridge locker cover, canvas flag locker cover and tiller boats (9/17/1943-1/14/1944)
HH.6.125 Detail Sketches • Boat sketches: two hull sketches (1929), piston ring for Enaj (8/20/1928), halyard (2/17/1933), sea anchor
• Ranges for rock hit by Yacht Queen Mab (10/9/1926)
HH.6.126 Diary of Nathanael Herreshoff • Copy of NGH [personal] notebook
HH.6.127 Engines • Engine weights taken from Mr. Herman’s records • List of drawer/folder 14 drawings • 71/2-12 + 9x101/2 rule for babbiting eccentrics
HH.6.128 Fan Engine • Correspondence between Sidney Herreshoff, Newman and C.W. Haffenreffer (5/1941 - 2/18/1942)
• Enclosure details.
HH.6.129 L. Francis - 1275 Mitena • Mitena 1275 list, Lloyd’s scantlings for 12-Meter (1935) • Notes on interior of #62
HH.6.130 Models and Diagrams • Hulls, anchors and pipe berth cut-out models and diagrams
HH.6.131 Motors • Correspondence and advertisements between HMCo and the following: Crocker-Wheeler Electric, Westinghouse Diehl Manufacturing Company, Cutler-Hammer, Thomas Hoist, Stearns Perry & Smith and General Electric
• Sketches, notes and blueprints
HH.6.132 Name Plates • Design sketches including the vessel number, name and year
48
Object Number
Folder Label Summary of Contents
HH.6.133 Outside Engines • Advertisements for Scripps V8, Snow and Petrelli, Red Wing Motor Co., American Bantam Car Co. & other companies
HH.6.134 Propeller • Vanish propeller blade measurement • Bill of materials • Sketch pattern list • Advertisement from Federal-Mogul Corp. • Correspondence (1944)
HH.6.135 Races • “Report of the Herreshoff Gold Cup Race,” Newport, August 9-13, 1931
• Articles from The New York Times concerning races (6/11/1885) & (8/19/1904)
HH.6.136 Rigging • Memo of work to be done, rigging NGH (10/1926)
HH.6.137 Rules and Regulations • “H 23-class regulations” - Fisher’s Island Yacht Club • “Herreshoff’s Rules for Wooden Yachts” • “The Manheim Slide Rule & Yacht Equipment Rules”
HH.6.138 Samples • Port Orford cedar sample and finished panel of wood with notes
HH.6.139 Scales • Scales (24) and ruler
Box HAFH.6.5B
HH.6.140 Standards and Tables • Relating to: wrought iron steam, gas and water pipe, standard and heads, testing pressure for tubes, taper taps for piston rods, special taps, standard practices and tolerances for impression die forgings, rivet specifications, taps, deck plates, table for Russia iron, standard size for drawings and drawers, straight stock anchors (7/30/03), folding stocks
HH.6.141 Standards and Tables - Artifacts • Decimal and millimeter equivalents of fractional parts of an inch
• Copper water tanks (3/11/1889)
HH.6.142 Standards and Tables - Artifacts • Standard bolts and heads
HH.6.143 Supply List for Vessels • List for #48 and #52 with insert for #590
HH.6.144 Trailer Design • Trailer wheel and fender assembly • Correspondence with Indian Motorcycle Co. (3/27/35)
HH.6.145 Trials and Tests • Timeline for 391 (4/19/30) • Trial of Katoura (7/18/30) and (9/25/29) • Memoranda (3/21/29) • Metlab (3/25/29)
49
Object Number
Folder Label Summary of Contents
• Resolute incline test • Specimen test log • Materials and fitting test (1898-1944)
HH.6.146 Cape Cod Shipbuilding • RESTRICTED ACCESS - see curator
HH.6.147 Cape Cod Shipbuilding • RESTRICTED ACCESS - see curator
Box HAFH.6.6B
Artifacts Note: This box is heavy.
HH.6.148 Engravings (1) 12” x 9 3/8” x 1” for Yachting, Feb. 1932, p. 70. also in Yachts by Herreshoff, p.6.
HH.6.149 Engravings (3) 51/2” x 31/2” x 1”
HH.6.150 Engravings (2) 51/2” x 31/2” x 1” and (1) 4” x 31/2” x 1”
HH.6.151 Plaques All plaques for half-hull models in Hart: (5) 2 5/8” x 41/2”, (1) 3 5/8” x 6”, (4) 5” x 2”. Labeled as follows: Herreshoff 23’, 241/2’, 40 sq. meter type, 271/2’, 23’ centerboard, large scale models of recent one-design class by Herreshoff Mfg. Co.
HH.6.152 Plaques (1) 6” x 12” with pegs in the back
HH.6.160 Contains copies of photographs, part of NGH’s collection 1931, 1. Engines of the Late 70’s, 21/2” x 5” and 5” x 10,” 2. Auxiliary air and feed pump, 1879, 3. Leila No. 40, 100’ o.a., 15’ beam, 1878, 4. Estelle No. 39, 120’ x 16’, 1877
HH.6.161 5. “Coil” boiler and engine 1877, 6. Propeller, 24” x 36”, early 1870’s, 7. Compound engine 5” and 9” x 10”, 1880
HH.6.162 8. Port side 2 1/2” and 41/2” x 5”, 9. Starboard 2 1/2” and 41/2” x 5”, 1889
HH.6.163 10. Torpedo boat # 61, 1879 and 1880, 11. Torpedo boat # 64, 1880 for Russian Navy, 12. Ibis Jr. # 45 and Gymnotus # 47, 1878, 13. Launch, steamer # 24, 1876-1878
HH.6.164 14. Early 26’ launches for Coast Survey and Fish Commission, 15. One of several launches in the early 1880’s, 16. Ogeeche # 47, 1888 built for Truck and Towing, 46’, 8’ 8” beam, 17. Harvard Rowing Association, # 67 40’, 4’ 10” beam [possible reference to # 45, #47]
HH.6.165 Copies of some photo versos of the above photographs
HH.6.166 Print of 3. above “Herreshoff Steam yacht”
HH.6.167 Print of 5. above “Launch Boiler and Engine”
HH.6.168 Print of 7. above “Early Torpedo Boat or Launch Engine”
HH.6.169 Print of 10. above “Herreshoff Torpedo Boat”
HH.6.170 Print of 11. above “Herreshoff Torpedo Boat”
HH.6.171 Torpedo boat cruising - USS Cushing
HH.6.172 copy of HH.6.171
HH.6.173 copy of HH.6.171
HH.6.174 Lightning, Bogey & Canute, 14’ International Dinghy
51
Box HAFH.6.7B
Photographs
HH.6.175 Herreshoff Craft, George Ford [photographer]
HH.6.176 Related to HH.6.175 see folder labeled dinghy
HH.6.177 Herreshoff craft and trailer 14’ International Dingy. See Greenough correspondence
HH.6.178 Herreshoff craft “To M.W. Haffenreffer regard H. H. Harris, 1937”
HH.6.179 Belisarius - looking aft from galley doorway...
HH.6.180 Belisarius - showing passage berth, book shelves and navigation table...
HH.6.181 Belisarius - from navigation desk looking forward to galley...
HH.6.182 Belisarius - detail of navigation desk in passageway...
HH.6.183 Belisarius - starboard berth (permanent) in saloon
HH.6.184 Belisarius - showing passageway part of port side of saloon
HH.6.185 Boat shown under construction on ways of Herreshoff Mfg. Co. in 1882, Orienta # 89
HH.6.186 Print of HH.6.185, Orienta # 89, 1882
HH.6.187 Notes on back of HH.6.185, transcribed for duplicate
HH.6.188 [Herreshoff shop]
HH.6.189 [Herreshoff shop]
HH.6.190 N.G. Herreshoff, Jr.
HH.6.191 Looking towards Burnside St. from south gallery. The [old engine shop] in the foreground
HH.6.192 Looking from near the clock south [machine shop]
HH.6.193 Papermount of 191-192 “Herreshoff Machine Shop ... Where Engines for Torpedo Boat Cushing were built, 1890”
HH.6.194 Photo with HH.6.195
HH.6.195 Papermount for HH.6.194 “Herreshoff Mfg. Co. Engines built and Trial Runs were made by James Henry Shaw, 1890. For Torpedo Boat Cushing”
HH.6.196 Photo with mount HH.6.197
HH.6.197 Mount for HH.6.196 labeled “Engine built and trial Runs were made by James Henry Shaw- about 1890, For Torpedo Boat Cushing”
HH.6.198 [Herreshoff machine shop]
52
Box HAFH.6.7B
Photographs
HH.6.199 Herreshoff model room - NGH
HH.6.200 Herreshoff model room - NGH
HH.6.201 Herreshoff model room - NGH
HH.6.202 Herreshoff model room - NGH
HH.6.203 Herreshoff model room - NGH
HH.6.204 Herreshoff model room - NGH
HH.6.205 Herreshoff model room - NGH
HH.6.206 Herreshoff model room - NGH [America’s] Cup Defenders from top to bottom shown: Defender, Columbia, Constitution, Resolute, Reliance, Katoura, possibly one designed for Kaiser Wilhelm.
HH.6.207 Herreshoff model room - NGH
HH.6.208 [Trophy cup] “Nathaniel Greene Herreshoff as a token of good will from the employees of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company December, 25, 1899.”
HH.6.26 Hull No 1074 • Correspondence (2/20/1928) with two blueprints, rudder and gear, construction plan from Lloyd’s Register of Shipping
• Sketch of sections
HH.6.27 Hull No 1078 • 3 Sketches - sections, molds
HH.6.52 Dinghy 12 & 14-Footer for William Greenough
• Sketch - sail plan, construction with correspondence (11/23/1933) • Correspondence (11/21/1933) with sketch
HH.6.53 Dinghy 12 & 14-Footer for William Greenough
• Blueprint - laying down plan
HH.6.82 Ratsey Schooner • Blackline print - general arrangement
HH.6.84 Scout Boat 100-Footer • 7 Blueprints - guns, machinery • 1 list calculations for effective horsepower
HH.6.88 Torpedo/PT Boat • Article on torpedo boat - Scientific American (4/5/1879) • Article on torpedo boats and PT boats - Providence Sunday
Journal (2/27/1944)
HH.6.100 Administrative - Personnel • “One Hundred Fighting Ships... A Tribute to Our Crafts Men for a Job Well Done” by HMCo (reprint of 12/7, 8/1944 Ad)
HH.6.101 Administrative - Stationary and Sign
• Blackline print of sign
HH.6.128 Fan Engine • 2 Blueprints
HH.6.130 Models and Diagrams • Wood - crown of deck for #520
HH.6.131 Motors • 2 detail sketches
HH.6.132 Name Plates • Name plate for Katoura, #722
HH.6.135 Races • 2 Prints of The New York Times article from (6/11/1885) and (8/19/1904)
HH.6.137 Rules and Regulations • Rules - wooden yachts
HH.6.138 Samples • Wood
HH.6.140 Standards and Tables • Table - architectural extruded bronze shapes for decimals, bronze
54
Folder Number
Folder Label Documents found in oversize folder
blocks, bolts, standard rivets
HH.6.142 Standards and Tables - Artifacts
• Table giving weight and thickness of plates
55
Series VII Half-Hull Models
Series VII of the Herreshoff-Haffenreffer Collection contains eighteen half-hull models. We have very little information about these models. All of these half-hulls are of HMCo designs except model number HH-X-A2-1(18). We believe all the models listed below were built by HMCo except HH-X-A2-1(18). The models with a (P) to the right of hull number are painted models. We suspect that the painted models were built for presentation or display purposes. The models not identified with a (P) appear to be builders half-hull models. The following is a list of the models.
Series VII – Half-Hull Model List Class | Name | Description | Hull number | Finish Size Number
Buzzards Bay 121/2 foot-class | # 744 | P 5” x 16” HH-X-A2-1(01)
Fish-class | # 788 | P 6” x 21” HH-X-A2-1(02)
Mount Hope-Class | P 5” x 24” HH-X-A2-1(03)
S-class | # 828 | P 7” x 28” HH-X-A2-1(04)
Fisher’s Island 31 foot-class | # 1054 | P 11” x 45” HH-X-A2-1(05)
40 Square Meter Class | # 1227 | P 8” x 36” HH-X-A2-1(06)
Fisher’s Island 23 foot-class (centerboard) | # 1225 | P 5” x 24” HH-X-A2-1(07)
Fisher’s Island 23 foot-class (keel) | # 1212 | P 5” x 24” HH-X-A2-1(08)
Proposed 25’ w.l. R-class [based on Grayling # 966] 8” x 33” HH-X-A2-1(17)
Unidentified schooner late 1860’s East Boston 91/2” x 55” HH-X-A2-1(18)
56
Series VIII Historic Microfilm
4 storage boxes (6 cu.ft.) This series is called historic microfilm because it was produced for HMCo in 1944, before the company officially closed for business. The film resurfaced in 1995, during the course of the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Project. Correspondence in the Museum’s donor files indicates that microfilm of the HMCo design materials had been produced. A list of this film is in our files. The correspondence suggests that the film had been lost. The Historic Microfilm represents a large percentage of the HMCo design record. In early 1995, a MIT Document Services microfilm technician notified the Hart Nautical Curator that he had found some interesting microfilm while cleaning their storage room. The discovery was twenty-two reels of microfilm labeled “Herreshoff Mfg. Co.” MIT Document Services has no record of this microfilm. We believe the film was transferred to the MIT Libraries when the plans arrived in 1948. When compared to the list in our files, only one reel was missing. Unfortunately, the film is generally fair to poor image quality. The film appears to be third generation from a microfilm master. However, with current advances in digital technology, we are quite certain that important plans and other data can be retrieved. The historic film is tremendously important for several reasons. First, it captures numerous plans that are no longer extant or do not exist in the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Secondly, this film has an entire reel of plans related to Naval vessels built by HMCo during WW II. Finally, this film is a valuable snapshot of the HMCo design data at the very end of the company’s history. The historic microfilm will not be available for prints or viewing until it can be safely enhanced and copied to a new media. The Historical Microfilm was not digitized as part of the Herreshoff Legacy Project. Research for this material is by appointment.
Listing of Historic Microfilm Reel Number Contents (HMCo Plan Folder Number Range)
1 1-1 to 8-17
2 8-16 to 22-1
3 25-202 to 39-47
4 39-46 to 49-82
5 49-81 to 65-75
6 65-24 to 75-71
7 75-70 to 80-101 (reel missing)
8 80-100 to 84-98
57
Reel Number Contents (HMCo Plan Folder Number Range)
9 84-97 to 88-50
10 88-49 to 92-49
11 92-48 to 96-144
12 96-143 to 104-38
13 104-37 to 10-200
14 110-199 to 113-1
15 114-148 to 119-35
16 119-34 to 131-12
17 131-11 to 138-86
18 138-85 to 141-120
19 141-119 to 144-29
20 144-31 to 152-4
21 • 152-3 to 152-79 • Notebooks [offsets] 392, 405, 406, 410, 388, 384, 284, 291, 300, etc. 1430,
1133, 1204, 1212, 1225, 1227, 1231, 1266 Page 34.
22 • Notebooks [offsets] 1266 pg. 35 to Notebook [offsets] #698 • Card Index (Drawings) • Pattern Index • Flynut (Pattern 1)
25 • A.P.C. Drawings to A.M.C. Drawings
58
Description of Database
An essential part of the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Project was to record data on an item level. In this digital age, gathering standardized information about museum collections is vitally important. Rigorous information collection requires careful thought, and lots of time. It was beyond the scope of our project to enter all of the plan information into the current database. However, the extensive information collected will pay dividends into the future. Our original plan was to create a Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection database composed of key plan data and vessel data from the HMCo Construction Record. We expanded this plan by creating a database composed of information recorded from the plan index cards (Series I), vessel data from the Construction Record (Series III), offset data from the offset booklets (Series IV) and technical/business data from Series VI. These related tables of data are set up in Paradox for Windows (5.0) and may be queried in much the same way as any commercial database. The plan index card database has been in use for almost two years. It produces plan lists quickly, and allows searching the plans in ways that were impossible before. These databases have enabled the Hart Nautical Collections to take a great leap forward. However, they are not the final goal for organizing the collections data. Our next goal for this collection is to incorporate all of the detailed data collected in a powerful MIT Museum computerized collections management system. With such a system we expect to provide much more complete cross-referencing and detailed access to the collections. We also intend to digitize collections and incorporate this visual data with the collections management system. The Herreshoff Legacy Project completed the collection database goals from the early 1990s. Now this complex design and vessel data along with images of every object are synced up in the Museum’s collections management database, most of which is searchable and viewable in the online collections portal.