On this date in 1816, #shipbuilder William H. Webb was born in #manhattan. After saving his father’s failing #shipyard, he turned it into a #shipbuilding power, constructing #clipperships #steamships #warships etc. After the #civilwar he closed the shipyard and founded the Webb Academy, now the #webbinstitute in #glencove #NewYork Webb died in 1899 and is interred in #woodlawn #cemetery in #thebronx. Here is the #wikipedia page on the Institute. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webb_Institute

I come from a long line of #SeaCaptains. My great grandfather was Captain Grant & this is one of the American #ClipperShips he sailed, the Saint David. It was built in 1877 in Bath, Maine & carried cargoes of lumber & coal in the Pacific trade.

Once when he was sailing from Australia with a load of coal there was a storm which almost drove the ship into the rocks, story below.

#HistoricShips
#MaritimeHistory
#Genealogy