HMCo #115p [Launch for U.S.S. Boston]

"33ft Length. 8ft 6in Beam. 4ft Depth. 2ft 11in Draft. 11 1/2in center [to center] fr[ames] (square stern). 4 1/4in & 7in x 7in engine aft of boiler. F sq[uare] [boiler]. 38in sq. Bronze & steel steel shafts. U.S. St[eame]rs Boston's launch. Built on molds of 62 [#62p] - 63 [#63p] - 80 [#80p] - 81 [#81p] - 82 [#82p] - 111 [#111p] - 115 [#115p] - 132 [#132p] ." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Handwritten Note in Casting Record Books Vessel Castings Book 4, s.v. Steamer 115. MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.120. No date (1878 to 1887).)

... The Herreshoffs (Bristol, R. I.) are building a steam launch thirty-three feet long for the Navy Department, which, when finished, will make a competitive trial with one of the same size built by the department, the result of which will prove of interest. .... [Note: This could either be a reference to #111p Launch for U.S.S. Hartford or to #115p Launch for U.S.S. Boston.]" (Source: Anon. "Yachting Notes." New York Herald, June 10, 1884, p. ?)

"The Herreshoff Company, Bristol, R. I., ... completed a day or two ago a steam launch for the United States Navy of the following dimensions: --- Length, 33 feet; beam, 9 feet. She was built for special service in the navy. [Note: This could either be a reference to #111p Launch for U.S.S. Hartford or to #115p Launch for U.S.S. Boston.]" (Source: Anon. "Yachting Notes." New York Herald, September 21, 1884, p. ?)

"[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:] Casting Book # 1, steamers #99p, #100p, #101p, #102p, #103p, #104p, #105p, #106p, #107p, #108p, #109p, #110p, #111p, #112p, #113p, #114p, #115p, #116p [castings by hull number]. Undated, vessels mentioned were built between 1883 and 1884. Note considerable informational overlap with Casting Book # 4, which also contains data for all of the boats mentioned in this book, although it appears (!) that Book # 4 lists more patterns per boat than Book # 1. Likewise, considerable overlap with sometimes identical information with Casting Book # 2." (Source: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.120-09. Castings Book 1. Box HAFH.6.4B, Folder Casting Record Books Vessel Castings Book 1. No date (1883 to 1884).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #115p [Launch for U.S.S. Boston] even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Launch for USS Boston (HMCo-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.

Year: 1884
E/P/S: P
No.: 115
OA: 33'

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. #115 - 33Ft. long. 4 1/4+7x7 Eng[ine]. F Sq[uare] [Boiler]. ... " (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.)

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