HMCo #227p [Launch for St. Y. Yacona]

"Sept[ember] 10, 1902. #227
30ft Launch for S[team] Y[acht] Yacona.
On halfmile course in harbor before trial, 3 on board with all equipment and 2 or 300 lbs coal. Wind, 8m[ph], NW.
[Followed by tabulated trial run data]
Coal matted[?] down on grate so could not keep steam up and time near sunset so trial given up.
Everything working well." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. Handwritten note in Trials Booklet '1898 - 1909' under date of September 10, 1902. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.)

"227 [#227p]. [30ft]. 13.82[mph = 12.01kn]. " (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. Penciled Note on Verso of Envelope titled 'Trials of 26[ft], 28[ft] & 30[ft] Launches. 1898 - 1912. N.G.H.'. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. No date, September 28, 1920 or later.)

"The large steam yacht Ycoma [sic, i.e. Yacona] came in the harbor yesterday and anchored off Herreshoffs. Repairs were made on her machinery and the yacht left here today. [Did she also pick up her new steam launch #227p on this occasion?]" (Source: Anon. "Yachting." Bristol Phoenix, September 9, 1902, p. 3.)

"[Item Description:] Penciled technical drawing titled '3 1/2 - 5 & 8 x 4 1/2. 1/2 size. Nov[ember] 1897'. With calculations and table of cylinder dimensions. (This appears to be the first sketch of this very successful triple steam engine of which at least 27 units were built by HMCo between 1898 and 1915. Two of these engines have survived, one in the collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum, the other being the original engine of #227p VAPOR ex-Launch for St. Y. YACONA)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Technical Drawing. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE11_02150. Folder [no #]. 1897-11.)
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"[Item Transcription:] Handwritten (mostly in pencil but also in ink) trials booklet titled '1898 - 1909'. Relevant contents:
§25: #227p [LAUNCH FOR ST. Y. YACONA] Trial Run (1902-09-10)." (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.)
① ② ③ ④ ⑤ ⑥ ⑦ ⑧ ⑨ ⑩ ⑪ ⑫ ⑬ ⑭ ⑮ ⑯ ⑰ ⑱ ⑲ ⑳ ㉑ ㉒ ㉓ ㉔ ㉕ ㉖ ㉗ ㉘ ㉙ ㉚ ㉛ ㉜ ㉝ ㉞ ㉟ ㊱ ㊲ ㊳ ㊴ ㊵ ㊶ ㊷ ㊸ ㊹ ㊺ ㊻ ㊼ ㊽ ㊾ ㊿
① ② ③ ④ ⑤ ⑥ ⑦ ⑧ ⑨ ⑩ ⑪

"[Item Transcription:] [Penciled trial run summary on verso of envelope to NGH in Bristol, R. I. postmarked September 27, 1920:] Trials of 26[ft], 28[ft] & 30[ft] Launches. 1898 - 1912. N.G.H.
197 [#197p]. 26ft. 13.10[mph = 11.38kn]. 225lbs.
198 [#198p]. 26ft. 12.49[mph = 10.85kn].
199 [#199p]. 28ft. 13.02[mph = 11.31kn]. 210lbs.
199 [#199p]. 28ft. 16.02[mph = 13.92kn]. 240lbs.
202 [#202p]. 30ft. 15.35[mph = 13.34kn]. 235lbs.
202 [#202p]. 30ft. 15.50[mph = 13.47kn]. 245lbs.
200 [#200p]. 28ft. 14.35[mph = 12.47kn].
201 [#201p]. 28ft. 14.25[mph = 12.38kn].
214 [#214p]. 26ft. 14.60[mph = 12.69kn]. 240lbs.
214 [#214p]. 26ft. 13.47[mph = 11.71kn]. about 235lbs.
220 [#220p]. 28ft. 14.98[mph = 13.02kn].
227 [#227p]. [30ft]. 13.82[mph = 12.01kn].
?. 28ft. 14.50[mph = 12.60kn].
239 [#239p]. 28ft. 13.22[mph = 11.49kn]. Required 10k[nots].
?. 26ft. 12.50[mph = 10.86kn].
239 [#239p]. 28ft. 12.40[mph = 10.78kn]. Not full speed.
246 [#246p]. 28ft. 13.55[mph = 11.77kn].
?. 28ft. 14.46[mph = 12.57kn].
275 [#275p]. 28ft. 10.80[mph = 9.38kn]. Not full speed.
274 [#274p]. 27ft. 14.66[mph = 12.74kn]. [More calculations on other side.] [Note: Every launch listed above was built from Model 424 --- as if this was an attempt to assess the speed of launches built from this model and thus judge the capabilities of the model.]" (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. (creator). Penciled Note. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_03510. Folder [no #]. No date (1920-09-28 or later).)
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"[Item Transcription:] On Board STRANGER
Your letter of November 18th at hand and in reply will say that the steam launch I have, named VAPOR [#227p], must have been the YACOMA[sic, i.e. YACONA]. Your building #227. The engine in this launch is numbered 227, built in 1902. [Penciled note (Drawing) '2-27'.]
I have the boiler and engine out giving the entire launch a thorough overhaul. I attempted to find the number on the boiler but was unable to do so. The dimensions are as follows. Seven rows of twenty-seven half inch tubes and seven rows of twenty-six, making a total number of 371 tubes. The steam drum is 28-3/8in long and 8-3/8in O.D. The Mud drums are 4in O.D. The steam drum and mud drums are in fine condition.
I would like to have you ship direct to the American Boiler Works, 1270 E. Burnett St., Long Beach, Calif., attention of Mr. H.E. Harmon, a complete set of tubes and including two extra of each different bend. Also a tube roller along with the gear box to operate it.
Please ship direct to me at 2100 E. Central Ave, Balboa Calif., 75 - 5/16in cap screws, 3/4in long 26 threads. These are for the cylinder heads. If you happen to have an assortment of cap screws, studs and nuts, made for this engine I would like to buy some as they are very difficult to get, being of special threads. Would also like to know the steam pressure [handwritten note '250 lbs/sq.in.'] that was carried on these boilers when they were new and the revolutions [hand written note 'about 700'] that you recommend turning the engine, along with any other information you care to send partaining[sic] to the boiler and engine.
I would appreciate as prompt a delivery as is possible for you to make and would prefer to have the stuff sent by express. Please send all bills to me. If you care for references you can write the National City Bank of New York. My New York office address is room 2148 Woolworth Bldg.
Yours very truly ...
[With handwritten notes in upper margin 'Sid Herreshoff' and in lower margin 'boiler (43-37) engine 3 1/2in x 5in x 8in x 4 1/2in'.] [Handwritten note by A.S. deW. Herreshoff on verso:] We have the tube board
There are no 1/2" tubes.
There is no complete tube expander, but there are some parts.
A.S.DeW.H.
Dec[ember 5, 1940
Inspection. [Note: STRANGER was a 134ft LOA motor yacht, designed by L.E. Geary, built by Lake Union D.D. & M. Works in Seattle, Wash. in 1938, homeported in Honolulu, and owned by Fred E. Lewis of Spadra, CA and Newport Harbor.]" (Source: Lewis, Captain F.E. Letter to Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.107. Box HAFH.6.3B, Folder Boilers - Correspondence. 1940-11-25.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Carbon copy of a filled out job order:] Captain F.E. Lewis, Room 2148 Woolworth Bldg. - New York
Order No. 3478
Bill to be mailed to Captain F.E. Lewis, 2100 East Central Ave. Balboe, California. Mr. [Thomas] Brightman, Mr. [Sidney] Herreshoff, Mr. Hayes.
Regarding the above order [for #227p Vapor ex-Launch for Yacona] for tubes, tube expander and cap screws, please note the following shipping instructions:
The tube and tube expander to be shipped to the
American Boiler Works, 1270 East Burnett St.
Long Beach, California. Attention Mr. H.E. Hermon.
The cap screws are to be shipped to Captain F.E. Lewis, 2100 East Central Ave. Balboa, California and the bill for everything mailed to this address." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. Correspondence (job order) to Lewis, Captain F.E. MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.107. Box HAFH.6.3B, Folder Boilers - Correspondence. 1940-12-26.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #227p [Launch for St. Y. Yacona] even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Louchard, Ed. "Restoration of Herreshoff Steam Launch #227 Vapor." In: Herreshoff Marine Museum (Publisher). Proceedings. The Classic Yacht Symposium 2010. Bristol, R.I. 2010, p. 159-170. (1,743 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Ed Louchard / Herreshoff Marine Museum. Short vessel history. Facsimile of a 1970 letter to the owner by L. F. Herreshoff. Restoration report.

• Launch for St Y Yacona (HMCo-made index card)
• Vapor Launch for St Y Yacona (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: Yacona
Type: Steam
Length: 30'
Owner: Pierce, H. C.

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

• Launch for Yacona
• 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.

Year: 1902
E/P/S: P
No.: 227
OA: 30'
LW: 29' 9"

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.

"Starboard high speed launch for the steam yacht Yacona owned by financier Henry Clay Pierce (railroads, oil and finance). The 211ft LOA Yacona, formerly named Cem as well as Amélia III, had once been owned by the King of Portugal and was built in 1899 at Kinghorn in Scotland. She arrived for the first time in the U.S. in late June of 1902. Vapor was ordered shortly afterwards. Note that a Newport 15 also named Yacona (#589s) was ordered by H. C. Pierce from HMCo at the same time." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. August 18, 2010.)

"Steam engine rating 48hp 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.)

"Marine Engine of Inclosed Type. 3 1/2 & 5 & 8 x 4 1/2, 825[rpm], 48[hp]." (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.)

"Vapor was owned until 2022 by the late Jon Martin of Costa Mesa, CA and came to the Herreshoff Marine Museum in September 2022." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. September 28, 2022.)

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