For those unfamiliar with the Edward W. Kane and James Gubelmann IYRS Maritime Library, you may be surprised to learn that in addition to thousands of cataloged books, periodicals and A/V materials, its holdings also include a variety of rare, valuable, fragile, and scarce items. These include hundreds of charts, boat plans, letters, posters, brochures, press kits, typescript or handwritten histories, photographs, slides, films, and video tapes. Ephemera such as wearable items, burgees, flags and an impressive display of trophies, paintings, and models are also preserved, protected, and displayed among the Library’s Special Collections.
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Contents: Issue No. 10
FEATURE: Frederick Huntington - A Naval Architect's Life; Part 1
FEATURE: The Great Ocean Race of 1905; Part 2
EXHIBITS: Innovation in 20th Century Boats and Boat Building
FEATURED VIDEO: An Interview with Olin Stephens
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Fredrick Huntington - A Naval Architect's Life; Part 1 | |
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Alongside the well-known yacht designers of the twentieth century there were countless lesser-known naval architects and draftsmen, recognizable in many cases now only by their initials written in small letters in the corners of lines plans, blueprints and construction drawings. Some of those who worked with the principal designers had success branching out on their own - K. Aage Nielsen after working with John Alden and Sparkman & Stephens, Sam Crocker and Carl Alberg who also worked with Alden, Al Mason who worked for many years with Sparkman & Stephens, and some others - but many naval architects of the period, through timing, chance, or other reasons, have remained relatively unknown.

The IYRS Library is fortunate to have 70 blueprint plans from the collection of one such naval architect, Frederick R. Huntington (1905-52). These plans - of vessels whose design he worked on as well as particular plans by other designers he admired - provide an unusual glimpse into the ups and downs in the career of a talented naval architect. We will cover the first part of his career in this issue of Navigating the Stacks, and the remainder in the next issue.
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[fig. 1.] The fishing smack Pauline Boland | |
Frederick Romeyn Huntington was born in Montclair, New Jersey, and grew up on Martha's Vineyard where he apparently learned to sail on Menemsha Pond. He attended the University of Florida, studied naval architecture at MIT, and by the late 1920s or thereabouts his initials appear on the profile and deck plan of the fishing smack Pauline Boland, being worked on at the Charles Morse Boatyard in Thomaston, Maine [fig.1]. A proposal for a 26’ cutter, with Huntington’s name and a New York City address but no date, suggest his move to a larger market, and by 1930 he seems to have been working with W. Starling Burgess as there are two plans in the collection which, although not initialed by a draftsman, appear to be in Huntington’s hand. One is a plan of the tang fittings for the J Class Enterprise, and the other a detailed plan of the triangular, or “Park Avenue”, boom dated 1931 [fig. 2]. | |
[fig. 2.] Park Avenue boom, dated 1931 | |
By 1932, we know definitely that Huntington was employed by the up-and-coming office of Sparkman & Stephens. Olin Stephens writes about him in his autobiography, All This and Sailing Too; | |
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“Anticipating the way the office was changed by the war… I want to bow to four men who took on responsibility in those early days...Fred Huntington came in after Jim [Merrill] left [in 1932] and did the lines of some of our best boats, including Stormy Weather. Fred came from Martha's Vineyard and seemed to have grown up in boats. He had a good eye and the same general views of design as I had. He wanted to win and was tough and thorough in his analysis of those factors that made for speed.
“Unfortunately the war saw the breakup of this small but able team [including Bob Henry, Al George and Gil Wyland] ...Fred left to take a tempting war-related offer - feeling, I think, that our prospects were uncertain.“ ~ Olin J. Stephens
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In the library collection there are nine blueprint plans drawn and initialed by Huntington relating to yachts that he worked on directly at Sparkman & Stephens, as well as 20 other plans from the same period drawn by other naval architects in the office but kept for one reason or another by him. Huntington must either have remained in contact with Starling Burgess, or perhaps renewed his acquaintanceship when Burgess was working with S&S on the design of Ranger in 1937, as there is a large, preliminary design plan of the 1934 Burgess-designed America’s Cup defender Rainbow in the collection, with many annotations in red pencil including the addition of the centerboard [fig. 3 above].
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[fig. 4.] Nomans Land Double-Ender, Yachting, March, 1932 by Frederick R. Huntington | |
In March 1932 an article was published in Yachting magazine asking for information on the rapidly disappearing Nomans Land fishing boats. In the next issue of the magazine Huntington answered, providing a detailed article on the traditional double-ender, complete with plans of one of the few remaining boats on Martha's Vineyard, the measurements taken off by Huntington himself [fig. 4]. A blueprint of the sail plan is in the Library collection; view a full list of plans in the Library catalog. End of Part 1.-- FF | |
The Great Ocean Race of 1905, by SallyAnne Santos | |
In our last issue of Navigating the Stacks #9; we described the extraordinary conditions under which the Great Ocean Race of 1905 was held. Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II, offered a “solid gold" trophy for the winner of a no-holds-barred transatlantic yacht race that would serve as a proxy for perceived international naval supremacy. Ten vessels flying the flags of the U.K. and U.S.A. spared no expense or effort in preparing for the 3000nm sprint in treacherous North Atlantic spring conditions to claim the Emperor’s Cup. Click to Catch up with Part 1 | |
Part 2: The Fleet & Cast of Characters | |
FIRST IN WILL WIN: Rarely has more varied fleet in size, rig or type of design been assembled in one fleet to race in the same event. The stately British clipper ship Valhalla, whose towering spars spread aloft in a cloud of canvass is seven times as large as her smallest competitor, the little Yankee schooner Fleur de Lis, yet the larger craft gave no time allowance in favor of the smaller. —Providence News, May 16, 1905 | |
Eleven widely differing yachts, sailed by owners, captains and crews-- ranging from English Aristocracy to American Capitalists and from professional seamen to club amateurs, including just one woman— encapsulate the many compelling backstories of the 1905 Ocean Race. They were... | |
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Owner: Dr. Lewis A. Stimpson studied medicine in Paris and was a protégé to Louis Pasteur. After earning his M.D, he was a surgeon at NY’s Presbyterian Hospital where he inaugurated the use of antiseptics in American medicine. While deeply grieving the loss of his young wife, he found comfort in sailing his little schooner, Fleur de Lys with daughter Candace where they enjoyed the simplicity and challenges of offshore sailing. Although a competent sailor, Candace was broadly criticized as the only female racing among the 359 male officers, crew, owners and guests— at the time it was considered "no place for a lady." Lord Brassy was the sole competitor to support her: “Candace Simpson was the only lady in the race aboard the smallest contestant—truly the Grace Darling of the yachting world.” Additional resource: The Cruise of the Fleur de Lys in the Ocean Race by Lewis A. Stimson
Pro Captain: Thomas “Captain Tommie” Bohlin, was a renown Gloucester fishing captain who worked the North Atlantic for 30 years. No matter the conditions, he was known to sail fast, making his catch first to market, while never losing a man or seriously damaging his boat. As a condition of taking charge of Fleur de Lys for the Great Ocean Race Bohiln stipulated, “There will be no New York Yacht Club flubdubbery about it and we will not wear fancy uniforms. And he told reporters: “We will not take heedless risks, but we will not be afraid to take a chance, night or day.”
Crew: 12 Gloucester fishermen
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Owner: Henry S. Redmond, a Wall St. investment banker, spent nearly $9 million in today’s dollars to prepare his badly neglected yawl, yet he was unable to convince any professional captain to take charge of her. Redmond was the only yacht owner that did not sail in the race; he stayed safely ashore by sending a “representative” (Grenville Kane) as was allowed by the rules.
Pro Captain: When Lem Miller was unceremoniously replaced by his mentor, Cpt. Charles Barr as the skipper of Atlantic, he accepted a last-minute low-ball offer from Redmond. After protracted negotiations Miller agreed to take charge of (what he would later learn) the shockingly unprepared Alisa —because “the salt sea lad wanted command of a yacht—any yacht—in the greatest race of the century.”
Crew: 18 professional deckhands
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Alisa’s progress in the Great Race was documented in depth by Paul Eve Stevenson, who in 1907 published his journal The Race for the Emperor’s Cup In addition to first-hand observations, the book contains Logs of all competitors (except Apache), along with race statistics, results and charts. | |
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Owner: Edward R. Coleman, Esq inherited his wealth from his father, William Coleman, a steel magnate and business partner of Andrew Carnegie. Among his high-profile guests onboard were the surgeon-general of Pennsylvania and the heir to the Diamond Match fortune. Hildegarde was among the winningest yachts of the NYYC. The New York American reported that Coleman had spent a great deal of money in preparing her for the race, “All of her spars, rigging and sails are absolutely new.”
Pro Captain: S.M. Marsters, was given the highest accolade of all captains by the NY Herald’s knowledgeable reporters who described him as “a deep water veteran of the most pronounced type...” His experience included three years as a mate on Hildegarde. Prior to the race he saw to the optimization of the boat for ocean racing. He ordered hollow steel spars, a suit of state-of-the-art silk sails, and applied non-slip (varnish w/sand) on deck for crew safety.
Crew: professional
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Owner: George Lauder, Jr., Commodore of the Indian Harbor Yacht Club, had as comfortable an upbringing as his ultra-rich rivals, but considerably more seagoing experience. Spanish-American and Philippine War hero Dr. Henry C, Rowland was among his onboard guests. Endymion was purpose built for offshore work, prior to the race, she held the record for fastest transatlantic yacht passage to date.
Pro Captain: James A. “Captain Jim” Loesch, held the record for the fastest transatlantic passage ever made by a sailing yacht to that time. The press called him a “driver” known to risk everything… “He hangs on to sail until the last gasp”’—Boston Sunday Herald.
Crew: professional
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Owner: Robert E. Tod, Esq. Commodore of the Atlantic YC was the true Corinthian captain of his own yacht; one of only 2 in the fleet stacked with “hired gun” skippers.
Corinthian Captain: An expert navigator, Commodore Tod firmly believed and showed by example that it should be the aim of every yachtsman to take a personal part in the handling and navigation of his vessel. Having earned a Master’s license, he had no need of a professional captain. He was the only competitor to skipper his own yacht in the race; many observed that he should have been awarded the Cup on that basis alone. Tod had been instrumental in initiating the transatlantic race by suggesting it to Sir Thomas Lipton, who took up the idea and became the event’s original “sponsor.” This did not sit well with the NYYC, who were relieved when the tea magnate was “out-ranked” by royalty and replaced by the Kaiser for that privilege.
Crew: amateur
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Owner: Syndicate, head Adolf Tietjens refused to speak with the press. Although competing as an entry from Hamburg YC, this vessel was sailed by and represented the German Navy, who had been using it as a training ship for officer candidates. In this proxy-war for “naval supremacy”—it should be noted that the Kaiser actually selected a British-built* boat for his purpose. Even though Hamburg placed second in the Ocean Race, she had awakened national sentiment for Germany’s future on the water. By 1914 the Kaiser’s Imperial Navy numbered 441 war ships compared to just 24 when he claimed the throne in 1889.
Pro Captain: Captain-Lieutenant Edward Peters, Imperial German Navy
Crew: All German Navy “regulars” included 2 mates, 23 seamen, 2 cooks and 2 stewards.
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*Hamburg (formerly named Rainbow) was one of 6 British-built yachts in the 11-boat Ocean Race; just 2 of them sailed under the British flag. | |
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Owner: Lord Thomas Brassy, the oldest competitor (69) sailing the oldest yacht (1874) had already logged more than 300,000 ocean voyaging miles. He was the first amateur British yachtsman to earn a Board of Trade Master’s Certificate and as a dedicated lord of the British Admiralty, he was an acknowledged expert on naval affairs. Brassey publicly stoked the political pre-race rhetoric when he told the press: “I have now no higher aim than to utilize every opportunity to contribute in all possible ways to a victory of the English-speaking people.”
Captain: Corinthian, helmed by Brassey, assisted with navigation by Captain Echard and Sailing Master Fayle-- these three had sailed together for 36 years.
Crew: An all-British crew of Cornishmen and Jerseymen, in his Log Brassey noted: “Have never sailed with a better crew.”
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Owner: Wilson Marshall, heir to his father’s N.Y. Broadway Stage Line was unimaginably wealthy. After the death of his beloved wife, he commissioned a great schooner that would provide him sanctuary while grieving. It was both fast and comfortable, fitted with every modern luxury including an electrical generating plant, refrigeration and hot running water.
Pro Captain: Charles “Wee Charlie” Barr wanted nothing to do with the race, but was made an “offer he couldn’t refuse” by the NYYC members upon whom his personal career and income depended. He was reluctant to leave the side of his sickly wife who was not expected to live. In order to seal the deal, the NYYC paid for the best medical care which ultimately cured her.
Crew: Barr had to work with existing professional crew (totaling 39), trained by Miller but unknown to him—he also had to deal with an excessive number of supernumeraries and a second captain onboard kibitzing with the owner. In an ocean race where there was little time for pondering critical decisions, Marshall and captain #2 could second-guess Barr’s judgement at their leisure.
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Owner: Allison V. Armour, the American meat-packing heir and widower also relied on his yacht to relieve his anguish and to pursue his avocation for botany. Utowana was drafted into the race primarily because she was among the largest vessels owned by a NYYC member, she was both fast and opulent. Prior to the race Armour had already logged more than 100,000 ocean miles over eight ocean voyages including approximately 20 Atlantic crossings.
Pro Captain: J.H. Crawford
Crew: 30 professionals
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Owner: Edmond Randolph, a Wall Street banking heir owned the largest yacht on NYYC’s roster. According to contemporary accounts, he had “embarked on the sea of large yacht ownership only one year before the contest; he knew little about sailing and nothing about racing.” He equipped Apache with Marconi wireless equipment to communicate with westward-bound steamers to obtain weather information—at the time, this cutting-edge technology was in use by only a few navies and steamship liners. Randolph’s guests were fellow hard-partying American multimillionaire heirs. Some reports suggest that intoxication was to blame for Apache’s dismal last place start and finish—more than 4 days behind the tiny Fleur de Lys. It may also point to the reason that no racing log can be found for Apache?
Pro Captain: J.H. MacDonald
Crew: 40 professionals
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Owner: Lord James Ludovic Lindsay, the 26th Earl of Crawford was one of the now-extinct breed of Victorian dilettantes. Never having to work, his avocations were astronomy, ornithology, philately and yachting. He spent 10 months/year onboard his mammoth floating mansion where he could pursue all of these passions while in search of climates favorable to his asthma. A brilliant navigator, he was actively involved in plotting the Valhala’s course aided by the latest, most advanced nautical instruments and telescopes money could buy. One does wonder though at his “brilliance” in carrying his $3 million stamp collection onboard throughout an angry ocean race!
Pro Captain: Captain J. Caws, no racing credentials
Crew: Totaling 100 officers, crew, stewards and cooks
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How can anything conclusive be expected from an ocean race in which the contestants range from a schooner of 86 tons (and a yawl of 116 tons) to a full-rigged ship of 647 tons? The affair as a yacht race is the height of absurdity. —New York World | |
Stay tuned for Part 3 of the Great Ocean Race of 1905 in Navigating the Stacks #11. The final installment will pick-up in New York with pre-race intrigue and politics, delays, the start, the race, Lizard finishes and post-race fall-out.-- SAS | |
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The Great Ocean Race of 1905 provided a wonderful opportunity to cross-reference eleven yachts, sailors and events through the IYRS Library Collection. The Lloyd's Register pages shown here identify four of the competitor's private signals (circled). Additional resources included:
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FEATURED VIDEO: An Interview with Olin Stephens | |
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LIBRARY EXHIBITS:
Current Highlights & Upcoming Features
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The Library's current exhibit, "Innovation in Twentieth Century Boats and Boat Building" will continue though the late spring. Digging into the collection, we explore the history and evolution of various design ideas, as well as showing perhaps, that what we tend to think of as new developments are not as new as they might seem.
A collection of printed promotional material published by the Sea Sled company, shows their unique inverted-vee hull boats (right). They had been used by the US Navy in World War I and were still being promoted by the company after World War II, however widespread adoption of the idea was not to come until a tweak of the design, by Dick Fisher and Ray Hunt in the late 1950s, resulted in the Boston Whaler.
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The early years of hydrofoil development are discussed in an article from 1933 by the young naval architect Philip Rhodes, showing Alexander Graham Bell’s hydrodrome (left) as well as later developments of these ideas worked on in the 1930s by Casey Baldwin and Rhodes himself. Post-war development of hydrofoil designs are shown in a 1950s brochure for Baker Manufacturing’s boats (below), and the library is in the process of digitizing some film showing the first hydrofoil sailboat, in 1958, which will be included in our next issue.-- FF
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Our next exhibit, "America's Cup: The Newport Years, 1930-1983" will open in early summer. From the majestic J-Class to the iconic 12mRs, this display will feature objects, blueprints, books, ephemera, photos and film showing life in and around Newport and the waterfront during the heady, halcyon Cup Summers on Aquidneck Island.
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And speaking of the America's Cup... foiling in the 50s from our current exhibit... | |
“Baker Hydrofoils”, promotional pamphlet, 1950s, published by Baker Manufacturing, one of the leading developers and producers of hydrofoil boats at the time – and in conjunction with the US Navy, the builder of the first successful sailing hydrofoil in the late 1950s. | | |
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Questions?
For any questions about the library and its collections, or about current and upcoming exhibits, please contact the librarian; Francis Frost.
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IYRS MARITIME LIBRARY COLLECTIONS | |
- Arthur Curtiss James Collection
- Philip Crowther America's Cup Scrapbook Collection
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Leonard Fowle, Boston Globe yacht editor scrapbooks 1923-40
- Ratsey & Lapthorn Sailmakers Plan Collection
- Museum of Yachting, Single Handed Sailors Hall of Fame
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- Gubelmann Family Collection
- The Vanderbilt Collection
- National Sailing Museum and Hall of Fame Collection
- The Walter Cronkite Collection
- Rare Vintage Books & Periodicals
- Redwood Library, Stephen Lirakis Collection
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About IYRS Maritime Library | |
Mission Statement: The IYRS Maritime Library is an educational and cultural resource, committed to the mission of IYRS and to making its collections available to students, staff and faculty as well as to scholars, researchers, and members of the general public.
IYRS Library Committee is comprised of founder James Gubelmann, interested IYRS Board members, the IYRS librarian, IYRS staff members, and qualified individuals from the surrounding community.
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Location: 4th floor of the historic 1831 John Mecray Aquidneck Mill building on the IYRS campus at 449 Thames Street, Newport, Rhode Island.
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Open to: Students, Researchers and Armchair Sailors
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Hours: Wednesday-Friday ~ 12-4pm & Saturday ~ 1-5pm
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Search: Online Catalog anytime
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Items in the library's Special Collections have been acquired through donations by private individuals and families as well as by esteemed organizations including the Redwood Library & Athenaeum, the National Sailing Hall of Fame, Salve Regina University and of course the Museum of Yachting. In addition to IYRS's searchable online catalog, which utilizes the Library of Congress system, the IYRS Maritime Library was selected to join RIAMCO-- the prestigious online gateway to the Rhode Island Archival and Manuscript Collections.
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About Navigating the Stacks | |
Exploring the Collections of the IYRS Maritime Library
This newsletter was envisioned by IYRS Maritime Library co-founder and contributor James Gubelmann in order to illuminate the depth and richness of the Special Collections contained within. Gubelmann said, “Together with Editor, SallyAnne Santos, former Creative Director of the Museum of Yachting, we will provide insight into the library’s holdings, specifically highlighting contents of the Special Collections.”
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Miss An Issue of Navigating the Stacks?
Click date links below to read archived issues:
No. 1: October 2021: Intro & Overview, Museum of Yachting Collections
No. 2: March 2022: Arthur Curtiss James & Redwood Library / Lirakis Collections
No 3. May 2022: Vanderbilt Collection, Lloyd's Registers, Walter Cronkite's Bookshelf
No 4. August, 2022: Museum of Yachting, Single-Handed Sailors' Hall of Fame
No. 5. October 2022: Meet the Founders, The Gubelmann Family Collections
No. 6. February 2023: Librarian, Francis Frost; Seven Seas; John Scott Russell
No. 7. June 2023: Marine Trades Exhibit; Featured Finds Now Online
No. 8. September 2023: Shipwright Bror Tamm, Polymath & Poet
No. 9. January 2024: Ray Hunt, Dick Newick and The Great Ocean Race, Part 1
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