Home 19th-Century Yards Shipyard Index

William H. Webb, New York NY

(formerly Webb & Allen)

Most recent update: March 29, 2012.

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 dissolved that company and created a new shipyard, also called Webb & Allen.  In 1843, 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 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, or about the ships it built, please e-mail me at timcolton@aol.com.

Hull # Original Name Original Owner Type Tons Built Disposition
Built by Webb & Allen
  Crawford U.S. Revenue Service Revenue Cutter 112 1830  
  Ingham U.S. Revenue Service Revenue Cutter 112 1830 Later Independence, Independencia
  Rush U.S. Revenue Service Revenue Cutter 112 1831  
  Natchez NO-La-NY Line Packet  523 1831  
  Saratoga NO Old Line Packet  542 1832  
  McLane U.S. Revenue Service Revenue Cutter 112 1832  
  Jefferson U.S. Revenue Service Revenue Cutter 112 1833  
  Taney U.S. Revenue Service Revenue Cutter 112 1831  
  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, August 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 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 NY, May 18 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, February 1862.
14 Vigilant U.S. Revenue Service Revenue Cutter 50 1843 Lost in hurricane at Key West FL, October 4-5 1844.
15 Zurich Fox & Livingston Packet 817 1844 Stranded on Hainsboro Sands, Norfolk England, August 13 1879.
16 Montauk William S. Wetmore Pre-Clipper 505 1844 Believed burned by crew after landing slaves in Cuba, July 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 October 24 1865.
19 Havre Fox & Livingston Packet 870 1845 Believed broken up 1908.
20 Silas Holmes William Nelson & Company Packet 644 1845 Ran aground off East Key, Dry Tortugas December 2, 1859; after salvage attempts foundered December 16 en route to New Orleans.
21 Fidelia C.H. Marshall & Co. Packet 895 1845  
22 Genil Castellain & Ponvert Sidewheel Steamer 512 1846 Burned on passage from St. Jago (Santiago) to Havana, July 1846.
23 Marmion Taylor & Merrill Packet 903 1846 Foundered off Cape Flattery, November 7 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, December 23 1858.
31 United States Charles H. Marshall and others Sidewheel Steamship 1857 1847 Damaged by fire in the river Thames in 1862; sank May 4 1866.
32 Ivanhoe Taylor & Merrill Packet 1156 1847 Lost off Montauk, March 1851.
33 Yorktown Grinnell, Minturn & Company Packet 1150 1847 Condemned after heavy weather damage, Azores, December 24 1868.
34 London Grinnell, Minturn & Company Packet 1145 1848  
35 Caleb Grimshaw Samuel Thompson & Nephew Packet 988 1848 Burned at sea near Azores, November 12 1849.
36 Ajax Several New York mercantile firms Sidewheel Towboat 332 1848 Stranded of f Cape Cod, October 1858.
37 California Pacific Mail Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamship 1057 1848 First steamship to enter the Golden Gate; wrecked off Peru in 1894.
38 Panama Pacific Mail Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamship 1139 1848 Given to Mexico in 1868, armed and renamed Juarez.
39 Cherokee New York & Savannah Steam Navigation Co Sidewheel Steamship 1244 1848 Damaged by fire August 26 1863, scrapped August 1858 in New York.
40 Tennessee New York & Savannah Steam Navigation Co Sidewheel Steamship 1275 1949 Grounded off Golden Gate, March 6 1853; total loss.
41 Samuel M. Fox Fox & Livingston Schooner 257 1849  
42 Goliah Several New York mercantile firms Sidewheel Towboat 333 1849 Dismantled and hull burned, 1899.
43 Guy Mannering Taylor & Merrill Packet 1418 1849 Wrecked off the Scottish isle of Iona, early 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 September 15, 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 New York & Savannah Steam Navigation Co Sidewheel Steamship 1261 1851 Later sold to USN and used for blockade service.
52 Alabama New York & Savannah Steam Navigation Co Sidewheel Steamship 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 Steamship 1200 1851 Later sold to Austrian owners, renamed "America", scrapped 1875
56 Golden Gate Pacific Mail Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamship 2067 1851 Burned near Manzanillo, Mexico July 24 1862 with loss of 175 souls.
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  
62 Comet Bucklin & Crane Extreme Clipper 1836 1851 Later sold to British owners as (prophetically) "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 Steamship 1151 1852 Sold to USN as "USS James Adger" for Civil War, afterwards returned to commercial service; scrapped 1877-78.
66 Plandome Samuel L. Mitchill Schooner 266 1852 Sometimes referred to as "Plendome" by builder.
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 United States Mail Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamship 2141 1853 Later "Central America(n?)", lost in a gale September 12 1857 with loss of 423 souls.
72 Flying Dutchman George B. Daniels and others Medium Clipper 1257 1852 Stranded at Brigantine Beach, NJ on February 14 1858.
73 Augusta New York & Savannah Steam Navigation Co Sidewheel Steamship 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 New York & Savannah Steam Navigation Co Sidewheel Steamship 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" in 1859, later to British owners as "Bothalwood"; stranded January 20 1881 at St. Ouen's Bay, Jersey.
80 San Francisco Pacific Mail Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamship 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, perhaps Pelayo, Pordo & Co 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 Steamship 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 Steamship 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 Unknown, represented by Bartolomeo Blanco 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, represented by Bartolomeo Blanco 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 enroute from Macao to Callao, Peru in the autumn of 1870; crew abandoned ship but 425 laborers perished.
109 William H. Webb Chambers & Heiser Sidewheel Towboat 655 1856 Transferred to Confederate Navy in 1865 as "CSS William H. Webb" or "CSS Webb", run ashore and 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 Transferred to British registry 1865; lost anchor during gale in Mobile Bay December 16 1865, ran aground at Sand Island and declared total loss.
112 Trieste Built on speculation; sold to W.A. Sale & Co Bark 549 1857  
113 Moses Taylor United States Mail Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamship 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 Steam 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 Steamship Co Sidewheel Steamship 1403 1859 Seized by Confederate Navy as "CSS Patrick Henry" April 1861, later Confederate Navy 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 Steamship 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 Company Sidewheel Steamship 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 Re Don Luigi di Portogallo Italian Navy Steam Ironclad   1864 Rammed but not sunk by an Austrian ironclad.
125 Golden City Pacific Mail Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamship 3373 1863 Stranded on Cape San Lazaro February 22 1870, broke up.
126 Sacramento Pacific Mail Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamship 2647 1864 Stranded and broke up near San Geronimo, Baja California on December 5 1872.
127 Colorado Pacific Mail Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamship 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 Company Sidewheel Steamship 2656 1865 Sold for scrap July 1877.
130 Montana Pacific Mail Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamship 2676 1866 Built by Eckford Webb under subcontract at Greenpoint NY, retired 1877.
131 Bristol Merchants Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamer 2962 1867 Burned at Newport RI December 30 1888.
132 Providence Merchants Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamer 2962 1867 Dismantled autumn 1901
133 China Pacific Mail Steamship Company Sidewheel Steamship 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.