Kathryn (skipjack)
Encyclopedia
The Kathryn , a Chesapeake Bay
skipjack, was built at Crisfield, Maryland
in 1901. Ported at Chance, Maryland
, she is reputedly one of the fastest skipjacks on the Bay . She was designated a National Historic Landmark
on April 19, 1994.
rather than a "hard", sharply angled chine. Kathryn otherwise follows the pattern of a Chesapeake Bay skipjack, with a clipper bow-style cutwater, a sharp convex bow, beamy middle, and a flat transom stern. Like all present-day skipjacks she has a stern-mounted push plate to allow operation with a pushboat. She is fore-and-aft-planked, unlike most skipjacks, which are cross-planked. Her flush deck follows the standard skipjack plan, with a main hatch abaft the mast, followed by dredging gear, a smaller hatch, a doghouse over a very low cabin, the steering gear and a set of davits for the pushboat. The cabin is finished with varnished tongue-and-groove paneling, and has a bunk on each side under the deck. Steering gear is hydraulic.
The Kathryn carries the standard skipjack rig with a raked mast, 64 feet (19.5 m) tall and 12 inches (30.5 cm) in diameter, carrying a clubbed jib and a jib-headed mainsail. The mainsail is laced to the boom and is carried on wooden hoops on the mast. Unusually, the mast is topped with a gold-leafed wood ball. She has been altered from her original appearance by the features necessary to carry the pushboat. The rear of the cabin has been extended to provide better protection to the helmsman.
custom office records were destroyed by fire. She was homeported in Crisfield until 1907, when she was moved to Tappahannock, Virginia
. In 1914 she moved to Reedville. In 1925 Kathryn was purchased by John E. Spriggs of Ewell, Maryland
and John C. Marshall for $1800 from J.A. Dodson of Fairport, Virginia
. Kathryn was moved back to Crisfield at this time. Wells W. Evans bought Kathryn in 1938 for $608, then sold her for "$5.00 etc." in 1945 to Irving F. Cannon, who changed her homeport to Cambridge, Maryland
. Malcolm "Mac" Wheatley bought a half interest, again for "$5.00 etc." and served as her captain. She received a major rebuild in 1954 at the Krentz Marine Railway in Harryhogan, Virginia
, which was published in Chesapeake Sailing Craft. In 1963 Wheatley became Kathryn's full owner.
Johnnie R. Parkinson, Jr. bought Kathryn in 1975 for $18,000 and moved her to Crisfield. She was sold in 1981 to Herman Russell Dize (whose father had worked aboard Kathryn 70 years before) and William James Roe, Jr.
Capt. Harold "Stoney" Whitelock of Dames Quarter, Maryland
purchased Kathryn in 2008 and is currently working to restore her.
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
skipjack, was built at Crisfield, Maryland
Crisfield, Maryland
Crisfield is a city in Somerset County, Maryland, United States, located on the Tangier Sound, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 2,723 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in 1901. Ported at Chance, Maryland
Chance, Maryland
Chance is a census-designated place in Somerset County, Maryland, United States. The population was 377 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, she is reputedly one of the fastest skipjacks on the Bay . She was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on April 19, 1994.
Description
The Kathryn is 50 feet (15.2 m) long, 15.67 feet (4.8 m) wide and draws 4.17 feet (1.3 m) of water. She is somewhat unusual in having a "soft" chineChine (boating)
A chine in boating refers to a sharp angle in the hull, as compared to the rounded bottoms of most traditional boat hulls. The term hard chine indicates an angle with little rounding, where a soft chine would be more rounded, but still involve the meeting of distinct planes. Chine log...
rather than a "hard", sharply angled chine. Kathryn otherwise follows the pattern of a Chesapeake Bay skipjack, with a clipper bow-style cutwater, a sharp convex bow, beamy middle, and a flat transom stern. Like all present-day skipjacks she has a stern-mounted push plate to allow operation with a pushboat. She is fore-and-aft-planked, unlike most skipjacks, which are cross-planked. Her flush deck follows the standard skipjack plan, with a main hatch abaft the mast, followed by dredging gear, a smaller hatch, a doghouse over a very low cabin, the steering gear and a set of davits for the pushboat. The cabin is finished with varnished tongue-and-groove paneling, and has a bunk on each side under the deck. Steering gear is hydraulic.
The Kathryn carries the standard skipjack rig with a raked mast, 64 feet (19.5 m) tall and 12 inches (30.5 cm) in diameter, carrying a clubbed jib and a jib-headed mainsail. The mainsail is laced to the boom and is carried on wooden hoops on the mast. Unusually, the mast is topped with a gold-leafed wood ball. She has been altered from her original appearance by the features necessary to carry the pushboat. The rear of the cabin has been extended to provide better protection to the helmsman.
History
Kathryn was built at Crisfield in 1901, using fore-and-aft planking characteristic of early skipjacks, and may have been the first to use the herring-bone technique. Her early history is unknown, as the Reedville, VirginiaReedville, Virginia
Reedville is an unincorporated town in Northumberland County in the Northern Neck region of the U.S. state of Virginia. It is located at the eastern terminus of U.S...
custom office records were destroyed by fire. She was homeported in Crisfield until 1907, when she was moved to Tappahannock, Virginia
Tappahannock, Virginia
Tappahannock is the oldest town in Essex County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,068 at the 2000 census. Located on the Rappahannock River, Tappahannock is the county seat of Essex County...
. In 1914 she moved to Reedville. In 1925 Kathryn was purchased by John E. Spriggs of Ewell, Maryland
Ewell, Maryland
Ewell is an unincorporated community located on Smith Island in Somerset County, Maryland, United States.-References:...
and John C. Marshall for $1800 from J.A. Dodson of Fairport, Virginia
Fairport, Virginia
Fairport is an unincorporated community in Northumberland County, in the U.S. state of Virginia.-Reference:...
. Kathryn was moved back to Crisfield at this time. Wells W. Evans bought Kathryn in 1938 for $608, then sold her for "$5.00 etc." in 1945 to Irving F. Cannon, who changed her homeport to Cambridge, Maryland
Cambridge, Maryland
Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 12,326 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality...
. Malcolm "Mac" Wheatley bought a half interest, again for "$5.00 etc." and served as her captain. She received a major rebuild in 1954 at the Krentz Marine Railway in Harryhogan, Virginia
Harryhogan, Virginia
Harryhogan is an unincorporated community in Northumberland County, in the U.S. state of Virginia.-Reference:...
, which was published in Chesapeake Sailing Craft. In 1963 Wheatley became Kathryn's full owner.
Johnnie R. Parkinson, Jr. bought Kathryn in 1975 for $18,000 and moved her to Crisfield. She was sold in 1981 to Herman Russell Dize (whose father had worked aboard Kathryn 70 years before) and William James Roe, Jr.
Capt. Harold "Stoney" Whitelock of Dames Quarter, Maryland
Dames Quarter, Maryland
Dames Quarter is a census-designated place in Somerset County, Maryland, United States. The population was 188 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
purchased Kathryn in 2008 and is currently working to restore her.
External links
- National Historic Landmarks Study for Kathryn, at National Park ServiceNational Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
. - KATHRYN (skipjack), Talbot County, including photo in 1983, at Maryland Historical Trust
- KATHRYN, Pushboat "Yawl", Dogwood Harbor, Chesapeake Bay, Tilghman vicinity, Talbot County, MD: 1 drawing, 2 data pages, at Historic American Engineering Record
- KATHRYN-Two-sail Bateau "Skipjack", Dogwood Harbor, Chesapeake Bay, Tilghman vicinity, Talbot County, MD: 8 drawings, 31 photographs, 15 data pages, 3 photo caption pages, 1 photo transparency, at Historic American Engineering Record