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Wm. H. Webb
| Name | Wm. H. Webb |
| Ortssitz | New York City |
| Art des Unternehmens | Schiffswerft |
| Quellenangaben | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 136] |
| Zeit |
Ereignis |
| 19.06.1816 |
Geburt von Wm. H. Webb in New York als Sohn von Isaac Webb, Teilhaber der Schiffswerft "Webb & Allen" |
| 01.04.1840 |
Wm. H. Webb geht eine Partnerschaft mit Mr. Allen, dem früheren Partner seines Vaters, ein. |
| 1843 |
Allen überläßt seinen Anteil an Wm. H. Webb, der Alleininhaber wird. |
| 1852 |
Mr. Webb besucht St. Petersburg und erhält einen Auftrag zur Lieferung von Kriegsschiffen an die russische Regierung. |
| 21.09.1858 |
Die Dampffregatte mit 27 Kanonen, 7.000 t Wasserverdrängung, "General Admiral", zu Ehren des Großherzogs Constantine, läuft vom Stapel. |
| 1860 |
Webb erhält den Auftrag von Graf Cavour zur Lieferung von Kriegsschiffen nach Italien. |
| Produkt |
ab |
Bem. |
bis |
Bem. |
Kommentar |
| Schiffe |
1868 |
[Bishop: Hist. of Amer. manuf. I (1868)] |
1868 |
[Bishop: Hist. of Amer. manuf. I (1868)] |
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| ZEIT | 1868 |
| THEMA | Firmenbeschreibung |
| TEXT | This eminent ship-builder was born in the city of New York, June 19th, 1816, of parents whose ancestry on the paternal side was English, and on the maternal, Huguenot. His father, Isaac Webb, was a member of the ship-building firm of Webb & Allen, and for many years was associated with Henry Eckford, an eminent ship-builder in the war of 1812. Educated in the schools of the city, and at the grammar school of Columbia College, where he attained the first and highest position in mathematics, young Webb, at the age of fifteen, decided, against the wishes of his parents, to abandon school, and solicited an apprenticeship in the ship yard of his father, where he served for six years, with only one week of vacation, which was spent principally in a visit of examination to the first Dry Dock constructed in this country, viz. : that at the Boston Navy Yard. At the early age of twenty, he undertook a sub-contract for the building of the New York and Liverpool Packet ship "Oxford", of the old Black Ball Line, Charles H. Marshall, agent, though previous to that time he had been entrusted with the management of large numbers of mechanics, and the direction of works of importance. He pursued the business of constructing vessels as sub-contractor until he attained the age of twenty-four, when, his health failing, he made a voyage to Europe, from which he was speedily recalled by the death of his father, whose affairs were found to be involved. After these were arranged, he formed a co-partnership with Mr. Allen, his father's former partner, April 1st, 1840, which continued for three years, when Mr. Allen relinquished the then prosperous business to his partner, who has since conducted it alone with increasing and remarkable success, having built up to this time one hundred and thirty-three vessels, whose aggregate tonnage is greater than that of any other individual builder in the "United States. In the year 1852, Mr. Webb visited St. Petersburg, and received a contract for building a line-of-battle ship for the Russian Government. This was accomplished through the address and perseverance of the indomitable American, after an agent whom he had despatched twice for the purpose had failed in securing it, as it was contrary to the practice of all Governments to have vessels of war built outside of the Gov- ernment Yards. The vessel, as originally contracted for, war to have ninety guns; but the occurrence of war between Russia and the allies having interposed an obstacle to the prosecution of the work as a violation of the neutrality laws, on its cessation a new plan and model, designed by Mr. Webb, were adopted, with a less number of guns, though of larger calibre. The vessel was built in accordance with this plan, notwithstanding the written protest of the Representatives of the Russian Government, and the fact that it was never approved by the officials until after trial, when they were not sparing in their testimonials of approval and expressions of satisfaction. On September 21st, 1858, this steam frigate of seventy-two guns, seven thousand tons displacement, named the "General Admiral", in honor of the Grand Duke Constantine, was launched, and has proved to be the fastest steam vessel of war yet built, having made the passage between New York and Cherbourg, in France, in the unprecedented time of eleven days and eight hours, mostly under steam alone. In 1860, Mr. Webb received an order from Count Cavour, Prime Minister of Italy, who sent for him to visit that country to conclude the contract to build two iron-clad steam screw frigates of thirty-six large guns, six thousand tons displacement. These vessels were clad with iron plates four and a half inches in thickness, from five and a half feet below water line to the upper deck, and when finished were found to possess extraordinary speed and sea going qualities, making the passage from New York to Naples, a distance of over five thousand miles, in eighteen days and twenty hours, principally with steam power, and in the winter season. These vessels were contracted for just previous to the breaking out of the late Rebellion, and constructed during that time, when the demands of our own Government were pressing, and prices of materials had advanced largely, but no reclamation was made upon the Italian Government for an additional allowance on that account, and afford a convincing proof of the capabilities of the ship-building establishments of the city of New York. Among the remarkable vessels now nearly completed at Mr. Webb's ship yard, is the steam screw iron-clad Ram, the "Dunderberg", ordered by the United States Government. This is the largest iron-clad that has yet been built, being seven thousand two hundred tons displacement, and affords more rooai for fuel, stores, provisions, and accommodations for officers, crew, and marines, than any other vessel of this description that has yet been built. The hull is massive, being solid from stem to stern, is three hundred and seventy-eight feet long, sixty-eight feet wide, and thirty-two feet deep. The frame timbers, twelve to twenty inches thick, are caulked and planked, and over the planking two courses of heavy beams are laid, making in all an aggregate of five to seven feet of solid timber on the sides. The model or plan of the vessel, embracing a casemate, is entirely new and distinct from the turret or monitor class, the steering apparatus being especially novel, as one of the two rudders is placed before the screw, instead of aft, as usual. She is constructed expressly for a sea going iron-clad, and is expected to make fifteen knots an hour in smooth water. Her destructive power is immense, being armed with a prow of very peculiar shape, fifty feet in length, of solid wood, and covered with an iron peak, which it is believed will penetrate any vessel, whether wooden or ironclad, that has yet been built, if struck with the force the Dunderberg can give. She is also armed with sixteen guns, on slide carriages, four of them being fifteen inch guns, carrying each 460-pound shot, and twelve eleven inch guns, carrying each 182-pound shot, with two additional ports forward, in which two other eleven inch guns can be mounted if required. The total weight of her broadside is four thousand and twenty-four pounds of shot. Among the new vessels now being constructed at Mr. Webb's ship yard are also two steamers for a line between New York and Boston, each being three hundred and sixty feet in length, forty-nine feet in width, and sixteen feet deep, and one of the two steamers ordered by the Pacific Steamship Line, to run between San Francisco and China. This is one of the largest steamers that has yet been built in this country, being three hundred and sixty feet long, forty-nine feet wide, and thirty-one and a half feet deep, and is intended to accommodate about one thousand passengers, and a thousand tons of freight. As this vessel is designed to combine the greatest strength with high speed, elements of strength in accordance with a plan originated by Mr. Webb have been introduced in her construction that have never before been adopted. To enumerate all the important vessels that have been constructed by Mr. Webb in twenty years would be a tedious task. The list comprises three sloops, eleven schooners, five brigs, eleven barks, sixty-five ships, nine steamboats, and twenty-eight large steamships, in all one hundred and thirty-three vessels, with an aggregate capacity of nearly 200.000 tons. Among the sailing vessels built by him, were many of the famous London, Liverpool, and Havre packets of former times, including the "Guy Mannering", the first full three deck freighting ship ever built in this country; the ship "Ocean Monarch", of three thousand tons, which carried a larger amount of freight than any ship built in any country, having loaded over seven thousand bales of cotton with the extraordinary low draught not exceeding eighteen and a half feet of water; and the clipper ships, "Helena", "Challenge", "Comet", "Invincible", "Swordfish", "Young America", and "Black Hawk." Of these ships, the "Swordfish" made the passage from New York to San Francisco in ninety days, from wharf to wharf at the respective ports, and the "Comet" made five successive passages between the same ports that averaged one hundred days, one of which from San Francisco to New York, was made in seventy-six days, the shortest on record, and run, during one voyage, in three successive days, nine hundred and sixty-six knots, or about one thousand and twenty-five statute miles; and in one day, three hundred and thirty-two knots, or about three hundred and eighty-five statute miles. Among the steamships built by Mr. Webb, are the "United States", the first large steamer built for the New Orleans trade; the "Cherokee", the first large steamer built for the Savannah trade; and the "California", the first steamer built in this country for the Pacific trade, and the first to enter the Golden Grate in 1849, where now an immense fleet of sea and river steamers traverse the broad waters. Nearly all the large steamers engaged in the Pacific trade have been built in his yard. Such a record of successful enterprise, in an important and difficult department, requiring for its prosecution mental qualities of a high order, is its own best eulogy. |
| QUELLE | [Bishop: History of American manufacturers 3 (1868) 136] |
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