HMCo #79p Dido

"Dido, steam yacht, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, RI, by Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., 1881.
16.93 gross tons, 56 ft. x 9.4 ft. x 5 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
Plain head, round stern.
Surveyed and measured, July 1, 1881." (Source: U.S. Customs Department, Bristol, R.I. Custom House Record Book, 1870s to 1904 (Collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum), s.v. Dido.)

"A steam yacht sixty feet in length, built for Mr. R. L. Kennedy, of New York, called 'Dido,' was launched from the yard of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. on the 14th inst. [July 14, 1881]" (Source: Anon. "Local Notes." Bristol Phoenix, July 23, 1881, p. 2.)

"[License issued to vessel under 20 tons. Pos. 64:]
Dido, steam yacht, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, 1881.
16.93 gross tons, 11.03 net tons; 56 ft. x 9.4 ft. x 5 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
No specifications shown.
Lic[ensed] ([for] C[oastal] T[rade]) July 19, 1881. Owner: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Master: N. G; Herreshoff, Bristol. ([Record at:] C[ustom] H[ouse, Providence]).
Lic[ensed] ([as] yacht) July 21, 1884. Owner: Robert Kennedy of New York (N. G. Herreshoff of Bristol, agent). Master: [blank].
Surrendered [license] July 24, 1885 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. Dido.)

"Tarrytown, N. Y. ... Dr. T. V. Roe, who formerly owned S. V. Dido, built by Herreshoff and sold to the Cubans for use in running supplies and munitions of war from Key West to the Cuban Coast. ..." (Source: Anon. "Tarrytown, N. Y." Power Boat News, April 8, 1905, p. 13.)

"[Item Description:] Casting Book # 4, steamers #40p, #54p, #57p, #63p, #67p, #70p, #79p, #89p, #92p, #99p, #100p, #101p, #102p, #103p, #104p, #105p, #106p, #107p, #108p, #109p, #110p, #111p, #112p, #113p, #114p, #115p, #116p, #117p, #118p, #119p, #120p, #121p, #122p, #123p, #124p, #125p, #126p, #127p, #128p, #129p, #130p, #131p, #132p, #133p, #134p, #135p, #136p, #137p, #138p, #139p, #140p, #141p, #142p, #143p, #144p, #145p, #146p, #147p [castings by hull number; front page shows summary size and engine and boiler data for steamers 99 thru 146 as well as repair data for steamers #40p, #54p, #57p, #63p, #67p, #70p, #79p, #89p, #92p, #118p, and #128p]. Undated, vessels mentioned were built between 1878 and 1887. Dates mentioned for repairs range from 1885 to 1887. Note considerable informational overlap with Casting Book # 1, which as in this book also contains data for #99p through #116p, although it appears (!) that Book # 4 lists more patterns per boat than Book # 1. Likewise, considerable overlap with Casting Books # 2 and # 3 which also contain data for boats that are also listed in book # 4. It may well be that information in Book # 4 was copied from books # 1, # 2 and 3." (Source: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.120-07. Castings Book 4. Box HAFH.6.4B, Folder Casting Record Books Vessel Castings Book 4. No date (1878 to 1887).)
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"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Handwritten notebook titled in ink '1881. (Supplies.) 60ft Yacht[s]. 48ft Vidette. 45ft Vidette' listing 'Supplies [delivered by HMCo] for 60ft Steam Yachts with 6 and 10 1/2 x 10 Engine & Ii boiler [#76p IDLE HOUR, #72p CAMILLA, #77p EDITH, #79p DIDO]. Also 'Supplies for 45 feet open yacht with 4 1/4 and 7 x 7 engine, G boiler' [#78p Juliet]. Also 'Supplies for 48 feet Vidette boats Nos 74 and 75 [#74p and #75p]'. Also 'List of spare parts for 8 and 14 x 9 Engines. Str. #74 & #75 [#74p and #75p]'. Including an inserted penciled note listing anchors and cables supplied for #590s INGOMAR." (Source: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.143. Notebook. Box HAFH.6.5B, Folder Supply List for Vessels. 1881.)
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"[Item Description:] Ink on paper diagram titled 'Curves from Cards and data taken June 24th 1881'. With explanations 'Curves in ink. Steamer #74 [149]. English Vidette Boat. Pitch of Screw 3.5. Dia of Screw 36in' and 'Red curves. Steamer #75 150]. Dia. of Screw 36in. Pitch of Screw 52in'. X-axis is labeled 'Speed in knots' (with units from 1 to 13) and y-axis is not labeled with left side showing units from 1 to 15 and right side showing units from 10 to 250 (apparently pounds per square inch steam pressure). With plots labeled 'Total St[eam] Pr[essure], 'Horse Power', 'Rev[olution]s', and 'Slip' for #74p and #75p. Plus additional plots in separate area of the diagram labeled 'NEREID [#83p], total steam [pressure] (cutoff at 6in)', 'DIDO [#79p] total steam [pressure]', 'NEREID revol[utions]', 'DIDO revolutions', 'Slip' and 'Slip'. Undated (NEREID was delivered April 13, 1882.)" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Diagram. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_08970. Folder [no #]. No date (1882-04 ??).)
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"[Item Transcription:] Handwritten (in ink and pencil) trials booklet titled 'HMCo. Experiments. 1882'. Relevant contents:
§3: #79p DIDO Trial Run best speed 11.65kn (1881-07-18 & 1881-07-20)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Trials Booklet. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE07_02860. Folder [no #]. 1881-06 to 1883-03.)
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"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Casting Book # 2, steamers #70p; #79p, #117p, #118p, #119p, #120p, #121p, #122p, #123p, #124p, #125p, #126p, #127p, #128p, #129p, #130p, #131p, #132p, #133p, #134p, #135p, #139p, [castings by hull number]. On last page handwritten note 'Commenced Work on Triple Cond[?] Eng. new one Nov 11/85. H com[?] on Nov 13/85 10 A.M. C.H.K.'. Undated, most vessels mentioned were built between 1885 and 1886. Note considerable informational overlap with Casting Book # 4, which also contains data for all of the boats mentioned in this book, although it may be (!) that Book # 4 lists more patterns per boat than Book # 2." (Source: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.120-05. Castings Book 2. Box HAFH.6.4B, Folder Casting Record Books Vessel Castings Book 2. No date (1885 to 1886).)
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"[Item Transcription:] Penciled experiments booklet, untitled. Relevant contents:
§9: #79p DIDO Trial 28in Screw (1886-07-19)
§14: #79p DIDO Trial 32in Screw (1886-07-19)
§16: #79p DIDO Trial 36in Screw (1886-07-20)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator) and/or Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Experiments Booklet. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE07_00060. Folder [no #]. 1885-11 to 1887-05.)
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"[Item Transcription:] Handwritten (in ink and pencil) experiments and trials booklet titled 'Herreshoff Mfg. Co. Experiments 1884 to 1889. N.G. Herreshoff'. Relevant contents:
§8: #79p DIDO Trial Run (1884-07-28)
§25: #79p DIDO Trial Run 'new engine, new sq. boiler, experiments with three screw propellers' (1886-07-19)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Trials Booklet. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE07_03520. Folder [no #]. 1884-05 to 1890-05.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #79p Dido even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Dido (HMCo-made index card)
• Dido (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.

• Dido
• 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: Dido
Type: 60' steamer
Owner: Dr. T. V. Roe
Year: 1881
Row No.: 158

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: 1881
E/P/S: P
No.: 079
Name: Dido
OA: 60'

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.

"... Str. #79 - Repair Job. ..." (Source: Anon. [Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. (N. G. Herreshoff?)] No Title. [Handwritten Notes on Outer Cover of Notebook.] No date [ca. late 1880s.] Notebook in the Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, The Francis Russel Hart Nautical Collections, M.I.T. Museum, Cambridge, Mass., obj. no. HH.6.120.)

"Dido was still listed in the 1901 List of Merchant Vessels of the United States." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 21, 2014.)

"In the absence of better available data displacement was estimated by using the figure for Gross Register Tons (16.23) from the 1890-91 Manning's American Yacht List (Net Register Tons were reported as 11.03) and converting to lbs by dividing through 2000 (short tons). Note that this figure can only be a rough estimate because register tons as reported in Yacht Registers correlate only loosely with actual displacement figures." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 17, 2015.)

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