HMCo #275p [Launch for U.S.S. Scorpion]
Particulars
Name: [Launch for U.S.S. Scorpion]Type: Steam Launch
Designed by: NGH
Contract: 1910-9
LOA: 28' 0" (8.53m)
Beam: 6' 0" (1.83m)
Draft: 2' 0" (0.61m)
Propulsion: Steam, Herreshoff, 48 h.p. Triple exp., 3 cyl. (3 1/2" & 5" & 8" bore x 4 1/2" stroke)
Boiler: Bent Tube; [Plan]43-37
Propeller: 4 blades #2
Built for: U.S. Navy
Note(s) in HMCo Construction Record: U.S. Navy
Note: Particulars are primarily but not exclusively from the HMCo Construction Record. Supplementary information not from the Construction Record appears elsewhere in this record with a complete citation.
Model
Model number: 424Model location: H.M.M. Model Room West Wall Left
Vessels from this model:
30 built, modeled by NGH
Original text on model:
"[#197] Model made 1897 and changed in fall 1897 26' long frame spaces 9 3/4
[#198] 198 ditto everything
[#199] 199 28' long frame spaces 10 1/2
[#200] 200 ditto all the way
[#201] 201 ditto all the way
[#202] 202 30' long frames spaces 10 1/2
[#204] 204 ditto all the way
[#227] 227 30 YACOMA [sic, i.e. Yacona]
[#233] no number [should be 233] 28 DELEWARE
[#238] 239 [should be 238] 28 US EAGLE
[#239] dash [should be 239] 26" [should be 28] VIXEN
[#240] 240 30' by 5' "240" gasoline
[#246] 246 28' USN
[#262] 262 28' M plant [unreadable name]
[#263] 263 34' Cassandra
[#265] 34? J.B.H. Premier gasoline [i.e. #265]
[#???] ? 34 by 5 gasoline [this is apparently another reference to #265p Premier]
[#270] ? 28 WANDERER [should be 270]
[#???] ? 34' ILONDA ? [sic, i.e. Morton Plant's steamyacht IOLANDA] 1909
[#255] also 2 [unreadable] for ELECTRA [sic, i.e. #255 and #257] and 1 for ILONDA [sic, i.e. Morton Plant's steamyacht IOLANDA]
[#257]
[#272?]
[#273] 273 35' ILONDA [sic, i.e. Morton Plant's steamyacht IOLANDA]
[#274] 274 Sept. 1910 Cuban [sic, i.e. Haulrey Jr.]
[#275] 275 Oct 1910 28' USN SCORPION" (Source: Original handwritten annotation on model. Undated.)
Model Description:
"26' steam launch of 1898 for the coast survey vessel Yankton. Others built of various sizes over the next dozen years, with scale changes, including the 30' gasoline launch 240 that is now in the Herreshoff Marine Museum's Hall of Boats." (Source: Bray, Maynard. 2004.)
Note: Vessels that appear in the records as not built, a cancelled contract, a study model, or as a model sailboat are listed but not counted in the list of vessels built from a model.
Offsets
Offset booklet number(s): HH.4.030
Offset booklet contents:
#198 - #202, #233, #237 - #242, #246, #263, #266, #271 [steam & gasoline launches].
Offset Booklet(s) in Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass. (Restricted access --- see curator.)
Note: "Reference to offset booklet HH.4.030 was added by CvdL because this boat was built from the same construction plan as other sisterships that were specifically mentioned in it." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. April 24, 2021.)
Drawings
Explore all drawings relating to this boat.List of drawings:
Drawings believed to have been first drawn for, or being first referenced to
HMCo #275p [Launch for U.S.S. Scorpion] are listed in bold.
Click on Dwg number for preview, on HH number to see at M.I.T. Museum.
-
Dwg 097-013 (HH.5.08136): Engine Bed 3 1/2" & 5" & 8" x 4 1/2" Engine (1898-01-17)
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Dwg 058-023 (HH.5.04094): Strut for Launch # 197 (1898-05-19)
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Dwg 055-006 (HH.5.03994): Condenser for Launch # 197 (1898-06-14)
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Dwg 043-037 (HH.5.03387); Boiler for No. 197 (1898-06-21)
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Dwg 097-025 (HH.5.08148): Stuffing Box for Crank Shaft 3 1/2" & 5" & 8" x 4 1/2" (1898-10-28)
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Dwg 008-022 (HH.5.00720): Shaft for 28' Launch 199, 200, 201 (1898-11-21)
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Dwg 002-028 (HH.5.00028): Construction Dwg > # 233 Steam Launch 28', # 237, 239, 246, 262, 270, 275 (1903-03-16)
Note: The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection is copyrighted by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass. Permission to incorporate information from it in the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné is gratefully acknowledged. The use of this information is permitted solely for research purposes. No part of it is to be published in any form whatsoever.
Documents
Nathanael G. Herreshoff
"Oct[ober] 28, 1910
Trial of No. 275, 28ft Launch built for U.S.N. for St[eame]r Scorpion. (Regular type same as #199 & many others, but with minor improvements.)
On 1/2 mile course in Harbor (S half).
Low water, wind 3 - 6[mph]. 3 [persons] onboard, poor anthracite coal. (Tide running N.)
[Followed by tabulated trial run data with best speed being 10.80mph = 9.4kn]." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. Handwritten note in Trials Booklet '1898 - 1909' under date of October 28, 1910. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.)
"275 [#275p]. 28ft. 10.80[mph = 9.38kn]. Not full speed." (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.)
Archival Documents
"[Item Transcription:] Handwritten (mostly in pencil but also in ink) trials booklet titled '1898 - 1909'. Relevant contents:
§58: #275p [LAUNCH FOR U.S.S. SCORPION] Trial Run best speed 10.8mph = 9.4kn (1910-10-28)." (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).)
① ②
Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #275p [Launch for U.S.S. Scorpion] even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.
Supplement
From the 1920 and earlier HMCo Index Cards at the MIT Museum
- 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.
From the 2000 (ca.) Transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Vermilya/Bray
Year: 1910
E/P/S: P
No.: 275
OA: 28' 0"
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.
Research Note(s)
"U.S.S. Scorpion was built for M.C.D. Borden as the steam yacht Sovereign in 1896 by John N. Robins, South Brooklyn, New York. She was sold to the U.S. Navy in 1898 for the Spanish American War and served until 1929. From late 1910 until early 1912 (i.e. during the time this launch was built) she was in Trieste for extensive repairs." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. October 26, 2014.)
"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.)
Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.
Note
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