HMCo #707s Pollywog [Polliwog]

"[1910-12-19] Mon 19: Have order for Buzzards Bay 21 footer from Mr. Hood [#707s Pollywog].
[1911-01-08] Sun 8: Mr. Hood [owner of #707s Pollywog] & Nelson Emmons here in PM.
[1911-01-22] Sun 22: Had call in forenoon from Howard Black and Harry Howard & wives and later Mr. Hood & son [owners of #707s Pollywog].
[1911-03-11] Sat 11: ... Have call from Mr. & Mrs. Hood & son to see their boat #707 [Pollywog]." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1910 to 1911. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"No. 707 [#707s]. Jan[uar]y 1911.
21' B[everly] Y[acht] C[lub] Class. Buzzards Bay.
Frame spaces 9". Make moulds to odd numbers only beginning with [frame] # 3.
Planking 3/4". Deck 3/4".
Timbers 1 1/8" x 1 1/8" at head, increasing both ways 1/16" per foot.
Figures are to outside of planking and to top of deck.
Keel 1 3/8" above rabbate and 3/8" (more or less) below in middle part.
Stem band 3/4".
Crown of deck beam about 4 1/4" in 9'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. [Penciled notes in Offset Booklet HH.4.176.] January 1911. Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA.)

"Two new racing craft of the smaller class were launched from the Herreshoff shops Saturday [May 27, 1911]. [Note: It is interesting to speculate just which boats might have been referred to. With one exception, the launching dates are known for every sailing vessel that was built in 1911. The single exception is #707s Pollywog and we may assume that she was one of the boats. The other remains unknown for the time being.]" (Source: Anon. "Bristol and Vicinity." Bristol Phoenix, May 29, 1911, p. 2.)

"FOR SALE --- May Queen, formerly Mirpeh. One of Herreshoff's best 21-footers. Built 1911. Very fast and able. 38 ft. x 21 ft. x 9 ft. 6 in. x 6 ft. draft. Non-capsizable; all outside lead; bronze fastened, double planked mahogany; complete equipment, pipe berths in cabin, new Marconi rig, pigeon curved hollow mast, racing sails complete, used two months. Also sails for gaff-headed rig in perfect condition. Wonderfully fast, perfectly balanced single-hander; absolute warranty of soundness. Price $2,200. Open to inspection and trial in commission at New Bedford Yacht Club. Address your broker, or [owner] C. P. Archambault, Cummings Bldg., New Bedford, Mass." (Source: Anon (C. P. Archambault). "For Sale." The Rudder, August 1923, p. 59.)

"No. 43 --- For Sale --- May Queen, formerly Mirpeh one of Herreshoff's best 21-footers. Built 1911. Very fast and able 38 ft. by 21 ft. by 9 ft- 6 in. by 6 ft. draft. Non-capsizable; all outside lead; bronze fastened, double planked mahogany; complete equipment; pipe berths in cabin; new Marconi rig; Pigeon curved hollow mast; racing sails complete; used two'months. Also sails for gaff-headed rig in perfect condition. Wonderfully fast, perfectly balanced single-hander; absolute warranty of soundness. Price $1,700.00. Stored in Kelleys Sheds, Fair-haven, Mass. Owner going abroad this summer. See your broker, or [owner] C. F. Archambault, Cummings Building, New Bedford, Mass." (Source: Anon (C. P. Archambault). "For Sale." The Rudder, April 1924, p. 66.)

"No. 92 --- For Sale --- May Queen, formerly Mirpeh, one of Herreshoff's best 21-footers. Built 1911. Very fast and able, 38 ft. by 21 ft. by 9 ft. 6 in. by 6 ft. draft. Non-capsizable; all outside lead; bronze fastened, double planked mahogany; Pigeon curved hollow mast; racing sails complete; used two seasos. Also sails for gaff-headed rig in perfect condition. Wonderfully fast, perfectly balanced single-hander; absolute warranty of soundness. Price $1,400. Stored in Kelleys Sheds, Fairhaven, Mass. See your broker, or C. F. Archambault, Cummings Building, New Bedford, Mass." (Source: Anon (C. P. Archambault). "For Sale." The Rudder, March 1925, p. 67.)

"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections titled 'No 707 [#707s POLLYWOG]. Buzzards Bay 21ft Class. (By Francis). Scale 1in. From finished model. Jan 16 1911. Q.b.l. 29ft 11 1/4in. With calculations showing displacement as 100.6cuft = 6440lbs sea water and wetted surface of 214.5sqft." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G and Herreshoff, L. Francis. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_01140. Folder [no #]. 1911-01-16.)
①

"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph lead sections titled 'Lead for [#707s POLLYWOG]. Scale 1/4 size. Feb[ruary] 6, 1911'. With calculations and note 'Required 3015lbs at .545 of w.l. w.l. 21ft. Spaces 9in...' and concluding with calculations and note 'Result. ... 3019lbs with c.g. at .548 of w.l.'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Lead Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_08390. Folder [no #]. 1911-02-06.)
① ②

Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #707s Pollywog [Polliwog] even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Pollywog (HMCo-made index card)
• Pollywog (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: Pollywag [sic, i.e. Pollywog?]
Type: J & M
Length: 21'
Owner: Woon [sic, i.e. Hood?], F. C.

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

• Pollywog
• Pollywog
• Pollywog
• May Queen ex-Pollywog
• Mirpeh ex-Pollywog
• 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: Polliwog [sic, i. e. Pollywog]
Type: 21' sloop
Owner: Frederic C. Hood
Year: 1911
Row No.: 533

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.

Month: Dec
Day: 16
Year: 1910
E/P/S: S
No.: 0707
Name: Pollywog
LW: 21'
B: 9' 4"
D: 6' 0"
Rig: J & M
K: y
Ballast: Lead O.
Amount: 2925.00
Last Name: Hood.
First Name: F. C.

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.

"Raceabout. Beverly Yacht Club 21' Restricted Class (assigned the letter C as sail number prefix). See Beverly Yacht Club yearbooks for more information on class." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. April 23, 2009.)

"Built in 162 days (contract to launch; equivalent to $18/day, 40 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

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