HMCo #222p Parthenia [Claudia]

"[1902-11-29] Sat 29: Launched st[eame]r No 222 Claudia [subsequently named Parthenia and owned by Morton Plant, but initially named Claudia, after Mrs. Claudia A. Tucker, the sister of J. B. Herreshoff's wife, who named her].
[1903-01-05] Mon 5: Moved #222 Claudia, now[?] Parthenia, to pier at Love Rocks. Turned over #596 [Bat] in AM.
[1903-03-03] Tue 3: Fair [with] mod[erate] NE to SE [wind &] partly cloudy. Moved #222 Parthenia from Love Rocks to n[orth[ wharf. ...
[1903-05-13] Wed 13: Very fine [with] SW [wind]. ... Tried 222 Parthenia in forenoon.
[1903-05-15] Fri 15: Very fine & warm. Hauled 222 [Parthenia] out to paint. ...
[1905-03-20] Mon 20: NE [wind with] l[igh]t rain in AM. Launched Parthenia [#222p] from head of cove. ..." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1902 to 1905. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"May 13, 1903
Parthenia, #222
1st run from wharf. Foul bottom.
On 3 knot course, nat[ural] draft, wind light SSW, tide 1/4 ebb.
[Followed by tabulated trial run data with mean speed being 11.5kn = 13.25mph]." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. Handwritten note in Trials Booklet '1898 - 1909' under date of May 13, 1903. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.)

"May 26, 1903
Parthenia, #222
On 3k[n] course to test max natural draft speed, expected for final trial. Vessel equipped [with] about 3 tons coal. Wind S, 14m[ph], tide 1/2 ebb of sprng tide.
[Followed by tabulated trial run data with mean speed being 12.65kn = 14.55mph]. ..." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. Handwritten note in Trials Booklet '1898 - 1909' under date of May 26, 1903. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.)

"... the Herreshoff Company also built three other quite similar yachts with similar power plants: they were 'Quickstep,' built for Frederick Grinnell in 1902, one hundred and twenty-four feet long; 'Parthenia,' built for Morton F. Plant in 1903, one hundred and thirty feet long; and 'Eugenia,' built for J. B. Herreshoff in 1904, one hundred and thirteen feet long. These yachts were of very similar model but had different cabin arrangements and quite different deck houses." (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. 242, 244.)

"Morton T. Plant of the New York Yacht Club is to have a new 34-foot cruising sloop [Nellie #586s] of the type and size of the Trivia [#580s], owned by Harold Vanderbilt. The new craft will soon be in the water, as she is two-thirds finished in the Herreshoff shop. Mr. Plant is to have a new steam yacht [Parthenia #222p] the size of the Quickstep built in the same shops, as soon as she is launched, which should be in about two weeks, a new schooner yacht [Ingomar #590s] will be set up in the place now occupied by the steamer, to be built to his order." (Source: Anon. "Notes for Yachtsmen. New York Times, October 12, 1902, p. 18.)

"Handsome New Steam Yacht for M. T. Plante of New York Put Overboard at Herreshoff's Wednesday Afternoon ---Christened by Mrs. J. B. Herreshoff.
There was launched from the north construction shop at Herreshoffs Wednesday afternoon about 4.30 o'clock, a handsome steam yacht built for M.T. Plante of New York. The launching was witnessed by members of the families of John B. and Nathaniel G. Herreshoff and the yacht was christened Claudia by Mrs. Eugenia Herreshoff, wife of the president of the company. Tbe customary bottle of wine was broken on the bow of the new boat by Mrs. Herreshoff as the yacht started down the greased ways.
The Claudia was named after Miss Claudia A. Tucker, sister of Mrs. J. B. Herreshoff. It is about 125 feet in length over all and the breadth of beam is close to 18 feet.
The Claudia's hull is similar in appearance to the steam yacht Quickstep [#213p], launched March 10th last. The frames for the new boat were bent on the moulds used for the Quickstep's frames. The Claudia is, however, about three feet longer than tbe Quickstep. Mr. Plante's new yacht is intended for cruising purposes and is practically a house boat. Her deck house is long and is very similar to that on Capt N G. Herreshoff's Roamer [#215p].
The new yacht is about three-quarters completed. Her engine and boiler are set but not connected. The woodworkers will have several weeks work to finish her. Her contract speed is about 15 knots an hour. The interior finishing is of mahogany and butternut and the crew's quarters, which are said to be the best of any seen in the latest models of steam yacbts, are located in the stern.
She is equipped with an electric lighting plant and has every convenience found in modern up-to-date steam yachts. The Claudia is intended for deep water cruising and has bilge keels on each side to prevent rolling in a seaway as much as possible." (Source: Anon. "Claudia Launched." Bristol Phoenix, November 28, 1902, p. 1.)

"Claudia [sic, i.e. Parthenia] is the name of the new 100-foot steam yacht built by the Herreshoff's for Morton F. Plant, of the New-York Yacht Club. The vessel was launched at Bristol on Thanksgiving Day [November 27, 1902], and was named by Mrs. John B. Herreshoff, who is a sister of Mrs Claudia A. Tucker, for whom the yacht was named." (Source: Anon. "Of Interest to Yachtsmen." New York Tribune, November 29, 1902, p. 5.)

"Parthenia, schooner steam steam screw yacht #222, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, RI, by Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., 1903.
141.49 gross tons, 96.21 net tons; 114 ft. x 17.8 ft. x 8.8 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
One deck, two masts, overhanging head, overhanging stern.
Surveyed and measured, April 6, 1903. [With notes: 225 Horse power. Steel frames - wood planking.]" (Source: U.S. Customs Department, Bristol, R.I. Custom House Record Book, 1870s to 1904 (Collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum), s.v. Parthenia.)

"[Abstract of register or enrollment. Pos. 715:]
Parthenia, steam screw yacht, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, 1903.
141.49 gross tons, 96.21 net tons; 114 ft. x 17.8 ft. x 8.8 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
One deck, two masts, overhanging head [bow].
Enr[olled] and Lic[ensed] ([as] yacht) May 19, 1903. Owner: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol. Master: N. G. Herreshoff, Bristol.
Surrendered [license] June 4, 1903 at New London, Conn. ([Record at:] C[ustom] H[ouse, Providence]).
Enr[olled] and Lic[ensed] (temporary) ([as] yacht) Mar. 31, 1905 (change of hailing port - Boston). Owner: Henry E. Converse of Maiden, Mass. Master: Henry E. Converse.
Surrendered [license] Apr. 28, 1908 at Hew Bedford. ([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. Parthenia.)

"... The new schooner yacht [Ingomar #590s] for Morton T. Plant of the Larchmont and New York Yacht Clubs is all plated at the Herreshoff shops and doubtless will be ready to go into the water about the first part of next month. Mr. Plant, who is Vice Commodore of the Larchmont Yacht Club, has had quite a number of pleasure craft constructed at the Herresboff shops in the past two years. He has now in his possession a respectable sized fleet of boats, and more are under construction. Within a year he has had built the steam yacht Parthenia [#222p], about to be placed in commission, a thirty-four-foot cruising sloop [Nellie #586s], two launches [Express #228p and ?], and a new schooner yacht, soon to be finished. The new schooner is to be named Ingomar, after a schooner yacht he owned years ago. Another of his boats which is nearly ready to be taken away is named Nellie, and resembles Harold Vanderbilt's cruiser Trivia [580s]. Capt. Holmes of the Parthenia will take Mr. Plant's steam yacht Parthenia to New London the latter part of next week, and will tow the Nellie away to that port at the same time. ..." (Source: Anon. "Yachts Race To-Morrow." New York Times, May 25, 1903, p. 7.)

"... Morgan F. Plant of the New York Yacht Club came here the latter part of the week to take charge of his new yachts just built at the Herreshoff shops. One is the fine steam yacht Parthenia [#222p], 125 feet in length, and the other is a smaller craft, the cruising sloop Nellie [#586s] of a thirty-four-foot waterline. The Parthenia left here yesterday for New London, after Mr. Plant had placed her in commission. The Parthenia towed the Nellie away." (Source: Anon. "Repairs to Cup Yachts." New York Times, June 1, 1903, p. 5.)

"The new steam yacht Parthenia [#222p], built at Herreshoffs' the past winter for M. T. Plante [sic] of New York, went into commission Saturday [May 30, 1903].
... Quite a number of steel workers employed on the new steel schooner yacht Ingomar [#590s], now in procsss of construction at Herreshoff's shops for M. T. Plante of New York, were laid off Friday evening. The work of plating the yacht is about completed. Mr Plante, her owner, was at the Herreshoff shops Saturday." (Source: Anon. "News and Notes of Local Interest." Bristol Phoenix, June 2, 1903, p. 2.)

"BOSTON, Mass., Jan 13 [1905]. --- Commodore Morton F. Plant, Larchmont Yacht Club, has sold his steam yacht Parthenia to H. E. Converse of Boston. The Parthenia was built by the Herreshoffs in 1902, and is of the following dimensions: Length over all, 131 feet; length an water line, 108 feet; beam, 18 feet; depth, 8 feet 8 inches; draught, 5 feet 6 inches. She is fitted with triple expansion engines, with cylinders 8 inches, 12 inches, and 20 inches in diameter by 11 inches stroke. She is of 141 tons gross and 96 tons net. ..." (Source: Anon. "Plant Sells Steam Yacht. Larchmont Commodore Disposes of Parthenia to Boston Yachtsman." New York Times, January 14, 1905, p. 7.)

"James W. Alker and Henry H. Maxwell, prominent yachting men of New York, and H. E. Converse of Boston were in town this week. The fast steam yacht Quickstep [#213p to be renamed Florence II], recently purchased by Mr Alker, and the Parthenia [#222p], purchased by Mr. Converse, are being overhauled preparatory for cruising the coming season. All three men registered at the Belvedere Hotel." (Source: Anon. "Bristol and Vicinity." Bristol Phoenix, March 28, 1905, p. 2.)

"Ford & Payne, naval architects, of 41 East 42nd St., New York, have in hand the work of alterations to the steam-yacht Parthenia, 131ft o.a., 18ft beam, and 5ft 6in draft. The steam plant, consisting of an Almy boiler, and Lawley triple expansion engine, is being removed, and a 150-h.p. 4-cylinder, 2-cycle, true Diesel engine is being installed in its place. The engine was built especially for this yacht at a cost of about $25,000. The yacht was originally built for the late Morton Plant, by the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. The crew's quarters were aft, and this has been changed, the crew now being taken care of in the forward end, and two suites of rooms are now provided for owner and guests, one suite consisting of two large double staterooms, one single stateroom, two bathrooms, and a, lounge forward of the engine room bulkhead; and the other of two large double staterooms, with connecting bath, and lounge just aft of the engine room bulkhead.
A cold storage room equipped with electric refrigeration is being installed just below the galley, which is on deck. The dining saloon is being shifted from the forward deck house to the after deck house, and an electric windlass has been installed for hoisting the anchors. The height of the smoke stack and masts have been lowered materially, improving the appearance of the yacht." (Source: Anon. "Parthenia Alterations." The Rudder, April 1925, p. 60.)

"... Last spring Ford's 131- foot fifty-eight-year-old Parthenia, diesel powered, ran afoul a northeaster and had a hole punched into her hull. ... Ford, a yacht broker, decided to sell Parthenia 'as is'..." (Source: Anon. "Ford's Troubles." Rudder, 1961, vol. 77, [p. 31?].)

"THERE'S a steamboat round the bend in Edmond St. Martin Hanrahan's dreams. It has been there since the 32-year-old bachelor fell in love with the 150-foot Parthenia on sight at City Island three years ago, despite her having been converted to diesel power, taking on water through a gaping hole in her hull and being haunted. Nevertheless, Hanrahan has purchased the yacht from Gerald W. Ford and plans to put the steam back into her.
In a lucky stroke, Hanrahan located a steam engine almost perfectly preserved that should make Parthenia look --- and act --- the way she did in 1903 when she was built and designed by Nathaniel Herreshoff.
Hanrahan wants to show today's yachtsmen what the golden age of steam was all about. Once he has reconverted the Parthenia to steam and fancied her up a bit, Hanrahan will cruise --- noiselessly --- up and down the coast, stopping at yacht clubs and holding receptions.
'I'm in love with steam and what it represents,' he said. In fact, Hanrahan, whose father, Edmond M. Hanrahan, is a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and now a member of the New York State Racing Commission, wants to write a book on the subject.
He hopes to sail the Parthenia to South America with a crew of writer-scientists who desire to study the tribes, customs, drugs, flowers and wildlife of Peru and Ecuador. His own interest lies in fresh-water sharks.
Parthenia, now in Sag Harbor, L. I., is perfect for such a trip, though with a narrow beam (18 feet) and shallow draft (5 1/2 feet), she cannot be considered an ocean-crossing vessel. She will have crew quarters for eight, a captain's cabin, double-cabin, writing room, a salon, social hall, smoking room, music room (with steam caliope), dining room, Turkish salon, two larger cabins and a maid's room and a valet's-room.
Lurking about, the story goes, is the ghost of Julia Marlowe, the actress, who sailed on the craft. Miss Marlowe once played the role of Parthenia, for whom the boat is named.
There are other problems, too. Steamboats are subject to stringent regulations such as having a licensed engineer, fireman and special lifeboats aboard. But if he has gone this far, Hanrahan says, he can get that far.
[Illustration:] The 150-foot Parthenia has beam of 18 feet, draft of 5 1/2 feet. Originally a steamboat, she was changed to diesel. She will be reconverted to steam." (Source: Keese, Parton. "Haunted Boat of Another Era Will Steam Along the East Coast." New York Times, April 3, 1970, p. 29.)

"SAG HARBOR, L. I., Aug. 28 [1971] --- The Parthenia, a relic of the age of steam yachting that had lain rotting and apparently abandoned here for 10 months, is once again afloat. But she has been stripped of almost everything of value in the time that she lay on her side in seven feet of water.
Edmond Hanrahan, the 33-year-old owner of the Parthenia, who the authorities of Sag Harbor thought had given up his boat, is now living aboard the yacht. He said this week that he had been working for the last eight months as a house painter and handyman to earn money to salvage the 68-year-old vessel.
Depths Unlimited, an East Northport, L. I., salvage company, raised the 150-foot, 300-ton Parthenia at a cost of $5,000.
In an interview aboard the yacht, Mr. Hanrahan said that he was virtually a 'prisoner' on the now damp and ghostlike Parthenia.
He said he slept on deck on a plank covered by a tarpaulin, fearing to leave unguarded what little is left that might tempt thieves.
Mr. Hanrahan, who cooks his meager meals over a Sterno can, has been helped in his task of scraping and cleaning the Parthenia by youngsters from Sag Harbor who volunteer their services.
Friends Indeed
Admittedly destitute, Mr. Hanrahan credits his youthful helpers with helping him maintain his sanity and sense of humor. 'Besides being companions,' said Mr. Hanrahan, 'the boys bring me food and candles.'
The salvage operation that brought the Parthenia up on Aug. 14, entailed the sealing of all openings below the waterline with Styrofoam and plywood. Pumps then removed water at the rate of 120,000 gallons an hour. Four hours after the pumping started, the Parthenia was upright and afloat in Sag Harbor.
Thieves and vandals have so thoroughly stripped the Parthenia that even the boat's two 50-foot masts have been chain-sawed off and, as Mr. Hanrahan said, 'are no doubt serving as some proud person's lawn-ornamenting flagpole.'
Brass portholes and railing supports have also been removed, as have all of Mr. Hanrahan's possessions that had been on the boat when she sank.
Still Optimistic
Despite his difficulties, Mr. Hanrahan is optimistic that he can 'put her back better than she was.' Experts say that the hull of the Parthenia, made of long-leaf double plank pine, is in excellent condition, and she is stabilized and taking no water. And the sun and air are slowly drying out the mahogany and cherrywood superstructure of the boat.
Reaction in this town to Mr. Hanrahan's plight ranges from a feeling of sympathy to a conviction that an intruder into the tranquil life here got what he deserved when the yacht sank.
One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, perhaps summed up the former view when she said:
'Hanrahan is a real dreamer. He's put his life into something that isn't real, waiting for a fairy godmother to drop in.'
Commissioned in 1903 by Harry Plant, the owner of a railroad with headquarters in Florida, the Parthenia was one of the finest steam yachts of the period. With four steam boilers she could exceed 20 knots. During World War I, she cruised the waters of Nantucket with a cannon mounted on her fore-deck, her crew watching for German submarines.
Used for Charters
The Parthenia was later purchased by Gerald W. Ford who during the nineteen-twenties and nineteen-thirties chartered it to show people, including Florenz Ziegfeld, out of City Island. But with the start of World War II the Parthenia was put up in drydock.
In 1969, Mr. Hanrahan bought the Parthenia, which had been stripped of her engines, from Mr. Ford in the hope of renovating her for steam use again. Mr. Hanrahan refused to disclose the purchase price.
The Parthenia and her latest owner made their first appearance in Sag Harbor in May of 1969. The vessel was towed into the harbor and moored at Long Wharf, a public pier where there are no docking charges.
The yacht was in poor condition. All of her paint was either peeled off or blistered, railings around the deck were broken and bent and there was a gash in the bow.
The issue of a boat moored free of charge in Sag Harbor brought action in short order from the Suffolk County Board of Supervisors, who voted to order the yacht away from the wharf.
With the help of James Remkus, who runs a fishing service in Sag Harbor, Mr. Hanrahan towed the Parthenia away from the wharf and anchored her about 100 yards into the harbor.
Restoration Begun
Mr. Hanrahan then began the job of restoring the Parthenia. The boat was completely repainted and all the brass fittings restored.
Antique furniture on the vessel was restored and slowly even the officials of Sag Harbor had to admit that the boat was once again a classic reminder of a period of steam yachting that no longer exists.
Last Oct. 22 [1970], when the Parthenia had regained much of her past splendor, a brief, 80-mile-an-hour squall whipped the yacht and caused her to strike her rudder on the shallow bottom.
The blow opened a small crack in the steering mechanism, and the yacht slowly sank. If Mr. Hanrahan had been aboard the vessel he could have repaired the damage. But he was in New York City on business. So once again Mr. Hanrahan is faced with the task of refurbishing the Parthenia and once again he is thinking big.
'I long for extravagance and the Parthenia calls for it,' he said the other day. 'I did not nor will I think of necessities first in remodeling her.' ,
Mr. Hanrahan is used to luxury. His father, Edmond M. Hanrahan, a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, is now a member of the New York State Racing Commission.
He was not available this week for comment on his son's plight.
The next trip for the Parthenia may be to the Greenport, L.I., shipyard, where she would be put up, her hull cleaned and painted. Mr. Remkus said the other day that he would tow the Parthenia to Greenport free if Mr. Hanrahan could raise the $1,500 necessary for the job.
Mr. Hanrahan hopes eventually to be able to buy an engine for the boat and sail it down to Florida by the inland waterways route. He feels that he will be able to get the right kind of crew since, as he put it, 'the Parthenia attracts her kind of people.'
Once in a warm weather mooring, Mr. Hanrahan feels that he could within a year make the yacht completely seaworthy.
An engine for the Parthenia is now available in East Hampton. The engine, a tandem diesel, would fit the Parthenia, but its cost may be difficult to meet
'The $10,000 price of the engine,' Mr. Hanrahan said, 'means that the Parthenia will remain powerless unless I come across a miracle.'
Before the Parthenia sank, Mr. Hanrahan would string a hammock between the davits and sleep hanging over the water.
He enjoyed this, he said, because when the morning mists rose, 'I would feel like I was sleeping in a cloud.'
[Illustrations:]
The 150-foot, 300-ton Parthenia after she was sunk in Sag Harbor by a storm last October. [Photo by] Robert Crandall.
The 68-year-old yacht at anchor after she was salvaged by her owner earlier in month. [Photo by] Michael D. Cassity." (Source: Anon. "Yacht Parthenia Afloat Again Off L.I. Owner Hopes to Restore Old Glory." New York Times, August 29, 1971, p. BQ76.)

"NEW LONDON - Her decks and hull are peeling from years of exposure to salt writer and blistering sun, her cabin stands in total disarray, her history is unclear and her last master has deserted her.
The last half-century has not been all smooth sailing for Parthania [sic, i.e. Parthenia], a 131-foot wood yacht whose foster home for two years has been a slip at the Thames Shipyard and Repair Co. on Farnsworth Street.
On the other hand, Parthania's lot is not all bad: She has a birthright and the very nature of her size and style indicate the days of neglect were preceded by a far more luxurious life. The old girl can be thankful to be afloat --- a far cry from the years she spent in repose at the bottom of the ocean.
Built in the early 1920s by Herreshoff, one of the world's finest yacht builders, Parthania must have many happy memories of the days when her cabin rang with laughter and music.
Even in her present state, it isn't hard to visualize her as a proud and elegant ship in a more opulent era. Perhaps she once carried beautifully-dressed yachtsmen and their ladies to view the America's Cup Races or the Yale-Harvard Recalta during the glorious times when "Boat Race Day" was a major social event of the season. Parthania must have had a lot of class in her heyday.
John Wronowski, president of Thames Shipyard, said he knows litlle about the ship's past, except that she was sunk for a time near Greenport, L. I., before a New York City man raised her and towed her to New London for repairs. That was in 1971, and Wronowski, who has been unable to contact the owner, has claimed a lien on the ship. She will be offered for sale Wednesday for the price of the shipyard's claim --- $2,855.
'Herreshoff is one of the finest yacht builders in the world and this ship must have been owned by a fairly wealthy family' Wronowski observed.
Teak-Hull
The ship is propelled by sail and steam engine, but she has no power plant. She is steel-framed with a teak hull. Her beam is 18 feet and she has a five-foot draft.
Although the house is in poor condition, it appears structurally sound. Wronowski has installed an automatic pump to keep the ship afloat.
The selling price sounds like a real bargain, but the amount of money it would take to restore Parthania to her former glory would probably prohibit all but the most ambitious craftsman from undertaking the mammouth project. For the thousands of dollars restoration would require, a comparable vessel could be newly built.
Revitalization of Parthania would have to be a labor of love, but what a beauty she could be. Who knows? Perhaps somewhere there is a wealthy benefactor who will return this gracious lady to the high seas.
[Illustration:] Old Yacht Parthania at Thames Shipyard. (Day Photo by Jack Urwiller.)" (Source: McCaslin, Sue. "Parthania --- She Was Once a Glamor Girl." The [New London] Day, February 12, 1973, p. 2.)

"USS Parthenia (SP-671), 1917-1920.
Originally the civilian steam yacht Parthenia (1903)
The 131-foot steam yacht Parthenia was built in 1903 at Bristol, Rhode Island. In August 1917 she was purchased by the Navy and placed in commission as USS Parthenia (SP-671). She was employed on patrol duties, apparently in New England waters, during the rest of World War I and for some months after the November 1918 Armistice. USS Parthenia was sold in August 1920." (Source: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-p/sp671.htm, accessed November 2, 2010.)

"After Sag Harbor, Parthenia was towed to New London's Thames Shipyard where ... I boarded her and had a look around. She showed all the usual signs of neglect and a sinking. Lots of wood, but all of it bare and weathered. This would have been around 1974 or 5 ... Later, I believe she was towed up the Connecticut River where she sunk again and was abandoned." (Source: Bray, Maynard. Email to Claas van der Linde, November 11, 2010.)

"[Item Description:] Penciled full sections with pinpricks titled 'St[eame]r #213 [QUICKSTEP]' and marked '#213' and '222 [#222p PARTHENIA]'. With calculations about steam engine power and boiler size and list of scantlings. Undated (a set of penciled pantograph hull sections of the same design was dated August 13, 1901)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_04280. Folder [no #]. No date (after 1901-08-13 ??).)
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"[Item Description:] Handwritten (in ink) trial run note titled 'Trials of PARTHENIA No 222 [#222p]. May 26th, 1903' with detailed performance data and concluding with 'Mean speed = 14.6 Miles = 12.65 Knots. Average [propeller] slip = ?. Engine 8in x 12 1/2in x 20in & 11in. Propeller # 18, 4 Blades, 48in dia x 80in Pitch. Condenser 120sqft cooling surface. Boiler 885sqft heating surface, 31 1/2sqft grate. Steam pipe 2 1/2in dia. Jet was not used'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Trial Run Note. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_02910. Folder [no #]. 1904-06-04.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled table with steam engine data ('Boiler [pressure], 'SS', '1st Int', '2 Int', 'Vac[uum]', 'R[evolutions]') for FLORENCE [#208p], EUGENIA [#205p] (in 1902 and 1904), ROAMER [#215p] (in 1902, 1904 and 1905), SUNBEAM [#229p], MIST [#235p], and PARTHENIA [#222p]." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Table. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_01400. Folder [no #]. No date (1905 or later).)
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"[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).)
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"[Item Transcription:] Handwritten (mostly in pencil but also in ink) trials booklet titled '1898 - 1909'. Relevant contents:
§28: #222p PARTHENIA Trial Run mean speed 11.5kn = 13.25mph (1903-05-13)
§30: #222p PARTHENIA Trial Run mean speed 12.65kn = 14.55mph (1903-05-26)." (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.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #222p Parthenia [Claudia] even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Parthenia (HMCo-made index card)
• Parthenia (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: Parthenia
Type: Steam
Length: 130'6"
Owner: Plant, M. F.

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

• Parthenia
• 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: Parthenia
Type: 131' steamer
Owner: Morton F. Plant
Year: 1903
Row No.: 508

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: 1902
E/P/S: P
No.: 222
Name: Parthenia
OA: 130 1/2"
LW: 108 1/2"

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.

"Marine Engine of Inclosed Type. 8 & 12 1/2 & 20 x 11, 460[rpm], 400[hp]. [Note:] 408 [hp in pencil]." (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.)

"See also: Henry M. Devereux Collection, Coll. 120, Daniel S. Gregory Ships Plans Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc., 2 sheets of plans for 131 ft. steam schooner yacht, PARTHENIA (built 1903), design #713 by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Date on plan is 1934. SP.1991.11.120.172." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. September 24, 2010.)

"#222p Parthenia was named after Parthenia in the romantic drama 'Sohn der Wildnis' ('Son of the Wilderness' or 'Ingomar the Barbarian'), written in 1842 by Baron Eligius Franz Joseph von Münch-Bellinghausen (April 2, 1806 - May 22, 1871), an Austrian dramatist, poet and short-story writer of the Austrian Biedermeier period better known under his pseudonym, 'Friedrich Halm'. Parthenia's lover was Ingomar, who would lend his name to #590s Ingomar, ordered also in 1902 and also by Morton Plant." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. November 2, 2010.)

"A 'Herreshoff triple expansion steam engine, steeple type, cylinders 8 --- 12 1/4 --- 20, 11 in. stroke.' was listed in the 1924 auction catalog when HMCo was auctioned off. This would appear to have been the old engine for #213p Quickstep or #222p Parthenia for they were the only HMCo-built vessel to be equipped with such an engine. Parthenia's engine was reported by the 1925 Lloyd's Register as having been removed and replaced by a Diesel engine. Thus, this appears to have been Parthenia's engine. But note that Quickstep was also listed in later years as having an oil engine, although it is unclear just when it was replaced." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. May 18, 2015.)

"Steam engine rating 470hp 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.)

"Drawing 025-011 is a list of drawings for #222p Parthenia. It shows many drawings beginning with 222-, most of which appear to be lost." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. July 3, 2021.)

"In the absence of better available data displacement was estimated by using the figure for Gross Register Tons (141) from the 1903 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (Net Register Tons were reported as 96) 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.