HMCo #232p Helvetia II

"[1903-04-24] Fri 24: Fair. Fresh SW [wind in] PM. Hauled Reliance out to (?) in PM. Took gasoline launch #232 [Helvetia] out of shop. ...
[1903-05-04] Mon 4: L[igh]t rain most of day. L[igh]t N to NE [wind]. ... Launched ... Helvetia II #232 from N[orth] dock." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1903. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"I have yours of 8 [November 1905], and take pleasure in giving you what information I can.
In spring of 1903 we built two gasoline launches [#231p ADRIENNE and #232p HELVETIA II] for the Iselin families at New Rochelle which are considered very satisfactory and model boats of their types. They were intended strictly for pleasure boats to use in L[ong] Is[land] Sound for short excursions. Are rather lightly built, but quite strong enough for the purpose intended, are double planked, a short deck forward with raised house having cabin room enough for shelter in case of rain and a toilet room. Aft of this there is a large open cockpit with the motor in the middle. The boats are 50ft o.a., 10 1/2ft extreme beam, about 3ft draft, high freeboard, and very easy lines below water. They are propelled by 20-25HP 'Standard' engines and have a speed of nearly 10 knots.
We are just building a similar boat [#248p TODDYWAX] except longer --- 60ft o.a. --- which will be used around Newport next summer. ..." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. Penciled draft reply note to Admiral W.L. Capps, Bureau of Construction and Repair, Navy Dept. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. Correspondence, Folder 1_14, formerly (84). After November 8, 1905.)

"The first [NGH-designed powerboat] was the double-ended fifty foot launch 'Express' [#228p] built for Morton F. Plant in 1903. I think J. B. took the order for her when Captain Nat was away on a cruise; otherwise they may not have built a gasoline launch for some time to come. This launch was built on the molds originally made for the steam launches 'Our Mary' [#148p] and 'Jersey Lily' [#149p] built in 1888, also Captain Nat's own steamer 'Squib' [#188p] built in 1898, but whereas these earlier steamers had plumb bows and square sterns, the 'Express' was built with a slightly over-hanging bow and a canoe stern. 'Express' had a four-cylinder heavy duty Standard engine and was a great success in every way so that eventually there were four of these launches built:
[#228p] 'Express'; 1903; Morton F. Plant
[#231p] 'Helvetia II'; 1903; C. O. Iselin
[#232p] 'Adrienne'; 1903; Adrian Iselin
[#264p] 'Sarah Webb'; 1908; G. H. Webb
One or two of these launches, I believe, are still running. [#231p Helvetia II was still extant in 1953.]" (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. 248.)

"No. 232 Helvetia II, gasoline screw launch, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, RI, by Herreshoff Manufacturing Co., 1903.
9 26/100 tons; 43.4 ft. x 10.9 ft. x 5.3 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
Plain head, peaked stern.
Surveyed and measured, April 14, 1903." (Source: U.S. Customs Department, Bristol, R.I. Custom House Record Book, 1870s to 1904 (Collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum), s.v. Helvetia II.)

"Two boats that have attracted no little attention on Long Island Sound during the past season are the launches Helvetia II [#232p Helvetia II] and Adrienne [#231p Adrienne], built by Herreshoff for Messrs. C. O'D. Iselin and Adrien Iselin, of New Rochelle. As the photographs show, the boats are of the hunting cabin type, with high freeboard and a good sheer. It is most satisfactory to see that boats of this type are to a great extent, taking the place of the older type with low freeboard and high glass house, which the launch and engine builder have turned out by the score in past years. Under conditions where the older type is absolutely unsafe the hunting cabin type is both seaworthy and comfortable, and they mark a decided advance in launch designing. While designed primarily as day boats, the cabin has a fair amount of room, with ample lockers and a good toilet room. The power consists of a 20-horse-power Standard motor, which drives the boats at a speed of about 10 knots an hour.
The dimensions are:
Length over all 49 feet 6 inches
Length water line 43 feet 7 inches
Beam 10 feet 6 inches
Draught 2 feet 9 inches" (Source: Anon. "Helvetia II." Rudder, January 1904, p. 27.)

"[Item Description:] Penciled sketch on tracing paper of a motor outline marked 'Standard 20-24'. Marked 'Sc[ale] 1/2] in lower margin. (A table in MotorBoat Magazine of March 1914 shows the Standard 20-24 to have been a four cycle gasoline engine with 20 to 24hp, a weight of 1600lbs, 5in bore and 6 1/2in stroke and a normal RPM of 400-500. HMCo is believed to have used the motor for #228p EXPRESS, #231p ADRIENNE and #232p HELVETIA II, built in 1902 and 1903.)" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Penciled Sketch. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_07000. Folder [no #]. No date (1902 / 1903 ?).)
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"[Item Transcription:] I am sending you a copy of Cox's paper in this years proceedings of the Naval Architects. This was unsolicited.
We are asked to bid on a boat using two 110 horse power engines like those of the STANDARD though of an improved type. We think we can get one hundred and fifty brake horse power out of them. If this comes to a head I shall ask you for a price on the hull.
Your HELVETIAs [#231p ADRIENNE and #232p HELVETIA II] are in my opinion the ablest launches ever built in this country. I shall be very glad to see Mr. John [B. Herreshoff] when he is in town and if he will let me know I shall be glad to call on him.
With kind regards. ..." (Source: Nixon, Lewis. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_00360. Correspondence, Folder 1_14, formerly (84). 1904-01-30.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Signed typewritten letter on 'H.P. Whitney, 32 Nassau Street, New York' stationery:] It is quite awhile now since you and I have had much communication on the subject of boats. I have always had it in mind to build sometime a large schooner, say 130 feet waterline, with an auxiliary engine --- alcohol preferred, the boat not to draw more than fifteen feet, three masted, if you consider best.
I presume that it is too late to start on such a boat this year, and do not want to involve you in plans and specifications for something that I may not build for twelve months, but should be obliged to you if you would give me a rough estimate of what the probable cost of such a boat would be, and the probable length of time it would take to build; also whether you could build a boat of that size, and, if not, with whom you could arrange for having it done, as I suppose you know I would never be content in the boat line with anything that was not designed and built by you.
[p. 2] Also, I am contemplating building a motor launch to be ready in April or May [1905]. I understand that you have built for Mr. Iselin [#232p HELVETIA II], which is about what I want, except in the matter of speed.
I would like a boat about fifty feet long, able enough to navigate the Sound, with a speed of about twenty miles an hour; in fact forty feet might be long enough for my purposes.
Would you be kind enough to send me some rough idea of such a boat, to hold about half a dozen people, stating the price, motor, horsepower, length, etc? I have a 60 HP Mercedes engine which, perhaps, might be utilized.
Yours very truly, ... [With handwritten P.S.:] P.S. In the launch matter. in any question between speed & comfort I would prefer more speed & less comfort. [Incl penciled draft reply by NGH on verso:] We would be pleased to build you an aux schooner of the size you mention, which is about as large our building shed will take.
It is rather late now to build for the coming season, and as it takes a good deal of time to make up the plans for such a yacht it would be well to start in 10 or 12 months before you want the craft completed.
Do you prefer a yacht of type of INTREPID or more like ATLANTIC? Both good yachts, the first probably better for seagoing purposes. As to auxiliary power I never could recommend one using an inflammable substance for fuel in a decked vessel. I think it far better for you to use steam, with coal fuel.
I am not quite prepared to make estimates of cost and would like to find out a little more thoroughly what your requirements are.
We can build you a motor launch of between 40ft and 50ft length that will have a speed of 20 miles per hour, but I am of opinion that a craft of less maximum speed would be pleasanter to go in on Long Is[land] Sound unless it is calm weather. The Mercedes motor you speak of, if it can be adapted for marine use would make a good power. We have a 30ft launch [#240p 240] built late last fall with a 25-30 HP motor of our own make which made 16 1/2 miles on the measured mile and have also a new launch with steam power [# ???p], which has not yet been afloat, which is 45ft long and has an engine our latest design of about 75 HP. This craft is expected to make over 18 miles. This launch is a little smaller but of same class as Mr. E.D. Morgan's VANISH [#177p]. I think a steam launch of this type is more reliable than the gasoline motor launch but we can make you either kind you prefer.
In a P.S. you mention that you prefer speed to comfort. Perhaps a racing craft more like XPDNC [#245p] would appeal to you. Please let me know.
Yours very truly, ..." (Source: Whitney, Harry Payne (incl NGH reply). Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_23060. Correspondence, Folder 68. 1905-01-10.)
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"[Item Transcription:] The Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Truman H. Newberry, has brought to my attention a launch [#232p HELVETIA II] recently built by you for Mr. C. O. Iselin, which seems to have given very great satisfaction. Will you kindly give me so much of the particulars of this launch as you might feel disposed to furnish, especially the general dimensions of the launch, speed, displacement, horsepower of engine and make of engine. Will you also give me, so far as your experience goes, the highest speed developed by launches fitted with electrically-propelled machinery, with dimensions of the launch so propelled.
Trusting that I am not imposing too much upon your good nature, and that you can furnish me the above-requested information at an early date, believe me,
Very sincerely yours, ...
[Incl. penciled NGH draft reply note on verso:] I have yours of 8 [November 1905], and take pleasure in giving you what information I can.
In spring of 1903 we built two gasoline launches [#231p ADRIENNE and #232p HELVETIA II] for the Iselin families at New Rochelle which are considered very satisfactory and model boats of their types. They were intended strictly for pleasure boats to use in L[ong] Is[land] Sound for short excursions. Are rather lightly built, but quite strong enough for the purpose intended, are double planked, a short deck forward with raised house having cabin room enough for shelter in case of rain and a toilet room. Aft of this there is a large open cockpit with the motor in the middle. The boats are 50ft o.a., 10 1/2ft extreme beam, about 3ft draft, high freeboard, and very easy lines below water. They are propelled by 20-25HP 'Standard' engines and have a speed of nearly 10 knots.
We are just building a similar boat [#248p TODDYWAX] except longer --- 60ft o.a. --- which will be used around Newport next summer.
We have built a number of electric driven launches to go in our yachts. They are in lengths from 20ft [#218p CARMEN, #217p MAISIE and #221p] to 14ft [#190101ep, #190201ep, #190202ep, #190302ep, #190304ep, #190305ep] and 1 1/2 to 1/2 horse power motors. We fit them with light batteries so that they can be easily hoisted at the davits and can run from 1 to 1 1/2 hours on a charge. The 20ft boats have a speed of 6 statute miles and weight at the davits about 1000lbs. The 14ft boats with 1/2hp will speed 4 1/2 miles and weigh about 500lbs. They are very useful little craft to the yachtsmen. When attached to st[eam] yachts which have electric generating plants on board for charging their thums[?]. I do not know what speed has been attained with electric power launches. We have only fitted light powers and batteries for short runs believing the boats usefulness would be destroyed if loaded with the batteries & motors of light[?] power. With the experience we have had with gasoline we still think steam power most reliable and satisfactory.
" (Source: Capps, Admiral W.L., Bureau of Construction and Repair, Navy Dept. (incl NGH reply). Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_00520. Correspondence, Folder 1_14, formerly (84). 1905-11-08.)
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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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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #232p Helvetia II even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Helvetia II (HMCo-made index card)
• Helvetia II (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: Helvetia II
Type: Gasoline
Length: 49'6"
Owner: Iselin, C. O.

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

• Helvetia II
• Convenience ex- Helvetia II
• 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: Helvetia II
Type: 49' 6" launch
Owner: C. O'D. Iselin
Year: 1903
Row No.: 277

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: 1903
E/P/S: P
No.: 232
Name: Helvetia II
OA: 49' 6"
LW: 43' 6"

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.

"In the absence of better available data displacement was estimated by using the figure for Gross Register Tons (13) from the 1905 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (Net Register Tons were reported as 9) 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.