Herreshoff Marine Museum Visitor Guide

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Magdalene Cobb
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1 Herreshoff Marine Museum Visitor Guide Welcome to the Herreshoff Marine Museum. The Museum s campus consists of eight buildings along Burnside Street, of which two are currently open to the public. There are seven major thematic exhibits. These illustrate the Herreshoff's story from its family origins when a blind son is aided by his younger brother in the design, construction and sailing of yachts through the entire history of the Company they formed together. That Company, the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. became a world leader in innovation, design and technology in the construction of yachts, steam engines, and naval ships for over 40 years. Overview and Layout The seven major exhibits of the Museum can be viewed most easily by following the grand circle outlined in this guide. In summary they are: Exhibit Area 1 The A. Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff Room, commencing by the front entrance, features a historical overview of the Herreshoff Family and Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. This area is named for Captain Nat. Herreshoff s son, successor in the Company and father of Halsey C. Herreshoff one of the key founders of the Museum. Exhibit Area 2 The Hall of Boats on the ground floor is entered through the side door in the entrance area of the Museum. Some 15 boats of varying size and purpose are on display and several of them are open for boarding by visitors. A good overview can also be seen from the upstairs balcony where summaries of key craft are described on the handrail. (The stairs are located through the door between the entrance area and the Hall of Boats). Exhibit Area 3 The Aria Gallery of Design & Technology is in the upstairs balcony area. There you may examine hull shapes through the half models of the America s Cup challengers and defenders as well as sailing yacht developments over time in the Quest for Speed exhibit. The Nathanael G. Herreshoff Model Room, along with other exhibits, are in this area. Exhibit Area 4 The Steam Engine and Fittings Hall is approached by coming down the back stairs at the end of the far end of the balcony and staying to the left. There you will see a number of steam engines as well as a selection of the many fittings designed and built by the Company. These include hardware such as winches, anchors, cleats and rigging equipment. Exhibit Area 5 The Navy Exhibit is located through the single door at the back of the steam engine collection and toward the front of the America s Cup Hall of Fame. Exhibit Area 6 The America s Cup Hall of Fame starts in the same area as the Navy Exhibit, beginning with the four large wall cabinets telling the story of the America s Cup, and continues to the walls area where the inductees are 1

2 presented. Through the Exhibit you can trace the history of the Cup, the technological undertakings and the key people who contributed to the ideas and achievements. Exhibit Area 7 The Reliance Building Project is located further up Burnside Street. Volunteers are creating a 1/6 scale replica of Reliance, the largest America s Cup defender. This will be an incredible model of a magnificent yacht JILT, one of the first fin keelers and TRIVIA, Harold Vanderbilt s 16 th birthday present, are also on display. A visit is highly recommended. Tour notes: A. Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff Room, Exhibit Area #1, Family and Company historical overview In the Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff Room, the visitor can view the diorama of the company as it existed in Note the large waterside building sheds that were destroyed in the famous 1938 hurricane as well as the various workshops on this side of the road. You can visit one of these workshops later in your tour, Building 28, where the Reliance Project Exhibit is located. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company not only built to their own hull designs, exclusively, but also were also vertically integrated in the significant amount of in- house operations that they were equipped to undertake. Most of the anchors, capstans, cleats, engines, fittings, rope, sails and spars used in these boats were built here on this campus. The visitor can see examples of these pieces of hardware in the Steam Engine and Fittings Hall. Also featured in the A. Sidney Dewolf Herreshoff Room is the family history wall. Nat G. and J.B. Herreshoff were third generation Herreshoff s born to Charles Frederick ( ) and Julia Ann ( ). The photos on the wall provide a very personal look into the lives of the Herreshoff family including family pictures from a picnic on Patience Island in 1918 and Captain Nat giving instructions to tug owner when DEFENDER was stuck on ways in The Timeline on the end wall by the entrance to the room follows the accomplishments of the HMCo from the 1850s through Don t miss the LIGHTNING (1876) and STILETTO (1885), which were the US Navy s first Torpedo boats and are both examples of naval applications derived from the high speed launches that earned an international reputation. Capt. Nat was a pioneer in the development of lightweight engineering in everything he did, whether in boats, hardware, steam engines or boilers. The catamaran AMARYLLIS built in 1875 represents another major innovation. There is a 1933 replica suspended in the Hall of Boats. 2

3 Hall of Boats, Exhibit Area #2 You may wish to take an initial overview of the boats in the Hall from the upstairs balcony, which features overview notes of many of the key boats from a good vantage point. Notice the 1933 replica of the catamaran AMARYLLIS which is hanging from the roof. Captain Nat patented the original in The patent model is on display in the front of the model room located further along the balcony. Upstairs, from the balcony, please feel welcome to board TORCH. This is a Fishers Island 31 class yacht that has been fully restored to original specifications. You will see a fine example of the classic Herreshoff interior layout and construction. The combination of varnished wood trim and white painted panels is a typical feature of Herreshoff boats. We suggest that you continue and skip to the Aria Gallery Exhibit Area #3 while upstairs before you return downstairs and visit the Hall of boats for a more complete tour and the opportunity to board the early yacht Clara and the motor launch, Thania.. In the Hall of Boats, the visitor will see over 80 years of Herreshoff boats, some of which can be boarded. At the front of the hall are the H 12 ½ and S boats representing the two popular one design boats which are continuously active with racing fleets located regionally to this day. The H 12 ½ will have her centenary in Opposite, by the entrance, you can see the early catboat SPRITE of SPRITE is possibly the oldest catboat and private yacht in existence in the US and was described by Capt. Nat as the first of what was to become my life s work. He did some of the model drawings for SPRITE at age 11. The Hall has a broad selection of boats such as ARIA, the 1912 Buzzards Bay 25, and PLEASURE, Capt. Nat s. dayboat, which he designed and had built for his own use in Florida. Delightful small rowing/sailing boats are seen in both COQUINA, a personal favorite of Capt. Nat s, and the later CYGNET, both rigged as cat ketches. Available for boarding are Capt. Nat s personal 1887 cat yawl CLARA with her then innovative external lead ballast and unique internal construction, and an updated 1905 power launch, THANIA. This launch has a long history worth seeing as you board her. 3

4 Midway along the Hall and to your left as you look to toward the back is located an exhibit of sail making in the Herreshoff times. Many famous innovations were developed by Nat Herreshoff including the change to cross- cut sails for better sailing performance. Down the hall you will also see BELISARIUS with her clipper bow and light green topsides. This is Capt. Nat s last large yacht design, a 1934 cruising yawl. BAMBINO and HORNET are both classic designs with long racing pedigrees. Aria Gallery of Technology and Yacht Design, Exhibit Area #3 (upstairs) Here the displays illustrate the history of yacht design and development. The Quest for Speed Display shows how form followed technological developments and the strength of materials. Notice hull and keel shapes as well as the evolution of rig design. The America s Cup half model collection portrays how hull shapes evolved under the controls of various measurement rules. The evolution is described in accompanying information panels. The Nathanael G. Herreshoff Model Room records the genius of hull design through the entire career of the wizard of Bristol, displaying the half hull models he created for each new design (note: there is a timed light button to side of the door). In the second room, a reproduction of Captain Nat s workshop includes the special vernier machine he used for transferring the measurements from the models. These measurements were taken directly to the lofting floor for full size construction of the molds. The room also contains a variety of other models, drawings and personal notes. Of particular interest is the catamaran patent model of 1877 in the case just inside the door. The room may only be visited with special prior arrangement. The Then and Now display shows innovations of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co alongside their modern counterparts. Amongst these note the sail track and slides. This innovation effectively ended the era of gaff rigs by providing a mechanism to hoist a sail above the spreaders. Thus the Bermudan or Marconi rig, common today, was facilitated. A Rowboat and Yacht Tender display showing a number of variations is also presented in this area. Note the pram type dingy with its fore and aft transom. She is standing on end and was favored for her stability and carrying power. 4

5 Steam Engine & Fittings Hall, Exhibit Area # 4 Proceed down the back stairs at the opposite end of the balcony from where you came upstairs. Take care on the stairs please. Keep to the left at the bottom of the stairs and walk between the moor launch EMERALD and Buzzard Bay 15, AWHANEE. Note the fineness of the hull of the steam launch THANIA as you pass by. The design is a development of an 1888 steam launch. She is important in the collection as an example of the hull design common in these long, narrow and easily driven light displacement launches. She is also the first boat acquired by the Museum. The Herreshoffs became experts and builders of very desirable steam launches. Their lightweight boilers and engines, some of which are housed in this area, were powerful and relatively small in size giving the early HMCo a major competitive advantage. This combined with their skills in hull design and light strong construction made them leaders, nationally and globally, for light fast launches. These steam launches had many applications, from being tenders to larger yachts, to use as pleasure steamers, to naval and coast guard usages. The excellence in steam engine and launch design led in no small way to their attractiveness to the navy. These points are further developed in the Navy Exhibit area. A variety of fittings, anchors and winches are on preliminary display in this area. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. was a fully integrated and vertically aligned organization. They had the capabilities to design and build everything used in the boats they produced. Lumber mills, a metal foundry, a rope walk, and a sail loft were integral parts of the business. These details will be expanded upon in future displays. The Navy Exhibit, Exhibit Area #5 Go through the door in the center of the wall and half way into the next room. Before becoming famous in yacht racing and the America s Cup competition, HMCo earned international recognition for their innovative and fast steam yachts and launches. The innovative techniques created by the HMCo were easily applied to torpedo boat development and initiated a relationship between the HMCo and the US Navy, which lasted over seventy years and two world wars. 5

6 In the Navy Exhibit you can follow the history of Herreshoff s Torpedo Boat contributions beginning with CUSHING (model on view in the exhibit). This was the first torpedo boat built for the US Navy, commissioned to Lieutenant C.M. Winslow on April 22, Inside the exhibit, one can find various photos and color plates from 100 Fighting Ships Built During World War II, a 1944 hardcover advertisement published by Carl W. Haffenreffer who was the General Manager of the HMCo. The color plates include six Herreshoff fighting ships. Don t forget to look at the two models of torpedo boats produced by the HMCo in One model shows a Motor Torpedo Boat created for the US Navy, the other an 85- ft Aircraft Rescue Boat for the U.S. Army Air Force. Before leaving the area you may like to view fromm a selection of videos in the theater located in this area and adjacent to the store. On hand are two short films, Of Boats and Brothers: The Yacht Building Herreshoffs, a 55 minute film chronically the achievements and relationship of John and Nat Herreshoff, and There Is No Second Place, a 20 minute film on the exciting history of the America s Cup Race. Just ask one of the docents or the attendant at the desk to start one, or both, of the films for you! The Americas Cup Hall of Fame, Exhibit Area #6 The America s Cup Hall of Fame was founded in 1992 by four- time America s Cup defender and Grandson of Nat Herreshoff, Halsey Herreshoff. The Hall includes tributes to nearly eighty legendary crewmembers, designers, builders, syndicate leaders, chroniclers of great merit. In 1891 Captain Nat designed GLORIANA for E.D. Morgan. The Innovations and racing success of this yacht marked the beginning of his great influence on the design of racing yachts. It led to six consecutive defenses of the America s Cup from 1893 to The HMCo also continued its involvement and built the next two consecutive winners through The America s Cup is the oldest active international sporting event lasting over 130 years and 33 matches. The visitor can follow the history of the America s Cup from its origin in 1851 through the various technological developments over time to the catamarans in use today. Key breakthroughs in performance are illustrated. The first carbon fiber spinnaker pole as used on Intrepid is on display as is the first large scale model built for tank testing in 1930 Enterprise. Information is provided on important people and attributes that have been beneficial to the growth and sustainability of the Americas Cup races. 6

7 The current inductees are shown with brief descriptions under the headings of their major contributions through sailing, design, syndicate leadership or by recording and chronicling the many great events for history. The Herreshoff America s Cup Yachts are also featured in a separate photo display and an exhibit of the 1903 America s Cup defender RELIANCE. The Herreshoff RELIANCE carried 16,160 sq. ft. of sail, and was the largest vessel ever to race for the cup. This 1903 display gives an interesting insight to the culture of the America s Cup competition as one of great technical innovation and extremes, high international competition and intense personal drive nothing much has changed! Even the cost of Reliance, in today s money, is within a few percent of today s hi- tech catamarans! The Reliance Construction Project, Exhibit area #7, This ongoing work by volunteers is located in one of the old Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. workshops at 28 Burnside Street. Follow signs from Museum s entrance. See our website for opportunities to help here. The Reliance, launched in 1903, was undoubtedly one of the greatest yachts developed especially to win the America s Cup. A synthesis of her campaign is presented as an integral part of the America s Cup Hall of Fame. However, to truly understand the complexity and magnitude of this innovative and enormous yacht, a visit to the construction project of the 1/6 th scale model is a must. Every dimension is awe- inspiring. The model hull alone is 24 in length. The foot of the original mast was 26 in diameter, bigger than a large garbage can! Her construction methods and details are a wonder of engineering and materials insight to this day. When she was launched she sailed well from the outset, an unbelievable achievement at that time. This reflects not only the skills of her designer, Nat Herreshoff, but also the builder, Nat s blind brother John B. and her skipper, Charlie Barr. It is said that Herreshoff designed the boat around the abilities of that great skipper. 7

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