Herreshoff #186406es Prudence

"Prudence [#186406es]: 36ft Length on deck. 12ft 6in Breadth extreme. 3ft 10in Depth. 1 1/4in Deadrise per foot. Peaked (or round) stern. 1ft 7in Sheer. No bowsprit. 38ft Mainsail foot. 32ft Mainsail hoist. 14ft 6in Mainsail head. 4ft 7in Mainsail leech. 940sqft Mainsail area. No jib. No gafftopsail. No jibtopsail." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. and/or other Herreshoff family members. Handwritten table listing early Herreshoff-built boats and their dimensions up to 1870. No date (1870 or later). Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, MRDE03.)

"After the winter's work of building a half dozen or more vessels - QUE VIVE 2nd 42' oa., PRUDENCE and PATIENCE 36', HOPE and FAITH 28' (four fishing boats for my father), MAGIC 25' - all being finished early in the season, John started a 33' sloop yacht [named] KELPIE 2nd." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Boats and Yachts that I have been Especially Interested in by Sailing and Some of Which I Have Owned." Bristol, April 1932. In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 102-103.)

"During the following winter (1863-64), John built QUI VIVE II and four menhaden fishing boats for my father, who then had my brother James as partner in the fish oil business. These were PRUDENCE and PATIENCE, each thirty-six feet long, and HOPE and FAITH, each twenty-seven feet long, and the twenty-five foot racing boat MAGIC for himself." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "The Old Tannery and My Brother John." Written July 28, 1933. In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 20.)

"[Winning with KELPIE over QUI VIVE] started John in business and he built six craft the following winter [1863/1864], [a] forty-two foot overall yacht QUI VIVE, two thirty-six foot 'carry away' boats, PRUDENCE and PATIENCE, the twenty-seven foot purse and seine boats, HOPE and FAITH, and the twenty-five foot pleasure and racing boat, MAGIC.
I remember the thrill I had in getting PRUDENCE under way alone and bringing her from a wharf uptown to our wharf. The masts of PRUDENCE and PATIENCE were twelve inches in diameter at [the] deck and rather tall, and the booms reached by their sterns, so the sails were large and heavy for one man to handle, as was intended, not saying anything of the job of unloading fish. They were big boats for catboats and would have been much better with lighter stayed masts, set farther aft, and [with a] jib and mainsail rig." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Some of the Boats I Have Sailed In." Written 1934. In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 45.)

"'Qui Vive II,' 42' O.A.
'Prudence,' 36' O.A.
'Patience,' 36' O.A.
'Hope,' 28' O.A.
'Faith,' 28' O.A.
'Henrietta,' 16' O.A.
'Haidi,' 25' O.A.
'Ariel.'
'Violet.'
'Psyche.'
'Fannie.'
So far as I can make out, these later yachts were designed or modeled by J. B., C. F. Herreshoff (the father), and Nat all working together, but C. F. and J. B. were depending on Nat more and more each year. After about 1870, when Captain Nat designed 'Shadow,' thirty-six feet O.A. sixteen feet three inches beam, all later Herreshoff yachts were designed by Captain Nat alone. (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. 58-59.)

"We made a visit on Wednesday last at the yard and boat-builders shop of Mr. John Herreshoff. ...
One boat [#186405es Patience] is now on the stocks in the yard, of thirty-six feet in length, and another [#186406es Prudence] of the same size, with two [#186401es Faith and #186402es Hope], each of twenty seven feet in length, are to be built here for a new fishing company to be formed the coming season. These four boats are to be constructed upon a new plan, altogether different, and intended to be far superior to the fishing boats that are usually used in our waters." (Source: Anon. "Local Affairs. Boat Building at the South End." Bristol Phoenix, February 6, 1864, p. 2.)

"We learn that the fishing vessel Prudence, Capt. E. Goff, with a lot of of carrots, from this port for some point on the west side of the Bay was sunk in the gale Wednesday [November 15, 1871] morning. Crew safe. No further particulars." Source: Anon. "Local Tintypes." Bristol Phoenix, November 18, 1871, p. 2.)

"The sloop rigged fishing vessel Prudence, that was mentioned in the Phoenix of last Saturday as being swamped by a heavy sea during the gale on the 15th inst., near Warwick, was owned by Mr. Charles F. Herreshoff, of this town, and was valued at $1200. Her cargo, which consisted of six hundred bushels of carrots, floated out and was lost --- it belonged to Messrs. A. T. & T. J. Usher." Source: Anon. "Local Tintypes." Bristol Phoenix, November 25, 1871, p. 2.)

"The fishing boat Prudence [#186406es], sunk on the 15th of November near Warwick, was raised on Sunday last and towed into our harbor by the steamer Osprey [#6p]. Except the scraping of the bottom of the boat, the Prudence was not very badly injured." (Source: Anon. "Local Lines." Bristol Phoenix, December 2, 1871, p. 2.)

"[License issued to vessel under 20 tons. Pos. 223:]
Prudence, boat, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, 1872.
9.08 tons; 37.3 ft. x 13 ft. x 4.3 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
No specifications shown.
Lic[ensed] ([for] F[ishing]) Sept. 2, 1872. Owners: Charles F. Herreshoff, 1/2, and James B. Herreshoff, 1/2, of Bristol. Master: Albert C Fish, Portsmouth, R.I.
Surrendered [license] May 12, 1877 at Newport. ([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. Prudence.)

"The large sailboat Prudence, belonging to C. F. Herreshoff, Esq., of this town, was stolen from her moorings at the east shore of Portsmouth, last Saturday. As soon as Mr. Herreshoff was informed of the theft, measures were taken to find the boat and secure the thief. Telegrams were sent to various seaport towns, and on Wednesday last Sheriff Pearce received a message from the Chief of Police of Newport, that the boat had been found and George Macomber and Henry Brown arrested for stealing the same. Mr Pierce went to Newport, and brought Macomber and Brown to Portsmouth, where they were arraigned, waived an examination, and were bound over for trial." (Source: Anon. "Locals." Bristol Phoenix, September 20, 1873, p. 2.)

"[Item Description:] Handwritten (in ink and pencil) table providing what amounts to be the earliest Herreshoff construction record with detailed dimensional data (Name, Owner, Length on deck, Length on water, Breadth extreme, Depth, Deadrise per foot, Width of stern, Sheer, Freeboard at bow, stern and lowest place, Centreboard length, Centreboard from woodends, Centre of mast from woodends, Bowsprit out board, Mainsail foot, hoist, head, leech, and area, Foresail foot, hoist, head, leech, and area, Jib foot, hoist, leech, and area, Gafftopsail foot, luff, leech, and area, Fore-gafftopsail foot, luff, leech, and area, Jibtopsail foot, hoist, leech, and area and Notes ) for Julia [#185602es], Sprite [#186001es], Kelpie 1st [#186301es], Magic [#186404es], Toad [#186411es], Prudence [#186406es], Patience [#186405es], Hope [#186402es], Faith [#186401es], Qui Vive [#186407es], Kelpie 2nd [#186403es], Teazer [#186410es], Secret [#186408es], Fish Boats [#186505es, #186506es, #186507es, #186508es, #186509es, #186510es, #186511es, #186512es], Fish Boats [#186513es, #186514es, #186515es, #186516es, #186517es, #186518es], Fanchon [#186501es], Angie [#186503es], Haidee [#186604es], Ariel [#186601es], Psyche [#186605es], Fannie 1st [#186603es], Violet [#186606es], Fish Boats [#186607es, #186608es], Fish Boats [#186609es, #186610es, #186611es, #186612es, #186613es, #186614es], Lively Whale [later Daisy ???] [#186707es ???], Fannie 2nd [#186702es], Hartford [later Polly ???] [#186703es ???], Sadie [#186704es], Clytie [#186701es], Waterfall [N/A], Bristol [#186801es], Ione [#187003es], Poppasquash [#186502es], Etta [N/A], Oysterboats [#186710es, #186711es], Spring Green [#186709es], Pellican [#186708es], Henrietta [N/A], Meteor [N/A], Fatter[?] [N/A], Annie Moies [#1p], Charlotte [#186803es], Annie [#186905es], Hildegard [#186808es], Thetis [#186705es], Clio [#187101es], Fleetwing [N/A], White Straw[?] [N/A], [Mignone] [#186904es], Fish Boats [square stern, 1868] [N/A], Sadie [#N/A (dupl. listing)], Fannie [N/A], Bunsby [#186802es], Orion [#186903es], Breeze [N/A], Nimbus [#186805es], Alice [crossed out, this MIGHT be Bessie] [#187001es], Viking [#187008es], [Ianthe] [#187002es], [Surf] [#187007es], [Georgie Miller] [#187011es], and [Pink] [#187010es]. Undated, the latest vessel on the list was built in 1870." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator) or other Herreshoff family members (?) (creator). Construction Record. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_01410. Folder [no #]. No date (ca 1870).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #186406es Prudence even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

Name: Prudence
Type: 36' Fishing boat for Narragansett Bay
Year: 1864
Row No.: 782

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.