Christian Bergh (pilot boat)

The Christian Bergh was a 19th-century New York pilot boat built in 1851, by Aaron J. Westervelt at the Westervelt & Co. shipyard. She later became a Pennsylvania pilot boat until her service ended in 1886, when she became an Oyster boat in the Delaware Bay. Christian Bergh was also a prominent shipbuilder in New York and a close friend of Jacob Westervelt.

Pilot Boat Christian Bergh, No. 16., with Line Steamer Isaac Bell; painting by Antonio Jacobsen.
History
United States
Name: Christian Bergh
Namesake: Christian Bergh shipbuilder of Christian Bergh & Co.
Owner: New York pilots
Operator: E. Comfort, Jacob Britton (1860), Josiah Johnson
Builder: Westervelt & Co. shipyard
Launched: Jun 14, 1851
Out of service: September 6, 1886
Homeport: New York
Status: Sold
General characteristics
Class and type: Schooner
Displacement: 42 tons TM
Length: 74 ft 0 in (22.56 m)
Beam: 18 ft 3 in (5.56 m)
Draught: 8 ft 0 in (2.44 m)
Propulsion: sails
Sail plan: Schooner-rigged

Construction and service

New York pilot-boat Christian Bergh, No. 16 was built by Aaron J. Westervelt at the Westervelt & Co. shipyard at the East River in New York City in 1851. On June 14, 1851, she was launched from the Westervelt shipyard at the foot of Houston Street for piloting into the port of New York.[1]

On June 16, 1851, she went down the New York Bay on her first trial trip. She was sometimes listed as the Christian Berg.[2]

On April 2, 1855, the Christian Bergh, No. 16, met up with the pilot boat Edwin Forrest, when the Forrest was on a trial trip near the Sandy Hook Lightship. On their return back to port, both pilots were able to test the speed and strength of their boats.[3]

In 1860, the Christian Bergh, was one of twenty-one New York and New Jersey pilot boats. Josiah Johnson owned shares in the Christian Bergh.[4] On October 10, 1860, New York Sandy Hook Pilot Jacob Britton, of the pilot boat Christian Bergh, No. 1, signed a statement along with other pilots, that he was satisfied with the representation he had received from the New York Board of Commissioners of Pilots.[5]

On March 10, 1860, the pilot boat Christian Bergh, No. 16, picked up passengers on the packet ship De Witt Clinton, and took them to quarantine.[6]

The Christian Bergh, was registered with the Record of American and Foreign Shipping from 1881 to 1897. In 1881, Electus Comfort was listed as Master of the ship; New York Pilots were owners; built in New York in 1851; and New York was her hailing port. Her dimensions were 74 ft. length on deck; 66 ft. length on keel: 18.3 ft. breadth of beam; 8 ft. depth of hold; 42-tons burthen.[7][8]

From 1882 to 1897, according to ship records, the owner of the Christian Bergh, changed to Captain W. W. Andrews and her hailing port became Baltimore, Maryland.[9]

Out of service

On September 6, 1886, the pilot boat Christian Bergh, was reported as a Pennsylvania pilot boat that was taken off her pilot station. She was then rebuilt and fitted out for new service.[10] She then became an oyster boat in the Delaware Bay on Dec 1, 1886.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Statistics of 1851. Ship Building". New York Daily Herald. New York, New York. 1 Jan 1852. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  2. "Below". New York Daily Herald. New York, New York. 16 Jun 1851. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  3. "Pilot Boat Race". New York Daily Herald. New York, New York. 3 Apr 1855. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  4. Russell, Charles Edward (1929). From Sandy Hook to 62°. New York: Century Co. p. 148, 159. OCLC 3804485.
  5. "The New York Pilots. To The Editor Of The Herald". New York Daily Herald. New York, New York. 10 Oct 1860. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  6. "Packet Ship De Witt Clinton Ashore!". New York Evening Express. New York. 10 March 1860. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  7. "New York Yacht Club". The Morning Chronicle. London, Greater London, England. 21 Oct 1851. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  8. "Record of American and Foreign Shipping". Mystic Seaport Museum. New York. 1881. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  9. "Record of American and Foreign Shipping". Mystic Seaport Museum. New York. 1897. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  10. "Marine News". The Times. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 6 Sep 1886. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-12-10 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Along The River". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. 1 Dec 1886. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-01-26 – via Newspapers.com.
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