Webb & Allen, William H. Webb

Webb & Allen, William H. Webb, New York NY

Isaac Webb and John Allen opened the Webb & Allen shipyard in 1825 on the site of the former Henry Eckford shipyard along Lewis Street between Fifth and Seventh Streets in Manhattan. Upon Isaac Webb's death in 1840, his son William investigated the accounts of the shipyard and found it to be bankrupt. Webb bought out John Allen, who was retiring, and the yard became known simply as 'William H. Webb'. Between 1840 and 1869, the yard built 135 vessels, at a time when ship construction was evolving from wood and sail to iron and steam. Some of the fastest clipper ships of the day were designed and built by Webb, as well as some of the most advanced steamships. William H. Webb was a notable naval architect and shipbuilder, but he is even better known as the founder, in 1889, of The Webb Academy and Home for Shipbuilders, now known as the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture. To this day, Webb Institute offers a fully-accredited engineering program in naval architecture which is tuition-free as a result of his philanthropy. Thanks to Steve Pagan for researching the information presented here, much of which comes from William H. Webb, Shipbuilder by Edwin L. Dunbaugh and William duBarry Thomas, published by Webb Institute in 1989. If anyone can provide any additional information about this shipyard, please email info@navalmarinearchive.com.

Most recent update: 29 March 2012.

Hull#	Original Name	Original Owner	Type	GT	Built	Disposition
Built by Webb & Allen
	Crawford	U.S. Revenue Service	Cutter	112	1830	Sold 1835
	Dexter	U.S. Revenue Service	Cutter	112	1830	Sold 1841
	Richard Rush	U.S. Revenue Service	Cutter	112	1831	Sold 1851
	Wolcott	U.S. Revenue Service	Cutter	112	1831	Sold 1836
	Ingham	U.S. Revenue Service	Cutter	112	1832	Sold 1836 as Independence, later Independencia
	McLane	U.S. Revenue Service	Cutter	112	1832	Sold 1840
	Washington	U.S. Revenue Service	Cutter	112	1832	Sold 1837
	Jefferson	U.S. Revenue Service	Cutter	112	1833	Wrecked 1857
	Taney	U.S. Revenue Service	Cutter	112	1834	Sold 1858
	Natchez	NO-La-NY Line	Packet	523	1831
	Saratoga	NO Old Line	Packet	542	1832
	Alabamian	E. D. Hurlbut & Co.	Packet	400	1833
	Dream		Yacht		1833
	Columbus	Black Ball Line	Packet	663	1834
	St. James	Red Swallowtail Line	Packet	641	1835
	Oxford	Black Ball Line	Packet	752	1836
	Burgundy	Havre Old Line	Packet	762	1836
	Louis Philippe	Havre Old Line	Packet	794	1837
	Ville de Lyon	Havre Old Line	Packet	791	1837
	Cambridge	Black Ball Line	Packet	798	1837
	Duchesse d'Orleans	Havre Old Line	Packet	798	1838
	New York	Black Ball Line	Packet	862	1839
	Iowa	Havre Old Line	Packet	874	1839
Built by William H. Webb
1	Malek Adhel	Peter Harmony & Company	Brig	114	1840
2	James Edward	James G. Ward	Ship	433	1840
3	Agnes	Frederick A. Wiseman	Ship	429	1841
4	Helena	N. L. & G. Griswold	Pre-Clipper	597	1841	Lost on voyage from China to Havana 1856
5	Liberty	James W. Phillips	Packet	689	1842
6	Wallabout	J. A. Cross	Steam Ferry	189	1842	Converted to a barge 1858
7	New York	J. A. Cross	Steam Ferry	189	1842	To St. Patrick's Cathedral 1850, abandoned 1854
8	Pronta	Unknown	Sloop	36	1842
9	Viva	Unknown	Sloop	36	1842
10	Ligera	Unknown	Schooner	46	1842
11	Montezuma	C. H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	924	1843	Stranded off Jones Beach 1854
12	Cohota	N. L. & G. Griswold	Pre-Clipper	691	1843	Sold to British owners 1860
13	Yorkshire	C. H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	996	1844	Lost on voyage from New York 1862
14	Vigilant	U.S. Revenue Service	Revenue Cutter	50	1843	Lost in hurricane at Key West FL 1844
15	Zurich	Fox & Livingston	Packet	817	1844	Stranded on Hainsboro Sands 1879
16	Montauk	William S. Wetmore	Pre-Clipper	505	1844	Believed burned by crew after landing slaves in Cuba 1860
17	Ramon De Zaldo	Unknown	Brig	150	1844
18	Panama	N. L. & G. Griswold	Pre-Clipper	612	1844	Wrecked on Memory Rock, Grand Bahama Island 1865
19	Havre	Fox & Livingston	Packet	870	1845	Believed broken up 1908
20	Silas Holmes	William Nelson & Company	Packet	644	1845	Ran aground off Dry Tortugas 1859, salvaged but foundered en route to New Orleans
21	Fidelia	C. H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	895	1845
22	Genil	Castellain & Ponvert	Sidewheel Steamer	512	1846	Burned off Cuba 1846
23	Marmion	Taylor & Merrill	Packet	903	1846	Foundered off Cape Flattery 1879
24	Columbia	C. H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	1050	1846
25	Williamsburg	Fleming Duncan	Steam Ferry	285	1846	Dismantled 1867
26	Bavaria	William Whitlock, Jr.	Packet	908	1846
27	Admiral	Fox & Livingston	Packet	929	1846
28	Sir Robert Peel	Grinnell, Minturn & Company	Packet	940	1846
29	New York	Fox & Livingston	Packet	991	1847	Wrecked near Barnegat 1856
30	Isaac Wright	C. H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	1129	1847	Burned near Liverpool 1858
31	United States	C. H. Marshall and others	Sidewheel Steamer	1857	1847	Damaged by fire in the Thames 1862, sank 1866
32	Ivanhoe	Taylor & Merrill	Packet	1156	1847	Lost off Montauk 1851
33	Yorktown	Grinnell, Minturn & Company	Packet	1150	1847	Condemned after heavy weather damage in the Azores 1868
34	London	Grinnell, Minturn & Company	Packet	1145	1848
35	Caleb Grimshaw	Samuel Thompson & Nephew	Packet	988	1848	Burned at sea near the Azores 1849
36	Ajax	Several New York firms	Sidewheel Towboat	332	1848	Stranded off Cape Cod, October 1858
37	California	Pacific Mail Steamship Co.	Sidewheel Steamer	1057	1848	First steamship to enter the Golden Gate, wrecked off Peru 1894
38	Panama	Pacific Mail Steamship Co.	Sidewheel Steamer	1139	1848	To Mexico 1868, armed and renamed Juarez
39	Cherokee	NY & Savannah S.N. Co	Sidewheel Steamer	1244	1848	Damaged by fire 1863, scrapped 1868
40	Tennessee	NY & Savannah S.N. Co	Sidewheel Steamer	1275	1949	Wrecked off Golden Gate 1853
41	Samuel M. Fox	Fox & Livingston	Schooner	257	1849
42	Goliah	Several New York firms	Sidewheel Towboat	333	1849	Dismantled and burned 1899
43	Guy Mannering	Taylor & Merrill	Packet	1418	1849	Wrecked off Iona 1866
44	Gallia	Henry Robinson	Packet	1190	1849
45	James Drake	Spofford, Tileson & Company	Packet	482	1849	Later Goa
46	Albert Gallatin	Grinnell, Minturn & Company	Packet	1435	1849	Lost rudder and abandoned near Cape Horn 1875
47	Catharine	Schuchardt & Gebhard	Ship	610	1849
48	Manhattan	C. H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	1299	1850	Departed Liverpool for New York, March 14, 1863, never heard from again
49	Isaac Webb	C. H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	1359	1850	Broke up in a gale, October 1880
50	Vanguard	James W. Phillips	Packet	1196	1850	Driven ashore in a gale at Matane, Quebec, October 13 1877
51	Florida	NY & Savannah S.N. Co	Sidewheel Steamer	1261	1851	Later sold to USN and used for blockade service
52	Alabama	NY & Savannah S.N. Co	Sidewheel Steamer	1261	1851	Later sold to USN and used for blockade service
53	Celestial	Bucklin & Crane	Extreme Clipper	860	1850	Sold to Spanish owners 1858
54	Joseph Walker	Samuel Thompson & Nephew	Packet	1325	1850	Burned and sank at pier in New York, December 27 1853
55	Union	Spofford, Tileson & Company	Sidewheel Steamer	1200	1851	Later sold to Austrian owners, renamed America, scrapped 1875
56	Golden Gate	Pacific Mail Steamship Co.	Sidewheel Steamer	2067	1851	Burned near Manzanillo, Mexico, July 24 1862, with loss of 175
57	Samuel M. Fox	Fox & Livingston	Packet	1060	1850	Grounded and broke up on Great Burbo Bank, River Mersey, November 12 1856
58	Isaac Bell	Fox & Livingston	Packet	1072	1851	Grounded on the Yangtzse Kiang, August 7, 1860
59	Gazelle	Taylor & Merrill	Extreme Clipper	1244	1851	Dismasted 1854, condemned and sold to Peruvian owners as Cora, later Harry Puddemsey under British ownership
60	Challenge	N. L. & G. Griswold	Extreme Clipper	2006	1851	Later Golden City, under British ownership, lost off French coast in 1876 after losing rudder
61	Great Western	C.H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	1443	1851	Burnt 1882 and scrapped
62	Comet	Bucklin & Crane	Extreme Clipper	1836	1851	Later sold to British owners as Fiery Star, sank after wool cargo caught fire, April 1865
63	Invincible	James W. Phillips	Medium Clipper	1768	1851	Later sold to British owners, burned in New York harbor, September 1867
64	Swordfish	Barclay & Livingston	Medium Clipper	1036	1851	Lost at mouth of Yangtze Kiang, July 1862
65	James Adger	Spofford, Tileson & Company	Sidewheel Steamer	1151	1852	Sold to USN as USS James Adger for Civil War, retuned, scrapped 1877-78
66	Plandome	Samuel L. Mitchill	Schooner	266	1852	Sometimes referred to as Plendome
67	Manhasset	Bernard Flanner	Schooner	266	1852
68	Annawan	Wakeman, Dimon & Company	Ship	795	1852	Later sold to British owners as Royal Saxon
69	Robert Mills	Wakeman, Dimon & Company	Bark	488	1852	Lost February 28, 1860 at Holyhead New Harbour, North Wales
70	Australia	Williams & Guion	Packet	1447	1852	Ran aground on Frying Pan Shoal and lost, March 2, 1865
71	George Law	US Mail Steamship Company	Sidewheel Steamer	2141	1853	Later Central America(n?), lost in a gale, September 12, 1857 with loss of 423
72	Flying Dutchman	George B. Daniels and others	Medium Clipper	1257	1852	Stranded at Brigantine Beach, NJ, February 14, 1858
73	Augusta	NY & Savannah S.N. Co	Sidewheel Steamer	1310	1853	Sold to USN as USS Augusta for Civil War service, afterwards Magnolia, lost in storm, September 30, 1877
74	Reemplazo	J. Carela and M. Garcia	Schooner	110	1852
75	Volante	Schiff Brothers & Company	Brig	307	1853	Later sold to Argentinian owners
76	Fanny	John Wendell	Barkentine	150	1853	Dismasted and abandoned March 1853, sighted adrift as late as November 1853
77	Knoxville	NY & Savannah S.N. Co	Sidewheel Steamer	1240	1854	Burned at pier in New York, December 22 1856
78	Young America	George B. Daniels	Extreme Clipper	1961	1853	Sold to Austrian owners as Miroslav 1883, last seen departing the Delaware Capes February 1886
79	Flyaway	Schiff Brothers & Company	Medium Clipper	1274	1853	Sold to Spanish owners as Concepcion 1859, to British owners as Bothalwood; stranded January 20, 81 at St. Ouen's Bay, Jersey
80	San Francisco	Pacific Mail Steamship Co.	Sidewheel Steamer	2272	1853	Abandoned and foundered in gale, January 5 1854
81	Josephine	Macondry & Company	Brig	268	1853
82	Snap Dragon	Wakeman, Dimon & Company	Bark	618	1853
83	John Bright	Williams & Guion	Packet	1444	1854	Struck a reef at Capo de Sao Roque, Brazil on December 10, 1874; abandoned
84	Milton	Wakeman, Dimon & Company	Bark	536	1853
85	Cultivator	James C. Ward	Packet	1448	1854	Sprung a leak in a gale 600 miles WSW of Fastnet light, abandoned on April 9 1880
86	Harvest Queen	C. H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	1383	1854	Struck by White Star Liner Adriatic in the Irish Channel on December 30 1875, sunk with loss of all hands
87	Thornton	Williams & Guion	Packet	1422	1854	Grounded on approach to river Mersey and broke up, November 1867
88	Houston	Wakeman, Dimon & Company	Bark	518	1854
89	Pelayo	Cuban owners	Sidewheel Steamer	850	1854
90	General Admiral	Imperial Russian Government	Steam Frigate		1859	Disposition unknown, replaced in the 1870's by a ship of the same name
91	Aurora	Grinnell, Minturn & Company	Packet	1639	1854	Burned in Calcutta February 5 1884
92	James Foster, Jr.	C.H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	1410	1855	Sold to German owners in 1881 as Hudson
93	New Orleans	Stanton & Thomson	Packet	924	1855	Sailed from New York February 1864, never heard from again
94	Neptune	C.H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	1406	1855	Grounded and broke up on Sable Island, Nova Scotia April 1876
95	Alamo	Wakeman, Dimon & Company	Bark	507	1855	Later sold to German, then British owners
96	Astoria	Unknown	Screw Steamer	428	1855	Sold to Russian owners as Alexander II, later US-flag again as Alexander, then back to Russia as Alexander II
97	Texas	Wakeman, Dimon & Company	Bark	554	1855	Departed New York December 1862, never heard from again
98	Sabine	Wakeman, Dimon & Company	Brig	399	1855	Burned at sea SSW of Galveston, October 2 1859
99	America	Imperial Russian Government	Sidewheel Steamer	544	1855
100	Silas Wright	Williams & Guion	Packet	1340	1856	Lost in a gale in the river Mersey, November 12 1856
101	Fanny Holmes	Post, Smith & Company	Bark	700	1855	Burned while loading cotton at Appalachicola, April 3 1860
102	John H. Elliott	Post, Smith & Company	Packet	1077	1856	Grounded in the river Mersey January 1863, abandoned, burned
103	Alice Tainter	Post, Smith & Company	Bark	667	1856	To Bermudan flag 1864
104	Cuba	Cuban owners	Sidewheel Steamer	820	1856	To Cuban flag upon delivery
105	Intrepid	Bucklin & Crane	Medium Clipper	1173	1856	Aground March 31 1860 at Belvedere Reef in the Gaspar Strait, attacked by pirates, abandoned and burned by crew
106	Guatemala	Unknown	Sidewheel Steamer	217	1856	To Belize flag upon delivery
107	Ocean Monarch	Stanton & Frost	Packet	2145	1856	Cargo shifted March 9 1862 in Atlantic, partially abandoned, presumed lost
108	Uncowah	Wakeman, Dimon & Company	Medium Clipper	988	1856	Set afire by Chinese laborers en route from Macao to Callao in 1870; crew abandoned ship but 425 laborers perished
109	William H. Webb	Chambers & Heiser	Sidewheel Towboat	655	1856	To Confederate Navy in 1865 as CSS William H. Webb or CSS Webb, burned April 23, 1865, 24 miles below NOLA
110	Black Hawk	Bucklin & Crane	Medium Clipper	1175	1857	Sold to German owners in 1881, later to Norwegians as Christiana; condemned after fire in February 1891
111	Roger A. Heirn	Post, Smith & Company	Packet	1088	1857	To British registry 1865; lost anchor during gale in Mobile Bay December 16 1865, ran aground at Sand Island, total loss
112	Trieste	W. A. Sale & Co	Bark	549	1857
113	Moses Taylor	United States Mail SS Co	Sidewheel Steamer	1370	1857	Later used as a stores hullk at Acapulco.
114	Resolute	Williams & Guion	Packet	1412	1858	Transferred to Dutch owners 1884, abandoned in North Atlantic 1886 after losing rudder and sails.
115	Harriet Lane	U.S. Revenue Service	Revenue Cutter	674	1857	Rebuilt as a bark in 1869 as Elliot Ritchie, sprang leak and was abandoned off Brazil March 22 1884.
116	Japanese	Imperial Russian Government	Steam Corvette	1530	1858	Sometimes spelled Japanis.
117	Martinho de Mello	Portuguese Government	Bark	622	1858	Built by Eckford Webb under subcontract at Greenpoint NY.
118	Yorktown	New York & Virginia SS Co	Sidewheel Steamer	1403	1859	Seized by CSN as CSS Patrick Henry April 1861, later CSN school ship, burned in Richmond to prevent capture April 3 1865
119	Harvest Queen	C. B. Fessenden	Bark	315	1860
120	Mississippi	Samuel L. Mitchill	Sidewheel Steamer	2026	1861	Purchased by USN after delivery, returned to commercial service 1865, broken up 1878.
121	Alexander Marshall	C. H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	1177	1860	Dismasted and leaking from gale in 1869, abandoned in North Atlantic.
122	Constitution	Pacific Mail Steamship Co	Sidewheel Steamer	3315	1861	Intentionally sunk to extinguish a fire at San Francisco October 1877, demolished 1878.
123	Re d'Italia	Italian Navy	Steam Ironclad		1863	Rammed and sunk by Austrian ironclad July 20 1866.
124	Don Luigi di Portogallo	Italian Navy	Steam Ironclad		1864	Rammed but not sunk by an Austrian ironclad.
125	Golden City	Pacific Mail Steamship Co	Sidewheel Steamer	3373	1863	Stranded on Cape San Lazaro February 22 1870, broke up.
126	Sacramento	Pacific Mail Steamship Co	Sidewheel Steamer	2647	1864	Stranded and broke up near San Geronimo, Baja California on December 5 1872.
127	Colorado	Pacific Mail Steamship Co	Sidewheel Steamer	3357	1865	Laid up 1876, demolished 1881.
128	Dunderberg	United States Navy	Steam Ironclad		1867	Sold to the French in 1867 as Rochambeau, disposed 1872.
129	Henry Chauncey	Pacific Mail Steamship Co	Sidewheel Steamer	2656	1865	Sold for scrap July 1877.
130	Montana	Pacific Mail Steamship Co	Sidewheel Steamer	2676	1866	Built by Eckford Webb under subcontract at Greenpoint NY, retired 1877.
131	Bristol	Merchants Steamship Co	Sidewheel Steamer	2962	1867	Burned at Newport RI December 30 1888.
132	Providence	Merchants Steamship Co	Sidewheel Steamer	2962	1867	Dismantled autumn 1901
133	China	Pacific Mail Steamship Co	Sidewheel Steamer	3836	1867	Sold for scrap 1885; the cabin was saved and is open to the public in Belvedere CA.
134	James A. Borland	S. W. Lewis & Company	Bark	637	1869	Wrecked on Tugidak Island AK 1896.
135	Charles H. Marshall	C. H. Marshall & Co.	Packet	1683	1869	Sold Norwegian as Souverain 1887; caught fire loading coal near Cardiff, Wales on March 20 1891.

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