Widgeon (pilot boat)
New York pilot boat Widgeon, No. 10, off Sandy Hook; Painting by William Gay Yorke. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | Widgeon |
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Builder | James R. & George Steers |
| Launched | January 1, 1856 |
| Out of service | 1879, condemned as unseaworthy |
| Honors & awards | America’s Cup defense in 1870 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | schooner |
| Tonnage | 50-tons TM |
| Length | 80 ft 0 in (24.38 m) |
| Beam | 19 ft 0 in (5.79 m) |
| Depth | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Propulsion | Sail |
The Widgeon was a 19th-century yacht and Sandy Hook pilot boat, built in 1855 by James R. & George Steers for Daniel Edgar of the New York Yacht Club and designed by George Steers. She came in 17th in an unsuccessful America’s Cup defense in 1870. Widgeon was sold in 1871 to a group of New York pilots to replace the John D. Jones, which sank in a collision with the steamer City of Washington. New York pilots condemned the Widgeon as unseaworthy in 1879, which sparked a fight for steam pilot-boat service. In 1883 a decision was affirmed by the Supreme Court and the Board of Commissioners of Pilots that pilot boats could be "propelled" by steam.