HMCo #244p Little Sovereign

P00244_Sioux_ex-Little_Sovereign_Mercier.jpg

Particulars

Construction_Record_Title.jpgName: Little Sovereign
Later Name(s): Sioux (1910-)
Type: High Speed Steam Yacht
Designed by: NGH
Contract: 1904-3
Launch: 1904-5-31
LOA: 111' 10" (34.09m)
LWL: 102' 3" (31.17m)
Beam: 11' 6" (3.51m)
Draft: 3' 10.5" (1.18m)
Displ.: 33.0 short tons (29.9 metric tons)
Propulsion: Steam, Herreshoff, 2 engines, 225 h.p. Triple exp., 3 cyl. (5 5/8" & 9" & 14" bore x 9" stroke)
Boiler: Bent Tube; [Plan]43-57
Propeller: 3 bl. Starb. #8711 Port #8712
Built for: Borden, Matthew C. D.
Note(s) in HMCo Construction Record: Twin screw yacht. Sept '04 2 - new screws 36" d 61" r.
Last reported: 1929 (aged 25)

See also:
#190309es [Dinghy for #244p Little Sovereign] (1903)
#190310es [Dinghy for #244p Little Sovereign] (1903)
#190416es [Dinghy for #244p Little Sovereign] (1904)
#190417es [Dinghy for #244p Little Sovereign] (1904)

Note: Particulars are primarily but not exclusively from the HMCo Construction Record. Supplementary information not from the Construction Record appears elsewhere in this record with a complete citation.


Model

Model #600Model number: 600
Model location: H.M.M. Model Room North Wall Left

Vessels from this model:
1 built, modeled by NGH
#244p Little Sovereign (1904)

Original text on model:
"Str. No 244 March 1904 1/24 LITTLE SOVEREIGN" (Source: Original handwritten annotation on model. Undated.)

Model Description:
"111'10" loa Little Sovereign, twin screw steam yacht of 1904." (Source: Bray, Maynard. 2004.)

Note: Vessels that appear in the records as not built, a cancelled contract, a study model, or as a model sailboat are listed but not counted in the list of vessels built from a model.


Offsets

Offset booklet number(s): HH.4.035.1; HH.4.035.2

Offset booklet contents:
#244 [twin screw steam yacht Little Sovereign];
#244 [twin screw steam yacht Little Sovereign].


Offset Booklet(s) in Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass. (Restricted access --- see curator.)

Drawings

Main drawing Dwg 001-035 (HH.5.00452) Explore all drawings relating to this boat.

List of drawings:
   Drawings believed to have been first drawn for, or being first referenced to
   HMCo #244p Little Sovereign are listed in bold.
   Click on Dwg number for preview, on HH number to see at M.I.T. Museum.
  1. Dwg 100-007 (HH.5.08273): Air Pump for 5 5/8" & 9" & 14" x 9" Stroke Engine and 6 1/4" & 10" & 16" x 9" Stroke Engine (1894-02-28)
  2. Dwg 011-010 (HH.5.00935): Cover for Coupling and Stuffing Box St. 194 (1897-04-13)
  3. Dwg 013-003 (HH.5.01057): Stanchion and Shaft for 3" x 3" Electric Light Eng. (1898-03-30)
  4. Dwg 085-046 (HH.5.06632): Stanchion Sockets for # 203, 206, 207 and Another [...] (1899-12-23)
  5. Dwg 092-051 (HH.5.07520): Latch and Spring for Engine Hatch # 203 (1900-06-07)
  6. Dwg 043-051 (HH.5.03401): Boiler for # 224 (1902-11-28)
  7. Dwg 005-064 (HH.5.00295): General Arrangement > Arr'g't, Yacht - Stm, 111' O.A., 102'-6" W.L., 11'-6" Beam, 4' Draft (1904-03-07)
  8. Dwg 043-057 (HH.5.03407): Boiler for 244 (1904-03-11)
  9. Dwg 023-034 (HH.5.01689): Blower # 244 (1904-03-15)
  10. Dwg 006-057 (HH.5.00556): [32" Dia., 56" Mean Pitch Propeller] (1904-03-20)
  11. Dwg 025-024 (HH.5.01773): List of Sizes of Timbers, Floors and Deck Beams (1904-03-21)
  12. Dwg 058-031 (HH.5.04102): Shaft Strut Near Propeller (1904-03-21)
  13. Dwg 011-040 (HH.5.00966): Stern Tube & Stuffing Box (1904-03-23)
  14. Dwg 011-041 (HH.5.00967): Bearing for 2 1/2" Shaft # 244 (1904-03-24)
  15. Dwg 058-032 (HH.5.04103): Shaft (Intermediate Bearing) (1904-03-24)
  16. Dwg 095-051 (HH.5.07854): Construction Details for House Mahogany (1904-03-24)
  17. Dwg 008-036 (HH.5.00734): Shafts for # 244 (1904-03-26)
  18. Dwg 025-025 (HH.5.01774): Casting List (1904-03-26)
  19. Dwg 048-028 (HH.5.03669): Stack and Deck Hood, Galv. Iron (1904-03-28)
  20. Dwg 025-026 (HH.5.01775): Bolt List (1904-03-29)
  21. Dwg 055-022 (HH.5.04010): Condenser # 244 (1904-03-29)
  22. Dwg 062-058 (HH.5.04423): Rudder Arrangement # 244 (1904-04-02)
  23. Dwg 068-060 (HH.5.04866): Rudder Quadrant # 244 (1904-04-02)
  24. Dwg 068-061 (HH.5.04867): Sheaves for Steering Rope # 244 (1904-04-05)
  25. Dwg 066-039 (HH.5.04712): Levers and Quadrant for Signal Gear (1904-04-08)
  26. Dwg 068-062 (HH.5.04868): Steering Gear (Traced From (67-24) (1904-04-08)
  27. Dwg 114-065 (HH.5.09564): Davit and Fittings # 244 (1904-04-14)
  28. Dwg 001-000 (HH.5.00453): Construction Dwg > General Drawing # 244 [111'-10" O.A., 102'-3" W.L., 11'-6" Beam, 3'-10 1/2" Draft] (1904-04-18)
  29. Dwg 062-060 (HH.5.04425): Rudder Bearing # 244 (1904-04-18)
  30. Dwg 070-052 (HH.5.05052): Bow Chocks for # 244 (1904-04-20)
  31. Dwg 062-059 (HH.5.04424): Rudder Blade for # 244 (1904-04-26)
  32. Dwg 001-035 (HH.5.00452): Construction Dwg > High Speed Yacht 111'-10" O.A., 102'3" W.L., 11'-6" Beam, 3'-10 1/2" Draft (1904-05-04)
  33. Dwg 068-063 (HH.5.04869): # 244 Arrangement of Steering Stand (1904-05-06)
  34. Dwg 082-054 (HH.5.06327): Awnings # 244 (1904-05-06)
  35. Dwg 114-066 (HH.5.09565): Anchor Davits & Supports (1904-05-14)
  36. Dwg 092-062 (HH.5.07531): General Arrangement > Mahogany Side Steps (1904-05-26)
  37. Dwg 030-051 (HH.5.02265): # 244 Little Sovereign (111'-10" O.A.) Docking Plan (1904-06-04)
  38. Dwg 006-058 (HH.5.00557): 36" Dia x 60" Pitch [Propeller] (1904-08-21)
  39. Dwg 100-029 (HH.5.08295): Air Pump for 9" Stroke Engine (1907-03-16)
  40. Dwg 049-066 (HH.5.03742): Filter Tank for # 244 (1907-03-28)
Source: Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass. Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Together with: Hasselbalch, Kurt with Frances Overcash and Angela Reddin. Guide to The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass., 1997. Together with: Numerous additions and corrections by Claas van der Linde.
Note: The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection is copyrighted by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass. Permission to incorporate information from it in the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné is gratefully acknowledged. The use of this information is permitted solely for research purposes. No part of it is to be published in any form whatsoever.

Documents

Nathanael G. Herreshoff

"June 3, 1904
Str. #244. Little Sovereign.
Official trial on 11 1/4 statute mile course. Part of furniture on board, about 2 tons coal, 9 men, win N, 8 to 10 miles. Tide last of flood and nearly slack on return.
Old C. Lehigh stove coal.
[Followed by tabulated trial run data with best mean speed being 23.98mph (= 20.84kn)]
... Propellers 32in dia[meter], 56in pitch. Slip star[board] 27%, port 30%." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. Handwritten note in Trials Booklet '1898 - 1909' under date of June 3, 1904. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.)

"Sept[ember] 23, 1904
Little Sovereign (#244)
Trial with screw propellers just made which are 36in dia[meter] str. 61.3in pitch, port 62.2in pitch (actual mean) 3 blade and take place of original 32in - 56in & 51in pitch.
On 3 knot course, strong ebb, calm.
4 tons coal & full equipment.
[Followed by tabulated trial run data]
Speed. Down 20.4, up 17.6, mean 19k[n] = 21.9m[ph] ...
Everything working well & smoothly. Depth of water not favorable for correct test, probably lost 1k[n] per h[our] by it." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. Handwritten note in Trials Booklet '1898 - 1909' under date of September 23, 1904. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.)

L. Francis Herreshoff

"... to my young eyes at that period the faster steamers seemed more interesting, and one of them was the 'Little Sovereign,' built in 1904 for M. C. D. Borden. She was one hundred and twelve feet long and only eleven feet six inches beam, ran mostly in Long Island Sound, and made many trips between Narragansett Bay and New York. I do not remember exactly her speed but I think it was around twenty-six miles per hour, which was remarkably good for her power. She was not by any means the fastest yacht of her day, but I think I am right in saying she was one of the most efficient steamers ever built and ran during her life at more nearly her trial speed than other fast steamers.
... There were several other large commuters around New York that were credited with extremely high speed but I doubt if any of the time of 'Little Sovereign' had as high average speed, or as great day-after-day reliability. This was principally because 'Little Sovereign' 's speed came from having a proper beam length ratio and because she was of extremely light construction. It is very doubtful if there has ever been another yacht that carried her accommodations as fast with so little cost of fuel. So, altogether, including model, structural design, boiler, and engines, she was a designing triumph and I am very sorry I do not have a photograph of her for she certainly was a handsome yacht." (Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. The Wizard of Bristol. The Life and Achievements of Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, together with An Account of Some of the Yachts he Designed. New York, 1953, p. 244.)

Other Contemporary Text Source(s)

"The Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. has received an order to build a fine steam yacht for M. C. Borden of Shrewsbury, N. Y. The new yacht is to have twin screws and will be fast." (Source: Anon. "News and Notes of Local Interest." Bristol Phoenix, March 18, 1904, p. 3.)

"The Herreshoffs have received this week an order for a high speed steam yacht that will keep the force of men at the shops busy until well into the summer. The new yacht is to be 110 feet in length over all and will have twin screws. A powerful engine is to be built for the yacht in the machine shops. The yacht is to be completed by June 1." (Source: Anon. "Bristol and Vicinity." Bristol Phoenix, March 11, 1904, p. 2.)

"The new steam yacht under construction at the Herreshoff shops for M. C. Borden of New York is all planked and engines are well along." (Source: Anon. "Busy at Herreshoff's." Bristol Phoenix, May 3, 1904, p. 3.)

"[Abstract of register or enrollment. Pos. 546:]
Little Sovereign, steam yacht, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, 1904.
55.47 gross tons, 37.7 net tons; 102.4 ft. x 11.6 ft. x 5.8 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
One deck, [blank] mast, plain head [bow].
Enr[olled] and Lic[ensed] ([as] yacht) May 31, 1904. Owner: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol. Master: N. G. Herreshoff, Bristol.
Surrendered [license] June 21, 1904 at New York. ([Record at:] C[ustom] H[ouse, Providence])." (Source: Survey of Federal Archives, Work Projects Administration. Ships Documents of Rhode Island. Bristol. Ship Registers and Enrollments of the Port of Bristol - Warren Rhode Island, 1941, s.v. Little Sovereign.)

"The new steam yacht for Mr. M. C. D. Borden, of New York, is to be launched in about ten days. She is to be named Little Sovereign, and is expected to show a speed of 24 miles an hour. Mr. Borden was the owner of the Sovereign, a large steam yacht which he sold to the Government at the beginning of the Spanish-American war, when her name was changed to Scorpion. ... Designer N. G. Herreshoff has been confined to his home in Bristol with rheumatism for the past week, but is now improving." (Source: Young, F. H. "Rhode Island Letter." Forest and Stream, June 4, 1904, p. 468.)

"The Little Sovereign, which was launched from the Herreshoff works Tuesday [May 31, 1904], will be probably the fastest steam yacht ever turned out by the Herreshoffs. She is a twin screw craft with double boilers and was built for M. C. Borden of New York." (Source: Anon. "News and Notes of Local Interest." Bristol Phoenix, June 3, 1904, p. 2.)

"The new steam launch, Little Sovereign, which was given a satisfactory trial in the bay last Friday [June 3, 1904], was taken to Marblehead Sunday, the boat having been accepted by her owner, M. C. D. Borden of Fall River. The Little Sovereign is the fastest launch ever built at Herreshoffs and oh the speed trial she made 28 miles an hour, which is one mile above her contract speed. The new launch is 110 feet long and has boilers firing at both ends, with triple expansion engines. She is built of southern pine, with mahogany finished deck house, and is painted white above the water line and green below." (Source: Anon. "Bristol and Vicinity." Bristol Phoenix, June 7, 1904, p. 2.)

"Providence, R. I., June 4 [1904]. --- The steam yacht Little Sovereign, built by the Herreshoffs for Mr. M. C. D. Borden, of New York, was launched at Bristol this week. Her design is similar to that of Mr. August Belmont's Scout [#203p], but she is much faster than that boat. She is a little more than 100ft. in length, and has a breadth ot about 10ft., and her estimated speed is 28 miles. It is believed that she will beat Mr. H. H. Rogers' Kanawha, the first winner of the Lysistrata cup. Little Sovereign will have her trial spin over the measured mile course in lower Narragansett Bay." (Source: Young, F. H. "Rhode Island Notes." Forest and Stream, June 11, 1904, p. 488.)

"Providence, R. I., June 11 [1904]. --- ... The new steam yacht, Little Sovereign, owned by Mr. M. C. D. Borden, of New York, and just launched by the Herreshoffs at Bristol, has proved on her trials to be faster than the contract called for. She will go to Marblehead this week, where her owner will place her in commission. She is fitted with twin screws, and although the engines are not remarkably powerful, she can easily steam at 23 miles an hour, being a thin, wedge-shaped craft about 110ft long and 10ft beam. The Herreshoffs have begun the construction of another new steam yacht, to be about 50ft. long and 7ft. beam. The keel has been laid and the planking commenced." [Note: The other new steam yacht is apparently a reference to #245p X.P.D.N.C.] (Source: Young, F. H. "Rhode Island Notes." Forest and Stream, June 18, 1904, p. 488.)

"... The steam yacht Little Sovereign, owned by Mr. M. C. D. Borden, of New York, was at the Herreshoff shops recently for the purpose of repainting and having a new propeller fitted. ..." (Source: Young, F.H. "Rhode Island Letter." Forest & Stream, October 8, 1904, p. 311.)

"The steam yachts Little Sovereign [#244p], built for M. C. D. Borden, the condensed milk manufacturer of New York, and the Express [#236p] built for Morton T. Plant of the New York Yacht Club, have been launched from Walker' s Cove where they have been stored all winter and towed to the piers of the Herreshoff shops, where they are being fitted out for the yachting season." (Source: Anon. "News and Notes of Local Interest." Bristol Phoenix, April 14, 1905, p. 2.)

"Among the boats which have been hauled up for the winter at the Walker cove yards of the Herreshoff manufacturing company are the twin-screw steam yacht Little Sovereign [#244p], owned by M. D. C. Borden of Fall River, and the steam yacht Florence [#208p], owned by Commodore Alker of the Manhasset Boat club." (Source: Anon. "News and Notes of Local Interest." Bristol Phoenix, October 31, 1905, p. 2.)

"M. C. D. Borden' s steam yacht 'Little Sovereign' is being overhauled at the Herreshoff boat shops." (Source: Anon. "Notes and News of Local Interest." Bristol Phoenix, May 7, 1907, p. 2.)

Other Modern Text Source(s)

"An investigation is being conducted in the Court of General Sessions, Quebec, into a charge of an attempt to defraud the Quebec Liquor Commission and the Dominion Government by bringing in a cargo of 3,000 cases, each containing 5 gall, of alcoholic beverages. The case is of importance, not only on account of the size of the cargo, but on account of the standing of some of the persons who are alleged to be implicated in some way or other. The barge Trembly, of Quebec, was seized a few days before last Christmas by Dominion and provincial officers at St. Sulpice, Que., where she was lying, and the cargo remaining on board was placed in the Quebec Liquor Commission's charge. Those who are charged with the offence include Capt. Symons, Harbor Master, Montreal; D. J. Perrault, Assistant Harbor Master, Montreal; Capt. U. Trembly, owner and master of the seized barge; Come Dufresne, river pilot, Portneuf; J. B. E. Bissaillon, Chief of Montreal Customs Preventive Police, L. Brian, garage owner, Montreal, and M. G. Hearne, Montreal. Four United States ...
This he did, the cargo consisting of 3,000 cases of alcoholic beverages, 1,200 of which were subsequently transferred near Three Rivers to the barge St. George, and 1,000 to the United States yacht Sioux. As the remainder of the cargo was was being discharged at St. Sulpice, the seizure was made. The evidence is very intricated, in order to show the alleged connection of the differenct parties with the transaction at one step or another. The case has been before the court in various ways since Dec. 23, when the first arrests were made, and on Jan. 17 the further hearing was adjourned to Jan 24." (Source: Anon. "Montreal Harbor and Other Officials Charged with Smuggling." Canadian Railway and Marine World, 1925, vol. 28, [p. 91?].)

"Sioux
(formerly Little Sovereign)
This unusually beautiful Steam Yacht, while on the St. Lawrence River, was owned by the Bourne family, Summer residents at the famous Castle on Dark Island near Chippewa Bay, New York. As to design and type, she represented a larger version of the fast Herreshoff yachts, built in earlier years. Unlike these, however, she was powered with two engines, instead of one, which drove twin propellers. In 1907, as the Little Sovereign, the boat was owned by Mr. M. C. D. Borden of 117 Duane Street, New York City. Her Home Port and Port of Registry were then that city. In 1910, and inclusive of 1913, as the Sioux, the yacht was owned by Mr. Frederick G. Bourne of 149 Broadway, New York City. Her home Port and Port of Registry were as yet the same. We have found no ownership listing in 1920, but the Home Port and Port of Registry remained New York City. Miss Marjorie Bourne of 149 Broadway, New York City owned the boat in 1923. The Home Port remained New York City, but the Port of Registry had been changed to Ogdensburg, New York.
The Sioux (as the Little Sovereign) was designed by Mr. Nathaniel G. Herreshoff and built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company at Bristol, Rhode Island in 1904. Construction was of wood. Her specifications were as follow: Net Tons, 37; Gross Tons, 55; Overall Length, 111' 10"; Waterline Length, 102' 3"; Beam, 11' 6"; Depth, 5' 10"; Draft, 3' 11". Her powerplant was two 3-Cylinder Triple Expansion Steam Engines, 6 1/4", 10" and 16" of bore and 9" of stroke. They were supplied by one Water Tube Boiler. The engines and boiler were constructed at the Herreshoff plant. It would seem that the yacht should have attained a speed of about 15 M.P.H.
We do not know when the Sioux left the River. In 1929, her ownership was listed in the name of Mr. Oliver P. Martin of New York City. Both the Home Port and Port of Registry were again New York City. Her Registration Number was always 200952. References:
Lloyd's Register of American Yachts, 1907, 1910, 1913, 1920, 1923 and 1929." (Source: Mercier, Gilbart B. Pleasure Yachts of the Thousand Islands. Clayton, New York, 1981, s.v. "Sioux".)

Archival Documents

"[Item Description:] Two sets of penciled pantograph hull sections with, displacement curve, pinpricks and calculations titled 'LITTLE SOVEREIGN [#244p]. 1904. ? [Note the question mark.]'. One set with notes '72 w.l. 78 overall[?] Feb 28 JEAN [#194p]' and displacement calculations showing a total of 424cuft = 27300lbs = 12.2 gross tons. The other set with notes '72 w.l. 76 overall[?] Feb 27 and displacement calculations showing a total of 474cuft = 30550lbs = 13.69 gross tons. (Possibly NGH was using Model 430 for JEAN as a starting point for the design of LITTLE SOVEREIGN. Or are both sets of pantograph hull sections from the same model for JEAN and the reference to SISILINA is in error as suggested by the question mark? The two sets of sections are remarkably similar and appear to show a model that has been altered.) " (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_00450. Folder [no #]. (1897 or 1904)-02-27.)


"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Penciled trial run note for an unidentified steam vessel. With tabulated data for two triple expansion engines (port and starboard) for three runs (South, South and North). Only 12 steam yachts with twin triple expansion engines were built by HMCo. The rather high revolutions (between 609 and 656) shown on this note suggest a smaller engine, such as the 5 5/8 & 9 & 14 x 9 engine used for #244p LITTLE SOVEREIGN or the 6 1/4 & 10 & 16 x 9 engine used for #303p NAVETTE." (Source: Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_03610. Trial Run Note. Folder [no #]. No date.)


"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections with pinpricks and tracing marks titled 'St[eame]r 244 [#244p LITTLE SOVEREIGN] 102ft w.l. Scale 1/2in. M[ar]ch 1904'. With calculations arriving at a displacement to w.l. of 1178cuft = 75500lbs. With note 'About displacement at trial ... = 1030cuft = 66000lbs. Oct[ober] 4, 1904'. On verso a penciled half-section." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_03930. Folder [no #]. 1904-03.)


"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.00295 (005-064). Blueprint preliminary general arrangement plan with inboard profile and sections titled '111ft o.a., 102ft 6in w.l., 11ft 6in beam, 4ft draft'. Marked in pencil 'LITTLE SOVEREIGN [#244p]'." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item WRDT06_00370. Folder [no #]. 1904-03-07.)


"[Item Description:] Penciled calculations titled 'Estimates for increasing speed of #244 [LITTLE SOVEREIGN]'. With detailed weight analysis of changing engines from 9in stroke to 10in stroke, estimates of present power with 9in stroke engine (500hp) and power of 10in stroke engines (700hp), present sped on trial trip (24miles), approx. displacement at trial trip (66000lbs) and approx. displacement with increased power (73500lbs) arriving at an increased speed of 25.9miles = 22 1/2knots." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Calculations. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_00200. Folder [no #]. No date (1904-06 or later).)


"[Item Transcription:] [Mimeographed note about trial conditions:] Extract from contract dated Mar. 9, 1904? for steam yacht LITTLE SOVEREIGN [#244p], for Mr. M.C.D. Borden, of New York.
Trial.
Yacht shall make a speed on trial in Narragansett Bay, at the rate of twenty-two and one-half statute miles per hour, one pair of runs without stopping over a base of about stature miles. [With penciled addition in NGH's hand:] Course of 11 1/4 statute miles. Starting at a point S of Poppasquash Pt on range of wall and home and steering S by W and for middle of Dyer's Is[land]. Take time when rock of SW Pt. off Hog Is. ranges with Mucle shoal Lt. Continue S by W course for 2 1/4 miles or until Sand Pt light bears NW 1/2 W, then change course to SSW 5/8 W passing to westward of Rose Is. and close to eastward of Dumplings, taking time when northerly tangent of Bulls' Pt. is abeam, or ranges with house on top of hill on Conanicut Is. Dist. 9 miles + 2/14 miles = 11 1/4 miles.
Return over same course.
Note: 10 miles from northerly starting point is when north edge of old fort on Rose Is. ranges with Breakwater Light. [Undated, LITTLE SOVEREIGN's test run took place June 3, 1904 and NGH had been in bed with rheumatism that week which may have prevented him from participating in the trial and prompted him to write these instructions.][Mimeographed note about trial conditions:] Extract from contract dated Mar. 9, 1904? for steam yacht LITTLE SOVEREIGN, for Mr. M.C.D. Borden, of New York.
Trial.
Yacht shall make a speed on trial in Narragansett Bay, at the rate of twenty-two and one-half statute miles per hour, one pair of runs without stopping over a base of about stature miles. [With penciled addition in NGH's hand:] Course of 11 1/4 statute miles. Starting at a point S of Poppasquash Pt on range of wall and home and steering S by W and for middle of Dyer's Is[land]. Take time when rock of SW Pt. off Hog Is. ranges with Muscle shoal Lt. Continue S by W course for 2 1/4 miles or until Sand Pt light bears NW 1/2 W, then change course to SSW 5/8 W passing to westward of Rose Is. and close to eastward of Dumplings, taking time when northerly tangent of Bulls' Pt. is abeam, or ranges with house on top of hill on Conanicut Is. Dist. 9 miles + 2/14 miles = 11 1/4 miles.
Return over same course.
Note: 10 miles from northerly starting point is when north edge of old fort on Rose Is. ranges with Breakwater Light. [Undated, LITTLE SOVEREIGN's test run took place June 3, 1904 and NGH had been in bed with rheumatism that week which may have prevented him from participating in the trial and prompted him to write these instructions.]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Mimeographed and Penciled Note. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_02850. Folder [no #]. No date (shortly before 1904-06-03).)


"[Item Description:] Handwritten (in ink) trial run note titled ' Trial with LITTLE SOVEREIGN (#244). June 3, 1904' and showing data 'taken by Mr Robertson' including 'mean speed 23-94 [miles per hour?] for first 10 miles run' and 'mean speed 23-99 [miles per hour?] for second 10 miles home run' with notes 'Lehigh Coal was used. Blower valve was opened [with penciled question mark (by NGH?)]. Propeller 32in dia 56in pitch 3 blades'." (Source: Robertson, Mr. (?) (creator). Trial Run Note. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_02830. Folder [no #]. 1904-06-03.)


"[Item Description:] Four handwritten (in ink) pages with tabulated data listing 'Shop No', 'Name', '[Tons] Gross' and '[Tons] Net' for a total of 100 HMCo-built boats and classes. Tonnage data is usually precise to two digits behind the decimal. Random comparisons suggest source of tonnage data to be official Custom House data. Boats mentioned are: #664s, #663s, #625s, #665s, #634s, #658s, #657s, #646s, #641s, #617s, #626s Class, #624s, #621s, #616s, #619s, #590s, #591s, #586s, #592 Class, #618s, #605s, #578s, #560s Class, #580s, #553s, #551s, #552s, #546s, #541s, #545s, #538s, #534s, #533s, #532s, #529s, #534s, #530s, #531s, #435s, #437s, #452s, #499s, #429s, #426s, #424s, #481s, #422s, #417s, #414s, #451s, #215p, #213p, #222p, #235p, #230p, #229p, #236p, #224p, #244p, #247p, #249p, #231p, #232p, #228p, #252p, #250p, #251p, #248p, #168p, #164p, #118p, #142p, #174p, #173p, #194p, #189p, #193p, #183p, #178p, #179p, #181p, #182p, #175p, #163p, #148p, #149p, #172p, #155p, #170p, #186p, #188p, #206p, #207p, #205p, #208p, #209p, #210p, #211p, #212p, #216p. Undated (the latest boat listed, WINSOME, was launched in 1907)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Handwritten List. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00220. Folder [no #]. No date (1907 or later).)


"[Item Transcription:] Handwritten (mostly in pencil but also in ink) trials booklet titled '1898 - 1909'. Relevant contents:
§34: #244p LITTLE SOVEREIGN Trial Run (1904-06-03)
§38: #244p LITTLE SOVEREIGN Trial Run Data 19kn 'after having changed propellers' (1904-09-23)
§39: #244p LITTLE SOVEREIGN Trial Run mean speed 19kn = 21.9mph (1904-09-23)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Trials Booklet. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE09_00060. Folder [no #]. 1898-09 to 1911-04.)



Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #244p Little Sovereign even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.


Images

Registers

1905 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts
Name: Little Sovereign
Owner: M. C. D. Borden; Port: New York
Official no. 200952; Building Material Wood. Double skin; Type & Rig Scw Stm [Screw Steamer], Twn [Twin Screws]
Tons Gross 55.00; Tons Net 37.00; Reg. Length 102.4; LOA 112.0; Extr. Beam 11.5; Depth 5.8; Draught 4.0
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1904
Engine T[riple]. 6 Cyl. W. T. [Watertube] 1904; Maker Herreshoff Mfg. Co.

1906 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1671)
Name: Little Sovereign
Owner: M. C. D. Borden; Port: New York
Official no. 200952; Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Scw [Screw], Twn [Twin], Stm [Steamer]
Tons Gross 55; Tons Net 37; LOA 111-10; LWL 102-3; Extr. Beam 11-6; Depth 5-10; Draught 3-11
Builder Her. M. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1904
Engine 2 T[riple]. 3 Cyl. 1 B[oiler] W[ater] T[ube]; Maker Her. M. Co.

1912 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#2835)
Name; Former Name(s): Sioux; Little Sovereign I
Owner: Fredk. G. Bourne; Port: New York
Official no. 200952; Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], ScwStm [Screw Steamer]
Tons Gross 55; Tons Net 37; LOA 111-10; LWL 102-3; Extr. Beam 11-6; Depth 5-10; Draught 3-11
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1904
Engine 2 T[riple]. 3 Cyl. 6 1/4, 10 & 16 x 9. 1 B[oiler] W[ater] T[ube]; Maker Her. M. Co.

1914 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#2871)
Name; Former Name(s): Sioux; Little Sovereign I
Owner: Frederick G. Bourne; Port: New York
Official no. 200952; Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], ScwStm [Screw Steamer]
Tons Gross 55; Tons Net 37; LOA 111-10; LWL 102-3; Extr. Beam 11-6; Depth 5-10; Draught 3-11
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1904
Engine T[riple]. 3 Cyl. 6 1/4, 10 & 16 x 9. 1 B[oiler] W[ater] T[ube]; Maker Herreshoff Mfg. Co.

1917 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#2924)
Name; Former Name(s): Sioux; Little Sovereign I
Owner: Frederick G. Bourne; Port: New York
Official no. 200952; Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], ScwStm [Screw Steamer]
Tons Gross 55; Tons Net 37; LOA 111-10; LWL 102-3; Extr. Beam 11-6; Depth 5-10; Draught 3-11
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1904
Engine T[riple]. 3 Cyl. 6 1/4, 10 & 16 x 9. 1 B[oiler] W[ater] T[ube]; Maker Herreshoff Mfg. Co.

1920 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#2805)
Name; Former Name(s): Sioux; Little Sovereign I
Port: New York
Official no. 200952; Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], ScwStm [Screw Steamer], Twn [Twin Screws]
Tons Gross 55; Tons Net 37; LOA 111-10; LWL 102-3; Extr. Beam 11-7; Depth 5-10; Draught 3-11
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1904
Engine T[riple]. 3 Cyl. 6 1/4, 10 & 16 x 9. 1 B[oiler] W[ater] T[ube]; Maker Herreshoff Mfg. Co.

1923 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#2846)
Name; Former Name(s): Sioux; Little Sovereign I
Owner: Miss Marjorie Bourne; Port: New York; Port of Registry: Ogdenburg, N.Y.
Official no. 200952; Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Pwr [Power], Twn [Twin Screws]
Tons Gross 55; Tons Net 37; LOA 111-10; LWL 102-3; Extr. Beam 11-6; Depth 5-10; Draught 3-11
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1904
Engine T[riple]. 3 Cyl. 6 1/4, 10 & 16 x 9. 1 B[oiler] W[ater] T[ube]; Maker Herreshoff Mfg. Co.

1925 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#3057)
Name; Former Name(s): Sioux; Little Sovereign I
Owner: W. S. Rhoades; Port: New York
Official no. 200952; Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Pwr [Power], Twn [Twin Screws]
Tons Gross 55; Tons Net 37; LOA 111-10; LWL 102-3; Extr. Beam 11-7; Depth 5-10; Draught 3-11
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1904
Engine T[riple]. 3 Cyl. 6 1/4, 10 & 16 x 9. 1 B[oiler] W[ater] T[ube]; Maker Herreshoff Mfg. Co.

1928 List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S.
Name: Sioux
Official no. 200952
Tons Gross 55
Note: Forfeited for breach of Canadian laws. [Removed from List of American Vessels.]

Source: Various Yacht Lists and Registers. For complete biographical information see the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné under Data Sources. Note that this section shows only snapshots in time and should not be considered a provenance, although it can help creating one.

Supplement

From the 1920 and earlier HMCo Index Cards at the MIT Museum
  • Note: The vessel index cards comprise two sets of a total of some 3200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and information regarding drawings, later or former vessel names, and owners. They were compiled from HMCo's early days until 1920 and added to in later decades, apparently by Hart Nautical curator William A. Baker and his successors. While HMCo seems to have used only one set of index cards, all sorted by name and, where no name was available, by number, later users at MIT apparently divided them into two sets of cards, one sorted by vessel name, the other by vessel number and greatly expanded the number of cards. Original HMCo cards are usually lined and almost always punched with a hole at bottom center while later cards usually have no hole, are unlined, and often carry substantially less information. All cards are held by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass.
From the 1931 HMCo-published Owner's List

Name: Little Sovereign
Type: Steam
Length: 111'10"
Owner: Borden, M. C. D.

Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. "A Partial List of Herreshoff Clients." In: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Herreshoff Yachts. Bristol, Rhode Island, ca. 1931.

From the 1930s L. Francis Herreshoff Index Cards at the Herreshoff Marine Museum
  • Note: The L. Francis Herreshoff index cards comprise a set of some 1200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and / or ownership information. Apparently compiled in the early 1930s, for later HMCo-built boats like the Fishers Island 23s or the Northeast Harbor 30s are not included. Added to in later decades, apparently by L. F. Herreshoff as well as his long-time secretary Muriel Vaughn and others. Also 46 cards of L. F. Herreshoff-designed vessels. The original set of index cards is held by the Herreshoff Marine Museum and permission to display is gratefully acknowledged.
From the 1953 HMCo Owner's List by L. Francis Herreshoff

Name: Little Sovereign
Type: 112' power
Owner: M. C. D. Borden
Year: 1904
Row No.: 376

Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. "Partial List of Herreshoff-Built Boats." In: Herreshoff, L. Francis. Capt. Nat Herreshoff. The Wizard of Bristol. New York, 1953, p. 325-343.

From the 2000 (ca.) Transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Vermilya/Bray

Year: 1904
E/P/S: P
No.: 244
Name: Little Sovereign
OA: 111' 10"
LW: 102' 3"

Source: Vermilya, Peter and Maynard Bray. "Transcription of the HMCo. Construction Record." Unpublished database, ca. 2000.

Note: The transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Peter Vermilya and Maynard Bray was performed independently (and earlier) than that by Claas van der Linde. A comparison of the two transcriptions can be particularly useful in those many cases where the handwriting in the Construction Record is difficult to decipher.

Research Note(s)

"#244p Little Sovereign should not be confused with another Little Sovereign, built in 1909 by Charles Seabury in Morris Heights, also for M. C. D. Borden." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. September 4, 2008.)

"Note that #244p Little Sovereign was named Sioux in 1910 and owned by Frederick G. Bourne, for whom in 1909 the smaller but similar in type #268p Canvasback had been built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. December 11, 2008.)

"Steam engine rating 225hp from undated (1903 or later) diagram by N. G. Herreshoff titled 'Marine Engine. Weights and Prices' in the Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 24, 2019.)

"Marine Engine of Open Type. 5 5/8 & 9 & 14 x 9, 600[rpm], 225[hp]." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. Handwritten List of HMCo-Made Steam Engines. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, MRDED1_00220. Undated, between 1903 and 1918.)

"[Approx. displacement at trial trip (66000lbs).]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Penciled calculations titled 'Estimates for increasing speed of #244 [LITTLE SOVEREIGN]'. No date (1904-06 or later). Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, MRDE03.)

Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.

Note

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Citation: HMCo #244p Little Sovereign. Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné. https://herreshoff.info/Docs/P00244_Little_Sovereign.htm.