HMCo #289p Dianthus

"[1912-11-21] Thu 21: Very fine. Launched #289 [Dianthus], power yacht for JBH in AM.
[1912-11-23] Sat 23: Very fine. Had short trial of #289 [Dianthus]. ...
[1913-08-23] Sat 23: Fresh SSW [wind]. Start at 11 for cruise to eastward. Go down Bay in company of Roamer [#215p] & Dianthus [#289p]. See start of race of 50 footers, then outside. Rough sea. Make good run to Woods Hole. ..." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1912 to 1913. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"BRISTOL, R I, July 13 [1912] --- The new composite power yacht [Dianthus #289p] for John B. Herreshoff and the barge [#291p] for Admiral Cameron McRae Winslow of the United States Navy, under construction at the Herreshoff shops, are ready for planking." (Source: Anon. "Bristol Notes." Boston Globe, July 14, 1912, p. 49.)

"BRISTOL, R I, Nov 21 [1912] --- A new power yacht, 62 feet in length, was launched this forenoon at the Herreshoff shops and was given a trial spin in Bristol Harbor in the afternoon. The boat, unnamed as yet, is the property of John B. Herreshoff.
In the trial spin the craft, under full speed of two 60-horsepower gasoline engines, gave satisfaction to the owner at the rate of 15 miles an hour. The boat has a fair-sized cabin, crew quarters, engine room and galley. It will be laid up in the yard for the Winter." (Source: Anon. "Power Boat Launched. Herreshoff Craft Given Trial Spin in Bristol, R I, Harbor." Boston Globe, November 22, 1912, p. 6.)

"A new power yacht for John B. Herreshoff was launched from the Herreshoff yard Thursday [November 21, 1912]. In a trial spin the craft made 15 miles an hour with a 60-horse power engine. It will be laid up in the yard for the winter." (Source: Anon. "Notes from the Week's Log." Boston Globe, November 24, 1912, p. 60.)

"BRISTOL, R I, Nov 30 [1912] --- ... The new power yacht of 50 feet for John B. Herreshoff, recently launched, had a series of speed and endurance trials last Wednesday when the craft averaged 14 miles an hour. The boat is 62 feet in length and is equipped with two 60-horsepower gasoline engines. ..." (Source: Anon. "Bristol Notes." Boston Globe, December 1, 1912, p. 51.)

"[Abstract of register or enrollment. Pos. 235:]
Dianthus, gas screw, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, 1913.
38 tons; 62 ft. x 17 ft. x 78 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
One deck, one mast, plain head [bow].
Enr[olled] and Lic[ensed] (consolidated) ([as] yacht) July 11, 1913. Owner: John B. Herreshoff of Bristol. Master: John B. Herreshoff. ([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. Dianthus.)

"John B. Herreshoff's new 60-foot power yacht Dianthus way given a trial spin Tuesday [July 22, 1913] in the harbor and developed a speed of 12 1/2 miles an hour." (Source: Anon. "Bristol and Vicinity." Bristol Phoenix, July 29, 1913, p. 8.)

"BRISTOL R I, Aug 2 [1913] ---John B. Herreshoff's power yacht Helianthus, built last Winter, was given a trial over the Herreshoff measured course in lower Narragansett Bay last Tuesday and showed a speed or 12 1/2 miles an hour. The Helianthus is a craft of 60 feet in length, with a beam of 16 feet, and corresponding high freeboards. ..." [Note: The article is apparently a reference to #289p Dianthus built for J. B. Herreshoff and not to #288p Helianthus I which had been built for N.G. Herreshoff and was considerably narrower than 16 feet and apparently was already in commission in the second half of 1912.] (Source: Anon. "Bristol Notes." Boston Globe, August 3, 1913, p. 35.)

"A New York yachtsman has purchased the houseboat Dianthus, owned by John B. Herreshoff, and the craft will be taken to Chesapeake Bay the coming spring." (Source: Anon. "Bristol and Vicinity." Bristol Phoenix, January 12, 1915, p. 2.)

"... John B. Herreshoff has sold his power cruiser Dianthus to William Crozier [sic, i.e. John P. Crozer] of New York. The Dianthus is only two years old, having been built in 1913, and is 65 feet overall, 61 feet 6 inches water line, and 17 feet 6 inches beam. ..." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Daily Globe, January 17, 1915, p. 52.)

"... John P. Crozer ... has purchased of John B. Herreshoff the cruising power boat Dianthus. ..." (Source: Anon. "Notes from the Week's Log." Boston Globe, May 2, 1915, p. 61.)

"Having given an example of what may be termed a successful gear-reduction installation --- that is, judging by results obtained --- we will now proceed to show the reason for our introductory remarks regarding the necessity for careful design and construction, by giving a few details of another yacht, but with which the reduction gear was not considered a success. At the outset we will say that the power plant was not made by the builders of the machinery of Florence IV [previously discussed in this article], and so far as we can trace the makers of the engines of Dianthus, as the yacht is named, are not in the regular marine motor industry.
Secondly, we will say in due fairness that we understand the original engines and reduction gearing were removed after a single trial trip. Now, unless some very radical troubles immediately developed, it seems to our engineering sense that such a short testing period was hardly sufficient to warrant so rapid a removal and that the engines hardly have been tuned-up to the pitch where they would give their best results; also that apparently no allowances were made for minor changes in the design, which might have removed many of the troubles or faults. There also is the likely possibility of incorrect propellers having been used. Of course, this is only our assumption, as specific data is not available at the moment, and naturally we should not care to pass any definite judgment on merely what we assume to be the case. But in any event, it goes to prove our contention that gear reduction drive with marine internal-combustion engines needs most careful study, calculation and discrimination, and that rough-and-ready installations simply court failure.
Dianthus was built by Herreshoff for Mr. John P. Crozier, and is 65 feet long, 17 feet breadth, with 3 feet 8 inches draught. Some time ago she was converted to direct-drive in conjunction with heavy-duty engines, but her original plant was high-speed motors, operating the propeller through reduction gearing.
The interesting part of the conversion is that, whereas the first plant consisted of two 6o-h.p. motors, the new equipment was two 32-h.p. sets --- or a reduction of power of nearly one-half. Yet her speed with the latter machinery was considerably faster than before.
This would show that either the engines did not develop their rated power --- as we assumed --- or else the propellers and the reduction-gears must have been so poorly designed that there was a loss of almost 50%. Now the latter is practically inconceivable to any engineer, so the loss obviously must have been divided between the power absorbed by the gearing, the failure of the motors to give their designed power, and lack of propeller efficiency.
Dianthus' new engines are two Standards, and the makers --- the Standard Motor Construction Company --- supply the following data concerning one engine of both the old and new plants:
H.P. rating of engine 60h.p. 32h.p.
Length of engine (and gears) 98 in. 81 in.
Height of engine 35 in. 35 in.
Width of engine 22 in. 25 in.
Weight of engine 1,600 lb 2,800 lb
Speed of engine 1.000 r.p.m. 400 r.p.m.
Speed of propeller 400 r.p.m. 400 r.p.m.
Speed of boat 9 m.p.h. 11 m.p.h.
Comparisons with both engines running in each case are not available. In summing up the conversion, the Standard Company state:
'Summing up on the basis established by this boat, the slow-speed, heavy-duty installation takes up no more space, weighs no more than what otherwise would be added in ballast, gives higher fuel and oil economy per mile traveled, wears far longer, and has a lower first cost for equal speed of the boat.'
Having in this and our previous article, endeavored to put forward in an impartial manner the benefits and disadvantages of the gear-reduction drive, we leave it to our readers to decide which type of machinery they shall adopt; but we are perfectly willing to open a correspondence on the subject, provided we receive sufficient interesting letters." (Source: Anon. "Reduction Gears for Cruisers." The Rudder, January 1916, p. 11-12.)

"IN the lists printed on pages 36, 38, and 40, will be found a complete record of all motor boats and motor yachts which went into the service of our Navy Department during the war period. This is the first time that such a list has been published and is given to Motor Boating at the special request of the Hon. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy. ...
The lists include boats propelled by internal combustion motors only—they do not include steam yachts or steamers of any description. ...
Motor Boats Loaned to the Navy Department for the War. A List of the Boats and Owners --- The S. P. Numbers and the Length of the Boats Taken Over. ...
Dianthus [Name of Boat]; 639 [S.P. No.]; 65 [Length]; John P. Crozier, Upland, Pa. [Former Owner]. ..." (Source: Anon. "Privately Owned Motor Boats Purchased by the Government. First List to Be Published Containing Names of Motor Boats Taken Into the Navy." Motor Boating, February 1919, p. 36-40.)

"... This neighbor of ours was Jere W. Powell, of Salem, N.J. His boat, the Hel-lu-a, was a big, beamy 70-foot cruiser designed and built by the Herreschoffs, back in the early part of the century. Powell had bought the boat some years previous for a song, the craft being pretty badly run-down. Then he had taken off every bit of the varnish on her, down to the wood, and rebuilt a beautiful finish, both in inside and out. He had powered the boat with a pair of Autocar truck engines which he had converted to start on gasoline and then, after a fifteeen-minute warm-up period, to run on Diesel oil. He carried 700 gallons of Diesel oil and a small tank of gasoline. In coming down the Waterway from the Delaware River, he had not refilled any of his tanks until he reached Fernandina, in Florida. Altogether, Powell had done a fine job of converting a grand old boat into a very comfortable cruising yacht, aboard which he and his wife had now lived for a number of years. ..." (Source: Cooper, Morley. Cruising to Florida Via the Intracoastal Waterway. New York, 1946, p. 143.)

"MY 'DIANTHUS' 65' HERRESHOFF cruising houseyacht. 18' beam, 4'9" draft. Twin 671 GM diesels. Sleeps 13. Totally equipped for comfortable living aboard. Needs some work. Owner anxious $10,000 or best offer. Eagle Trawler Yachts. P.O. BOX 1232, Point Pleasant Beach. NJ. 08742 (201) 899-8800. [With photo.]" (Source: Eagle Trawler Yachts. [Classified Ad.] Motor Boating, October 1971, p. 14.)

"Dianthus (SP 639)
Motorboat: Built in 1913 by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol, RI; Acquired by the Navy 21 May 1917; Commissioned 26 May 1917. For the remainder of the conflict, she operated in the waters of the 4th Naval District. Decommissioned 27 November 1918 and returned to her owner, John P. Crozer of Upland, PA. Fate unknown.
Specifications: Displacement unknown; Length 65'; Beam 17' 4"; Draft 2' 9"; Speed 12 kts.; Complement 16; Armament one 3-pounder and one 1-pounder." (Source: http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/170639.htm, last retrieved March 17, 2007.)

"Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
Dianthus
A genus of plants of the pink family.
(SP: l. 65'; b. 17'4"; dr. 2'9"; s. 12 k.; cpl. 16; a. 1 3-pdr., 1 1-pdr.)
Dianthus (No. 639), a motor boat, was free-leased to the Navy, and commissioned on 26 May 1917, Ensign J. J. Banner, USNRF, in command. Dianthus was assigned to the 4th Naval District where she performed patrol duty throughout the war. She was placed out of commission on 27 November 1918 and returned to her owner." (Source: http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/d4/dianthus.htm, retrieved March 17, 2007.)

"Both Herreshoff brothers had new yachts in 1912 (NGH's was Helianthus I [#288p]). This would be JBH's last bit of yachting, however. He died three years later at the age of seventy-four.
... Unlike JBH's earlier yachts, Dianthus runs on gasoline rather than on steam; thus, there is no need for a smokestack. ..." (Source: Bray, Maynard and Carlton Pinheiro. Herreshoff of Bristol. Brooklin, Maine, 1989, p. 134.)

"[Item Description:] Penciled preliminary plan with arrangement plan and profile titled 'Original sketch of #289 [DIANTHUS]. J.B.H. Power Yacht. Scale 3/8. May 1912'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Preliminary Plan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE02_06380. Folder [no #]. 1912-05.)
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"[Item Description:] Two sets of penciled pantograph hull sections titled 'No 289 [#289p DIANTHUS]. Power yacht for J.B.H. Scale 1/2ft. Length w.l. 60ft 7in. Length o.a. 65ft. May. 1912 [and] May 28th [1912]' and 'Sections at same spacing but referred to base line'. With calculations arriving at a total displacement of 993cuft or 63600lbs or 31.8 tons net." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_00980. Folder [no #]. 1912-05-28.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #289p Dianthus even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Dianthus (HMCo-made index card)
• Dianthus (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: Dianthus
Type: Gasoline
Length: 65'
Owner: Herreshoff, J. B.

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

• Dianthus
• 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: Dianthus
Type: 65' gas
Owner: J. B. Herreshoff
Year: 1913
Row No.: 157

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: 1912
E/P/S: P
No.: 289
Name: Dianthus
OA: 65' 0"
LW: 61' 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.

"[Official no.] 211423 Hel-Lu-A, owned by Jere Powell of Salem, NJ was still listed in the 1964 List of Merchant Vessels of the United States (including Yachts)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 20, 2014.)

"Launched 1912-11-21." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 5, 2009.)

"Total displacement of 993cuft or 63600lbs or 31.8 tons net." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. MRDE04, Folder [no #]. 1912-05-28.)

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