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Overview
Shipbuilding in Essex began in the middle
1600’s to satisfy a local need for fishing craft. Early vessels were
primarily built for use by their builder. By the late 1700’s, it
became common practice to build a new vessel each winter, fish her during
the summer months and then sell her in the fall. Gradually, captains from
other ports came to Essex to contract for
a new vessel. By the 1840’s, Essex
no longer had her own fishing fleet but had turned to year-round shipbuilding.
From
these beginnings, there grew an industry so specialized, it became unique
in maritime history. By the 1850’s, over 50 vessels a year were being
launched from 15 shipyards and Essex became recognized worldwide as North America’s center for fishing schooner
construction. Gloucester’s fleet was
largely built in Essex and the town so dominated the industry that Essex
vessels could be found in all major U.S. and Canadian fishing
ports. One out of every 28 wooden vessels that flew the American Flag was
built in Essex. The shipyards of Essex probably launched more two-mast vessels than
any other town in the world.
Of the 4000 vessels built in Essex during
its 350 year shipbuilding history, only seven historic schooners survive
-five of which were built as fishermen:
THE BUSINESS OF BUILDING VESSELS:
Why Captains and Owners Came to Essex.
When
captains came to Essex for new vessels, they
came for the product of shipbuilders and shipwrights whose craftsmanship
and skill had been inherited as much as learned.
By 1845, shipbuilding in Essex was deeply
established. The town was widely recognized as North
America’s leading producer of fishing craft. Most of
those vessels were built for the Gloucester Fishing Fleet.
The Light and Telegraph.
Saturday, March 25, 1848.
Shipbuilding at Gloucester
Since 1846 nearly two hundred thousand dollars have been invested in new
vessels from this port! Most of these have been built at Essex,
and the materials, such as spars, rigging, cables, anchors, blocks, sails,
&c, have been transported from this town by teams at much expense.
Then, when finished, the vessels have to be ballasted and brought round at
still more expense. All this might be saved by having the vessels built
here. –– We earnestly hope that efforts may be made to extend
this branch of industry among us and before many years that at least all of
our own vessels will be built in Gloucester.
Despite
this editorial, the next six years proved to be the most productive in Essex history. Gloucester Captains continued to come
to Essex for another one hundred years.
Vessels built in Essex, 1849-1853
1848 28 vessels.
1849 42 vessels
1850 34 vessels
1851 45 vessels
1852 59 vessels
1853 48 vessels
Total: 256 vessels in six years
When the Essex shipbuilding industry ceased in 1949, nearly 4,000 vessels
had been launched into the Essex
River.
Today,
shipbuilding still continues in Essex,
though not at an industrial scale.
The
Shipbuilders
Many Essex shipbuilders practiced the trade of their fathers. All were
businessmen who recognized the close working relationship between the
shipyards of Essex and the fisheries of Gloucester. When Gloucester
prospered, Essex prospered. Traditionally,
construction of a vessel began with the payment of one quarter of the total
estimated cost. The balance was paid in three annual payments. The result
of this generous practice was steady work at the shipyards. Essex shipbuilders also ended up owning part interest
in many of the vessels they built. During slow times, many builders
constructed vessels on speculation, just to keep their crews busy. Some Essex shipbuilders failed. Few became wealthy.
The
Shipyards
Most Essex yards were nothing more than a plot of land near the water with
a few shipways, a shop for yard tools and enough space to store timber.
Many were on marshland rented by the builder. At the Story Shipyard, for
example, the sterns of many vessels were constructed on land rented from
the town. Few shipyards had anything resembling an office. Typically, if a
captain wanted to contract for a vessel, he went to the builder’s
home. (It is said that many captains made the mistake of visiting A.D.
Story at his home on a Sunday, only to be told to return the next day.
The Shipwrights (Ship’s Carpenters).
Most shipyard workers specialized in some phase of shipyard work. Many did
not work for any one builder, but hired out at a daily rate, wherever their
special skills were needed. In some instances, three or four men would work
together as a "framing gang," a "planking gang," or a
"launching gang". Many of these gangs consisted of fathers, sons,
uncles and cousins. Some individuals or gangs, acting as sub-contractors, frequently
shifted from one yard to another –– finding steady work on many
different vessels. This practice required that each individual had to
establish a personal reputation for good workmanship. Those reputations
were guarded jealously.
Each Essex shipwright was expected to use
their own tools and to keep them sharp on their own time. In winter,
workers had to clear snow from a work area on their own time. There was
never pay for time lost due to sickness or injury.
Ancillary Trades
In the early years, everything that was needed to build a vessel was
produced in Essex. Blocks, rope, rigging,
ironwork, sails, masts and spars, anchors, wooden ship’s wheels,
pumps, windlasses and turnings were all produced by local tradesmen in
barns or shops scattered throughout the town. After the 1860s, only pumps,
windlasses, ironwork and turnings were made here.
Other specialized tradesmen carved name boards and decorative scrolls.
Finish carpenters (or inboard joiners as they were called) produced
interior woodwork such as, panels, doors, staircases, windows and shutters
for steamers, berths and tables as well as the "deck furniture"
such as the companionways, hatches, skylights and cabin trunks. Vessels
were made watertight by the specialized skills of "caulkers".
Wages
From the very beginning, shipwrights were paid on a per day basis. In 1847,
their pay was between $1.50 and $2.00 per day. However, most workers did
not collect their wages until the builder got paid. Some builders managed
to pay their workers at least something on account and settled up once full
payment for the vessel was received. There were also Essex
builders who kept small stores where their men could purchase goods against
wages being held. In 1890, Moses Adams was the first Essex
builder to pay his workers in full each Saturday. Wages were $2.00 to $2.50
per day. Hourly pay was instituted in 1919.
The more menial shipyard tasks, such as wedging trunnels, puttying seams,
and boring holes, were done on a piecework basis (a penny per hole for example).
Finish carpenters, carvers, and other highly skilled tradesmen were paid by
the job.
Caulkers were paid a fixed-rate multiplied by the gross tonnage* of the
vessel being caulked. (*Gross tonnage is a measure of a vessel’s
volume, not its weight. Net tonnage measures a vessel’s taxable
carrying capacity by subtracting the crew’s quarters, galley and
engine room.)
The Workday
The winter workday was from dawn to dusk, with an hour break at noon
–– six days a week. In the summer months, the workday was from
sunrise to noon, then one to six, then back again from seven until sunset.
After 1847, the workday was established at ten hours, year round, six days
a week. In 1895, the workday was reduced to nine hours and then to eight
hours in 1918.
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