HMCo #20p Lightning

"In the winter of 1874-75, John had an order for a torpedo boat for our Navy and LIGHTNING was built. She was fifty-seven feet long, six feet wide, and three feet deep and powered by a coil boiler of James' design and a double five inch by ten inch engine. On her trial, she made over twenty miles per hour and once went about twenty-one and one-half miles per hour." (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. 24-25.)

"... in 1875 the U.S. Navy ordered the torpedo boat 'Lightning' which made the speed of twenty-two miles per hour. This was the first torpedo boat ordered to be built by the Navy although before this they had had steam launches which had been converted to torpedo boats. 'Lightning' was a long, narrow, double-ended launch only partly decked, fifty-eight feet long, and carried what is called 'spar torpedoes,' that is, bombs on the end of a long spar which were intended to be rammed against the side of a vessel below her armor plate." (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. 85.)

"Lightning, the first torpedo boat to be ordered by the U. S. Navy. Designed by Captain Nat, she was 58 ft. long and had a speed of 22 miles an hour." (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. 86.)

"Bristol, R. I., October 22, 1875.
Dear Sir: We will build you a steam-launch, suitable for a torpedo-boat, as follows: Boat to be 55 feet long, 6 feet 3 inches wide, fitted with our safety-coil boiler, and a pair of engines with the combined capacity of 60 horse-power, which will run the boat 19 miles an hour.
The boat will also be furnished with a steam-pump for boiler, and one 12 horsepower engine suitable to run an electric-light machine.
The boat and machinery to be constructed in the strongest manner and with the least weight, yet boat strong enough to sustain the machinery, when it is hoisted out of water, without any strain on it.
Said boat to be delivered at Newport on or before April 1, 1876, for the sum of $5,000.
Should the Department decide to get us to build as proposed, we will send specification in detail.
Yours, truly,
JOHN B. HERRESHOFF, Agent Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. S. H.
...
Specifications for building torpedo-boat for Bureau of Ordnance.
Dimensions of hull: Length over all, 55 feet; beam, 6 feet 3 inches; depth, 3 feet 3 inches.
Keel, stem and stern posts to be of white oak; keel to be sided 4 1/2 inches.
Frame to be of white oak, steamed and bent; molded 2 1/2 inches, and placed 11 inches apart from centers.
Outside planking to be of yellow pine 9/16 inch thick.
Ceiling and floor to be of yellow pine; ceiling 3/8 inch, floor 9/16 inch.
Shear-streak to be of oak, 5/8 inch thick.
Clamps and deck-frame to be of yellow pine; clamps 5/8 inch, deckframe 2 1/2 inch, molded.
Deck to be of white pine, 9/16 inch thick.
Space in center of boat to be left open 28 feet, with high wash-board around same.
Machinery to be as follows:
To have two 5 by 10 inch engines, and one Herreshoff safety-coil boiler of sufficient size to run said engine 400 turns per minute with 140 pounds steam, following 3/4 strokes.
Boat also to have all gauges, valves, and pipes necessary for said engines and boiler, and one steam-pump and one feed-pump connected to engines.
Propeller-shaft to be of steel, after end of which is to be covered with bronze.
Propeller-wheel to be of bronze.
Rudder to be of yellow metal, with steel rudder-stock.
Fastenings: Hull of boat to be fastened with galvanized iron, and all materials used in hull and machinery to be of first quality.
Boat to be built in our best manner, and well painted with two coats of paint.
Boat also to be furnished with one engine, attached to boiler, to ran an electric machine, and to be capable of developing 12 horsepower.
The coil in boiler to be made of best-quality 2-inch exterior lap-welded steam-pipe 3/16 inch thick.
Jacket to be doubled, of sheet iron and brass.
Boiler to have a drum, so that salt water can be used as well as fresh without injury to boiler.
Engines to be constructed of best materials. All studs, bolts, and shafts to be made of Ulster iron; rods, pins, and keys to be made of steel. To be furnished with the Herreshoff cut-off valves.
The boat to be properly braced.
Screw-bolts to be used in place of rivets.
We agree that the boat shall run 19 miles an hour, and that she can carry two torpedo-poles of 38 feet length each, one on each side; said poles to be worked from the boat with 100-pound steel-cased torpedoes on each.
The price to be $5,000 dollars, payable as follows: $1,250 when the frame of hull is up; $1,250 when hull is ready to be painted; $1,250 when the boiler and engines are completed; $1,250 when the boat, with its machinery, is completed and tried.
The boat and machinery subject to inspection, and to be satisfactory before the payments are made.
JOHN B. HERRESHOFF,
Agent Herreshoff Manufacturing Company." (Source: Herreshoff, John B. [Letter to U.S. Navy Captain K. R. Breese.] Bristol, R. I., October 22, 1875. In: Report of the Secretary of the United States Nayy. Washington, 1876, pp. 135-136.)

"United States Torpedo Station, Newport, R. I., October 15, 1875.
Capt. William N. Jeffers, United States Navy, Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance.
Sir: In accordance with your orders, I have been to witness the performance of Herreshoff's engine and safety coil-boiler, and have become very much impressed with them for naval purposes in boats. For cheapness, lightness, and doing away with fresh water, they seem to me unsurpassed, and I know of no other boiler upon which steam can be raised so rapidly, and, so far as I can understand, with so much safety. After a trial-trip in a boat propelled by this engine and the safety coil-boiler, which was most satisfactory, we stopped at the wharf, leaving the boat with one hundred pounds of steam, with no one to watch it or care for it . On returning, after an hour or more absence, there was no steam on, and a fair fire. The boat was shoved from the wharf, and a few strokes of a hand-pump in less than five minutes gave as much steam as was desired --- 80 pounds --- steam enough being formed with almost the first stroke of the pump to start the engine. I was so much impressed with what I saw that I asked Mr. Herreshoff to submit in general terms a proposal of what he would do for a torpedo-boat, capable of greatest speed, to carry a torpedo either on bow or abeam, with a double engine, and separate engine to drive an electric machine two thousand revolutions per minute, as this would comprise a picket and torpedo boat. I have the honour to submit his estimates.
Very respectfully, K. R. BREESE, Captain and Inspector of Ordnance, in charge of Station. (Source: Breese, K. R. [Letter to U.S. Navy Captain William N. Jeffers.] Newport, R. I., October 15, 1875. In: Annual Official Report of the Secretary of the United States Nayy. Washington, 1876.)

"Bureau or Ordnance, Navy Department, Washington City, November 4, 1875.
Mr. John B. Herreshoff, Agent Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, R. I.
Sir: Your letter of the and [sic] instant, inclosing specifications and contract for building one torpedo-boat, has been received.
The bureau approves and accepts the same, but with the following modifications, vis.: The speed to be 19 miles per hour for one hour, using saltwater, and desire you to commence the work without delay.
I am, sir, your obedient servant, WILLIAM N. JEFFERS, Chief of Bureau." (Source: Jeffers, William N. [Letter to John B. Herreshoff.] Washington, D. C., November 4, 1875. In: Annual Official Report of the Secretary of the United States Nayy. Washington, 1876.)

"Since those summer days in 1875 when the little 'Vision' [#14p] appeared in Providence harbor, and astonished every one by a speed of fifteen miles an hour, considerable public attention has been attracted to the Herreshoff Safety Coil Boiler. Government officials became interested, and last fall a contract was made with the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., of Bristol, to build an experimental boat [#20p Lightning] for the Newport Torpedo Station, one of the conditions of the contract being that the boat should, before delivery to the government, run nineteen miles within one hour. So remarkable a condition excited curiosity, and a good deal of doubt was expressed as to the possibility of its fulfillment. The fastest boat of this class, known as 'dispatch boats,' that has hitherto been built, was by the noted builder Thornycroft of England, and her best record was 18 1/4 miles in an hour. So that Mr. Herreshoff, to fulfill his contract, must build the fastest boat of her size in the world. On Wednesday [April 19, 1876] of last week she was launched, and from the results of the trial trip made on Friday, there is excellent reason to suppose that he has accomplished the task.
The boat, which as yet has no other name than the 'torpedo boat,' is 57 feet long by 6 feet wide, and about 3 feet deep. Her model is the result of a very interesting and beautiful series of practical experiments carried on by the Messrs. Herreshoff last fall, to determine the build most certain to combine the highest degrees of lightness, strength and stiffness, with the least amount of displacement and resistance to the water. Her lines are very long, the bearing surface running unusually far forward and aft; her bottom smooth and round, and her stem and stern both sharp. She is decked over for a distance of about eleven feet from both ends, and the washboards midships rise from about an inch inside the gunwale, to 7 or 8 inches. A large double safety coil boiler with double jackets (the outside one and the funnel being of brass), occupies nearly the whole width of the boat; and just aft of this is the engine, a double cylinder, also built at the Herreshoff works. The diameter of each cylinder is about 4 1/2 inches, and the length of stroke about twelve inches. The shaft is of forged steel, brass encased, some thirty feet long, and the screw is of bronze metal, with two blades, and set aft of the rudder, in the Thornycroft fashion. She is steered by a wheel placed in the bow, and handles remarkably easy.
Although the engines were started and the boat run a few minutes Thursday afternoon, no tests were made or time taken, the object being merely to see that every thing was in its proper place and in working order. Friday morning at ten minutes past eleven the fires were lighted, and at twenty minutes past a start was made, with 90 pounds pressure of steam. Mr. John B. Herreshoff handled the machinery, a Providence gentleman took the wheel, and the foreman of Mr. Herreshoff's engine shop and a fireman, completed the party. The harbor was quite smooth, though a southwest wind brought in a rain squall, which added nothing either to the speed of the boat or the pleasure of the party. Runs were made from various points in the harbor, and the time carefully noted by two of the party, whose figures agreed within a few seconds. After the return, the distances were picked out from a U. S. Coast Survey map, and may therefore be taken as correct.
The results of the trip may be thus stated: Time for a round trip of 6 1/2 miles windward and leeward, and including two long turns, 23 minutes; time for 4 1/4 miles with one turn, 19 min. 30 sec; time for 3 miles to windward without turn, 10 min. 30 sec; fastest time of the trip, 1 3/4 miles in 5 min. 30 sec; and average of 19.35 miles per hour. Highest pressure of steam 120 pounds. Lowest pressure, 55 pounds. Average, not over 85 lbs., Westmoreland coal used. When it is considered that this was the first action of new machinery, that the steam was not above half the average working pressure for which the boiler is intended, and that the trip was made in a sharp rain squall most of the time, it will be seen that the results of this preliminary trial afford good grounds for the belief that the contract will be fulfilled, and that to Mr. Herreshoff will belong the credit of building the fastest boat of her size in the world.
In a short time the last official inspection and the contract trial by the Government Board, will be made. But before that time Mr. Herreshoff intends bringing the boat to Providence and affording those interested an opportunity to inspect her and witness her remarkable speed. Already suggestions are made that this boat will be but the first of a series, and should the decision of the inspecting board be favorable, Mr. H. will unquestionably have as much work on his hands for the year to come, as he can well attend to." (Source: Anon. "A Remarkable Boat. First Trial Trip of the Herreshoff Torpedo Steamer at Bristol." Providence Evening Press, April 29, 1876, p. 2. Reprinted as 'Clipping from Providence, R.I. newspaper, late Spring of 1876' in: Herreshoff, Jeannette Brown. The Early Founding and Devevelopment of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Tampa, Florida, 1949.)

"Some three month's ago we mentioned the launch of the torpedo boat from the shop of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., in Bristol, and gave an account of her trial trip, and a description of her build, engines, boiler, etc. Since that time Mr. Herreshoff has been experimenting in various ways, making changes, and testing in the most thorough manner the practical working of some improvements that have been made. And now, being nearly, or quite ready for the government trial of the boat, it was decided to make a trip to Providence, partly for the purpose of giving to friends, and all interested in the matter, an opportunity of seeing the 'Lightning,' (as she has been christened by the naval authorities,) and partly to make a preliminary trial of speed, before the deciding trial by the naval officers, under the contract. Accordingly the party, numbering nine, left the Herreshoff wharf shortly before nine, a. m., on Friday, and steamed up the harbor, the object being to make the run to the city in company with the 'Richard Borden.' At two minutes before nine both boats started away from the Fall River wharf, in Bristol, and kept quite evenly together to Popasquash Point. Here the 'Lightning' turned the point inside the buoy and took the lead. There was but little variation in the speed of the two until after passing Ohio ledge. Up to this time the 'Lightning's' steam had not risen above 70 pounds, but as the tires were got well under way, the steam began to rise and the little craft forged steadily ahead during the balance of the run. Fox Point wharf was reached at 9:53 1/4, about five minutes in advance of the 'Borden.' Passing under the draw of Point Street Bridge, the torpedo boat made a landing at the float of the Narragansett Boat Club, where a crowd of curious spectators quickly gathered. After a short stop, she ran down to Hopkins & Pomroy's wharf and took on some American cannel coal, for use on the return trip, and then steamed up to the Crawford Street Bridge, where she lay for an hour, while crowds of people lined the wharf and the bridge to gaze on the strange vessel. It was the original intention to make several short trips up and down the harbor, carrying small parties of invited guests, but for various reasons this plan was abandoned for that day. Just before twelve o'clock, the 'Lightning' returned to the Narragansett Boat House, and at twelve, with a party of ten, started for home. The speed made on the down trip was greater, by about half a minute to the mile, than that made going up in the morning.
The little boat seemed fairly to fly, covering the distance between Fox Point wharf and Popasquash Point in 41 minutes, 5 seconds, --- a distance of 13 1/4 miles, measured on a coast survey chart. It is but stating a fact when we say that never before was the same piece of water passed over in as quick a time. The figures and results of the two runs may be briefly stated as follows: From Bristol to Providence - Popasquash Point to Fox Point - distance, 13 1/8 miles; time, 48 minutes, 28 seconds; averages, 3.61 minutes to the mile, 16.57 miles to the hour; average steam pressure, 85 lbs.; average revolutions, 350 per minute, at 100 lbs. pressure; tide running out; Cumberland coal used; nine persons on board.
From Providence to Bristol, same distance, time 41 minutes 5 seconds; averages 3.14 minutes to the mile; 19.1miles to the hour; average pressure, 112 pounds; tide running in; American cannel coal used; ten persons on board.
These figures are the actual times, no allowance being made for a head tide each way. To get at the real duty the boat was performing, at least one mile should be added to the estimated miles per hour above given, as tide allowance.
As the contract calls for 19 miles in an hour's time, it will be seen that after the trial of Friday, Mr. Herreshoff will have no hesitation in submitting his boat to the government trial. Some of the officers of the Newport Station have already made short trips in her, and express their gratification at the results attained. In the course of the following week she will probably be delivered to the government. A second and smaller boat [#24p] by the same builders, and destined for use at the same station, is already completed and ready to receive her machinery, and the Herreshoff Company have also in process of building one 25-ton yacht [#25p Viola?], two forty feet boats [#21p and #21p?] and five or six sets of boilers and machinery." (Source: Anon. "The Wonderful Boat. First Visit to Providence of the Herreshoff Torpedo Boat Lightning." Providence Evening Press, May 20, 1876, p. 2.)

"The little steamer recently built for the government by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, of this town, to be used at the torpedo station, has attained a really wonderful speed. Her builders guaranteed her speed at nineteen miles per hour, but she has far exceeded that, if the following, from the Newport Mercury, of Saturday last, is correct. That paper says: 'Wednesday [May 10, 1876] the new torpedo boat was trying her speed in the harbor. She is certainly the liveliest thing in the water we have ever seen, one could hardly follow her with a glass so rapidly did she shoot from one place to another. She is about 60 feet long, very narrow and is sharp at both ends. She came from Bristol in twenty-four minutes.' " (Source: Anon. "Locals." Bristol Phoenix, May 20, 1876, p. 2.)

"The government trial of the Herreshoff torpedo boat, 'Lightning,' took place on Narragansett Bay, Wednesday morning, over a measured ten mile course between Bristol and Newport. The steam launch from the Newport torpedo station, with U. S. officers on board, was placed at the Bristol end of the course, and a small boat also carrying officers was stationed at the buoy off Bishop's Rocks, just above Newport harbor. At ten o'clock the Lightning left Herreshoff's dock, having on board Mr. John B. Herreshoff, the builder, Lieut. Converse of the torpedo station, (to whom was assigned the duty of conducting the trial,) and a crew of three men. The run of ten miles, from Usher's buoy, Bristol, to Bishop Rocks, was made in 26 minutes, 45 seconds; average steam pressure 140 pounds. It was intended to return over the course, making a continuous run, but the supply of coal was not deemed sufficient, and so the boat kept on to the torpedo station at Newport, where a fresh supply of coal was obtained. Here the party met the commandant of the station and a number of officers, who were warm in their congratulations of Mr. Herreshoff, upon the success he had achieved. On the return trip, the small pipe connected with the steam guage was broken off close to the drum, and the hole thus left was plugged with a piece of pine; thus necessitating a lower pressure of steam. But even with this disadvantage the run home was made in 32 minutes 53 seconds --- a total of 59 minutes 43 seconds. The time or the run from Bishop's Rocks to Goat Island and return was also taken, and the distance measured, and the grand result of the whole trip, according to the government figures, was an average speed of 22.43 miles per hour. These results were immediately telegraphed to the authorities at Washington, and, on Thursday, about noon, Mr. Herreshoff received a telegram from Capt. Breeze, commanding the torpedo station, informing him that all tests had been satisfactory, and that the boat was accepted by the government. She was hauled ashore Wednesday afternoon, to be painted, and otherwise prepared for delivery, and by Tuesday or Wednesday next she will be handed over to her owners at Newport. Mr. Herreshoff's success in so far exceeding his contract (which called for only 19 miles an hour) is the subject of deserved praise and most favorable comment from those most interested in the transaction, and its practical results will doubtless soon be seen in the building of other and larger craft for the same uses. To have built the fastest steamer in the world is no small success, and yet her builders are not satisfied. They promise upon the next attempt to guarantee at least 22 miles an hour, and to be prepared to show in actual working a considerable increase over even that guarantee." (Source: Anon. "The Fastest Boat in the World. Government Trial of the Herreshoff Torpedo Boat. 22.43 Miles in One Hour." Providence Evening Press, May 26, 1876, p. 2.)

"Official Trial Of Torpedo-Boat.
Narragansett Bay,
Wednesday, 24th May, 1876. ...
[Down trip.] Distance 10.12 statute miles.
[Return trip.] Distance 10.12 statute miles.
Total distance 20.24 statute miles.
Time 26" 45' down trip.
Time 32" 58" return trip.
Total time 59" 43'
Down Trip:
Sea. --- Smooth.
Tide. --- Ebb.
Wind. --- Light ahead.
Steam. --- Steady at 140 pounds.
Engines. --- Working as well as could be desired. No parts of the machinery showed the slightest signs of heating.
Boiler. --- Working well.
Note. --- Finding that the quantity of coal on board would not be sufficient to last for the return trip, it was deemed best to continue course to torpedo-station and get more. It was the first time any of the people on board had used English coal, and the consumption was much greater than on previous occasions when American coal was used.
Return Trip:
Sea. --- Smooth.
Tide. --- Strong ebb. Wind. --- Moderate breeze astern. Steam. --- Average about 100 pounds. Engines. --- Worked as well as could be desired. No parts of machinery showed the slightest signs of heating.
Boiler. --- Made steam freely and worked well.
Note. --- When a short distance above Bishop's Rock buoy the pipe connecting with after steam-gauge blew out at joint with steam-drum. Plugged hole with pine stick without stopping. Plug blew out three times. Carried low steam while repairing. Average during return trim not over 100 pounds.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
G. A. CONVERSE, Lieutenant, and Assistant Inspector of Ordnance." (Source: Converse, G. A. "Official Trial of Torpedo-Boat." Narragansett Bay, 24th May, 1876. In: Report of the Secretary of the United States Nayy. Washington, 1876, pp. 137-138.)

"(Telegram.)
Washington, D. C. May 25, 1876.
To Capt. K. R. Breese, U. S.N., Inspector of Ordnance, in charge of Torpedo Station.
Captain Breese, Newport, R. I.: Telegram received. Accept Lightning.
Jeffers, Chief of Bureau." (Source: Jeffers, William N. [Telegram to U.S. Navy Capt. K. R. Breese.] Washington, D.C., May 25, 1876. In: Report of the Secretary of the United States Nayy. Washington, 1876, p. 139.)

"[Detailed description of Lightning, including dimensions, equipment, working of boiler and engine, accompanied by drawings of boiler and engine.]" (Source: Report of the Secretary of the United States Nayy. Washington, 1876, pp. 142.)

"... Still the main reliance of a torpedo attack is upon 'a bag of powder on the end of a pole,' as it has been called; it is chiefly in the speed of the launches and in the method of firing the torpedo that the greatest gain has been made. Much has been done in the way of increased speed. In this country we build launches of the Herreschoff [sic] type. The Lightning, one of this kind, has made a speed of twenty-four miles an hour. The great peculiarity of these boats is their boiler, in which steam can be raised to working pressure in five minutes or less, and can be kept there without difficulty. The illustration shows the salient features of the boilers, the water being contained in the coil of iron pipe, and passing to the separator in the form of steam. The propeller and rudder are also peculiarly arranged, and the whole boat (which is built of wood) is so light that she can be stopped in her own length when going at full speed, and she steers just as well when going astern as when going ahead. Unfortunately she is not well adapted for war purposes, save in an emergency; still, in smooth water and under favorable circumstances, she might make a successful attack, provided she escaped in safety from the shower of balls and bullets which machine guns and revolving cannon would be casting at her. ..." (Source: Brown, Allan D. "Torpedoes and Torpedo Boats." Harpers New Monthly Magazine, June 1882, p. 36-47.)

"... May 24, 1876, Lieutenant G. A. Converse tested a Herreshoff torpedo boat built with a guarantee of nineteen miles an hour. John B. Herreshoff superintended the working of the machinery. A pipe connected with the steam gauge blew out; but, without stopping, although the speed was somewhat reduced, N. G. Herreshoff plugged the hole with a pine stick, and a record of about twenty-one miles an hour was made, or about twenty-three miles before the accident. The government officer in charge named her the 'Lightning,' as she was then the fastest of her kind afloat. ..." (Source: Wellesley, Walter. "The Wizards of the Water Witches." Success, August 19, 1899, p. 629-630.)

"LIGHTNING (Built by Herreshoff; commissioned 1876; displacement 3.45 tons; length overall 58'; beam 6'3"; draft 1'10"; engine double direct acting; 1 screw; speed 17.5 knots; armament 2 spars on broadsides with 12" spherical torpedoes) was the last of the well known torpedo boats built to use spar torpedoes." (Source: Smart, Larry R. "Evolution of the Torpedo Boat." Military Affairs, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Summer, 1959), p. 100.)

"Spar Torpedo Boat Lightning
HMCo Hull #20 Built 1875-1876 Length 58'-3"; Beam 6'-3"; Draft 3'-2" Light Displacement 6900 lb
LIGHTNING was designed to sneak up on an enemy at night and deposit a lit torpedo next to her hull by means of the long spar, then back away quickly before it exploded. The double-ended wood-hulled vessel was powered by a 36" diameter coil boiler providing steam to a compound engine driving through a 38-inch diameter propeller. The boat was much lighter than competing designs, went astern as fast as ahead, and could stop in two ship lengths." (Source: Anon. [Plaque on Display at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.] Bristol, Rhode Island, no date.)

"Lightning was an easily driven double-ender whose huge (38-inch-diameter), slow-turning propeller was located abaft the rudder, although both were unusually close to amidships. She is what was known as a 'spar torpedo boat,' meaning that the torpedoes were carried and set from the ends of long poles rather than being self-propelled, as we know them today. Lightning was designed to sneak up close to an enemy vessel, running silently and in the dark of the night, and deposit a lit torpedo next to her hull by means of the spar, then back away quickly before it exploded. This was hazardous business, of course, and with the advent of so-called 'automobile' torpedoes that could be 'fired' from a distance, spar torpedo boats became obsolete. Given the 1876 technology, however, Lightning was effectively thought out. She was low, dark, and relatively quiet, not easily seen or heard. After a 'hit,' her backing-down acceleration must have been a head-snapper, and with a pointed stem and the rudder in the wash of the big propeller, Lightning's speed and maneuverability while going backward were exceptional. According to NGH, Lightning made 20 m.p.h. on trials and on one run got up to 21 1/2 m.p.h. This was while going forward; but her speed astern must have been about the same. The Herreshoff Mfg. Co. construction log shows five more spar-type torpedo boats in the four years following Lightning: one for England [#44p Herreshoff], one for Russia [#64p], and three for Chile and Peru [#53p, #55p, #60p].
Brother James is given universal credit for designing the once-famous Herreshoff Safety Coil Boiler, used for a while in every steam-powered craft that the Herreshoffs built. Its chief virtues were its compactness and its ability to get up steam in a hurry. Whereas other boilers of the day took perhaps an hour after light-off until they'd make enough steam to get a boat underway, the coil boiler took under five minutes. These patented coil boilers appear to have been a real selling point for the early Herreshoff steamers, and they were used exclusively by the Herreshoffs until about 1883, being manufactured in a variety of sizes. What killed the coil boiler was the high cost of manufacture. The 'coil' was a continuous length of piping with a gradually increasing diameter which had to be formed entirely by hand. It was also impossible mechanically to clean the scale from the inside surface of the coils; in time, the scale buildup so lowered the boiler's efficiency that a replacement boiler was needed. Eventually, the Herreshoffs abandoned coil boilers in favor of more conventional ones, designed by NGH." (Source: Bray, Maynard and Carlton Pinheiro. Herreshoff of Bristol. Brooklin, Maine, 1989, p. 10.)

"[Item Description:] Displacement curve annotated '162.8cuft' [10,419.2lbs], half-sections and calculations titled [#20p] LIGHTNING." (Source: Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_48860. Diagram. Subject Files, Folder [no #]. No date (1875 ??).)
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"[Item Description:] Sections and dimensions for '57ft Torpedo boat Nov 1875 [#20p LIGHTNING] sc[ale] 1/12'." (Source: Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_48400. Sections / Dimensions. Subject Files, Folder [no #]. 1875-11.)
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"[Item Description:] Extract from ... 1876. The Herreshoff Torpedo Boat' [#20p LIGHTNING]. 4 copies." (Source: Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection Acc. 86.43 and 86.227. Booklet?. HMM Library Rare Books Room (Box 1), Folder [no #]. 1876.)

"[Item Description:] Official Trial of [#20p] LIGHTNING', times, places, observations, 'Engine and boiler worked to perfection. ... A short distance above Bishop Rock after steam guage blew off. Plugged hole with pine stick without stopping. Plug blew out three times', undated but published with date in 'Converse, G. A. 'Official Trial of Torpedo-Boat.' Narragansett Bay, 24th May, 1876. In: Report of the Secretary of the United States Nayy. Washington, 1876, pp. 137-138'" (Source: Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_48880. Note. Subject Files, Folder [no #]. No date (1876-05-24).)
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"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Photograph. [Backside of Trophy Cup shown in HH.6.208:] ANEMONE [#4p] 1870, LIGHTNING [#20p] 1876, STILLETO [#118p] 1885, HENRIETTA [#133p] 1886, NOW THEN [#142p] 1887, BALLYMENA [#151p] 1888, CUSHING [#152p] 1890, VAMOOSE [#168p] 1891, PORTER [#184p] 1896, MORRIS 1897 [#190p]." (Source: Anderström (creator). Photograph. MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.209. Box HAFH.6.7B, Folder Photograph. No date (1899 ?).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #20p Lightning even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Simpson, Richard V. Building the Mosquito Fleet: The U.S. Navy's First Torpedo Boats. Charleston, S.C., 2001.
  Description of the first American torpedo boats, with strong emphasis on Herreshoff-built vessels. Unfortunately, numerous small factual inaccuracies.
• U.S. Secretary of the Nayy. Report of the Secretary of the United States Navy. Washington, 1876, p. 134-142. (886 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: No. Correspondence between Navy and HMCo about building Lightning. Detailed specifications as submitted by HMCo. Trial report. Vessel acceptance. Sketch of boiler. Sketch of engine. Description of vessel, boiler and operating procedures.
• Caiella, J. M. "Historic Ships. Prelude to the Beginning." U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Md.: Naval History, Vol. 37, No. 2, April 2023, p. 6-7. (1,763 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Md.. Short history of the first torpedo boat of the U.S. Navy in its historical context.

• Lightning (HMCo-made index card)
• Lightning (MIT Museum-made index card)
• 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.

Name: Lightning
Type: Steam Torpedo Boat
Length: 57'
Owner: U.S. Navy

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

• Lightning
• 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.

Name: Lightning
Type: 57' steam
Owner: U.S. Navy
Row No.: 373

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.

Year: 1876
E/P/S: P
No.: 020
Name: Lightning
OA: 57'

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.

"Note: Anon (apparently N. G. Herreshoff as per his handwriting). [Dates of Model Towing Experiments.] DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University Collection, George Albert Converse Papers and Photographs, 1861-1897, Box 1, Folder 10, http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/gcp/id/650/rec/22, retrieved June 6, 2018. Undated (ca. 1896) shows a list of 'Dates of Model towing Experiments' that refers to experiments conducted by NGH: '1876, before designing Lightning [#20p] - Oct. and Nov. 1880, before designing Stiletto [#118p] and others - Nov. 1895, before designing # 6 and 7 [#184p Porter and #185p Dupont] - August 1896, before making designs for 30 knot torpedo boat [#189601ep Unbuilt Torpedo Boat]. These towing experiments, some of which were conducted together with G. A. Converse, are also described in Converse, George Albert (General Inspector of Torpedo Boats Numbers 6 and 7). [Letter to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt reporting on the Torpedo Boat Porter.] DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University Collection, George Albert Converse Papers and Photographs, 1861-1897, Box 1, Folder 4, http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/gcp/id/122/rec/16, retrieved June 6, 2018. May 23, 1897. [Special thanks to John Palmieri for figuring that this note is in NGH's handwriting.]" (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 18, 2021.)

"Built in 166 days (contract to launch; equivalent to $30/day, 42 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"Destroyed before 1900." (Source: Herreshoff, Grace. Chicago Daily Tribune, December 16, 1900, p. 16.)

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