Goliah (steam tug 1849)
Encyclopedia
The steamer Goliah (sometimes called Defender) was the second tug boat ever built in the United States. The long service life of this vessel caused it to become known as the “everlasting” Goliah. This vessel was readily recognizable by its large size and sidewheels. It should not be confused with a number of other vessels named either Goliah or Goliath which were also operating as tugs. This vessel was also sometimes known as the Defender.
. William H. Webb
built the wooden hull and T.F. Secor
built the engine. The original purpose for Goliah was to tow sailing vessels in and out of New York Harbor
. Previous steamers, which had not been purpose-built for the task, had been underpowered and many ships had been lost as a result.
trade, then booming because of the California Gold Rush
. The new owners ran into financial difficulties, and the Goliah was seized by marshals acting on behalf of their creditors. Regardless of this, on April 1, 1850, Goliahs owners took the vessel out of the harbor, quite illegally, and without any coal. They then set out for California, which in that time required a voyage around Cape Horn
, at the southern tip of South America.
Goliah managed to reach St. Thomas
(then not U.S. Territory, but rather part of the Danish West Indies
, where fuel and provisions were secured. Goliah arrived in San Francisco
on January 1, 1851. On arrival, the vessel was lengthened and ran as a passenger boat on the Sacramento under the name of Defender. During this time, Goliah was engaged in fierce competition with the New World, another steamer brought around from the East Coast in defiance of creditors. At one point, this competition produced gunfire between the passengers and crews of the two steamboats when Goliah, or so it is alleged, attempted to ram and sink the New World.
Goliah was soon bought off by the California Steam Navigation Company, which was building a monopoly on Sacramento river shipping, and as a result was then placed on the ocean routes. Capt. George Flavel (1823–1893) ran the vessel. up north. Goliah was later run off the coast of California under the command of Capt. Robert Haley. In the spring of 1854, Goliah rescued the passengers of the steamship Yankee Blade which had wrecked off Point Concepcion.
Goliah was subsequently shortened, and ran for many years as a towboat in Sau Francisco harbor, finally passing into the hands of the Wrights, a family of ship and riverboat captains. The Wrights again lengthened Goliah and placed the vessel on the route from San Francisco to Humboldt County.
From the time the vessel arrived on Puget Sound
until 1876, when the tug Tacoma appeared, Goliah towed more than half of the vessels that entered the Straits of Juan de Fuca
bound for Nanaimo, and nearly all of those bound for the American side.
In 1877 Goliah was extensively repaired, and a new boiler provided, which cost nearly £15,000, its dimensions being, width 14.5 ft (4.4 m), length, 17 ft (5.2 m), diameter, 12 ft (3.7 m). This a “low-pressure” boiler which drove a walking beam steam engine on steam at 18 pound pressure. The engine was a single-cylinder type, 50 inches in diameter with a stroke of 96 inches.
In 1895 the Goliah's hull below the water line was said to have been still in excellent condition, and it was further said with mechanical repairs, Goliah might be able to outlast the pioneer steamship Beaver
, which had served 53 years until finally wrecked. With the loss of 'Beaver, Goliah then became the oldest steam vessel afloat on the Pacific Coast.
After being idle from 1894 on, Goliah was deliberately burned at Duwamish Head
by the scrapping firm of O.A. Bennett to recover the vessel's metal fittings. The old sidewheel tug S.L. Mastick was burned at the same time with Goliah.
Construction
Goliah was built in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. William H. Webb
William H. Webb
William Henry Webb was a 19th-century New York shipbuilder and philanthropist, who has been called America's first true naval architect....
built the wooden hull and T.F. Secor
Morgan iron works
The Morgan Iron Works was a 19th century manufacturing plant for marine steam engines located in New York City, United States. Originally founded as T. F...
built the engine. The original purpose for Goliah was to tow sailing vessels in and out of New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
. Previous steamers, which had not been purpose-built for the task, had been underpowered and many ships had been lost as a result.
Transfer to California
On completion Webb sold the vessel to parties who intended to enter it into the Sacramento RiverSacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
trade, then booming because of the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. The new owners ran into financial difficulties, and the Goliah was seized by marshals acting on behalf of their creditors. Regardless of this, on April 1, 1850, Goliahs owners took the vessel out of the harbor, quite illegally, and without any coal. They then set out for California, which in that time required a voyage around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
, at the southern tip of South America.
Goliah managed to reach St. Thomas
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
(then not U.S. Territory, but rather part of the Danish West Indies
Danish West Indies
The Danish West Indies or "Danish Antilles", were a colony of Denmark-Norway and later Denmark in the Caribbean. They were sold to the United States in 1916 in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and became the United States Virgin Islands in 1917...
, where fuel and provisions were secured. Goliah arrived in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on January 1, 1851. On arrival, the vessel was lengthened and ran as a passenger boat on the Sacramento under the name of Defender. During this time, Goliah was engaged in fierce competition with the New World, another steamer brought around from the East Coast in defiance of creditors. At one point, this competition produced gunfire between the passengers and crews of the two steamboats when Goliah, or so it is alleged, attempted to ram and sink the New World.
Goliah was soon bought off by the California Steam Navigation Company, which was building a monopoly on Sacramento river shipping, and as a result was then placed on the ocean routes. Capt. George Flavel (1823–1893) ran the vessel. up north. Goliah was later run off the coast of California under the command of Capt. Robert Haley. In the spring of 1854, Goliah rescued the passengers of the steamship Yankee Blade which had wrecked off Point Concepcion.
Goliah was subsequently shortened, and ran for many years as a towboat in Sau Francisco harbor, finally passing into the hands of the Wrights, a family of ship and riverboat captains. The Wrights again lengthened Goliah and placed the vessel on the route from San Francisco to Humboldt County.
Puget Sound service
After a short time in this service she was abandoned and laid over on the Mission mudflats in San Francisco until 1864, when Captain James Griffiths (1840–1887) fixed the steamer up as a towboat once more. Goliah was bought by Pope & Talbot in 1871, and arrived at Port Gamble on 22 March 1871, in charge of Capt. William Hayden, who ran the vessel for a while and was succeeded by Captain Noyes and Capt. J. A. McCoy, who in turn gave way to Capt. S. D. Libby, who remained in command for twelve years.From the time the vessel arrived on Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
until 1876, when the tug Tacoma appeared, Goliah towed more than half of the vessels that entered the Straits of Juan de Fuca
Strait of Juan de Fuca
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...
bound for Nanaimo, and nearly all of those bound for the American side.
In 1877 Goliah was extensively repaired, and a new boiler provided, which cost nearly £15,000, its dimensions being, width 14.5 ft (4.4 m), length, 17 ft (5.2 m), diameter, 12 ft (3.7 m). This a “low-pressure” boiler which drove a walking beam steam engine on steam at 18 pound pressure. The engine was a single-cylinder type, 50 inches in diameter with a stroke of 96 inches.
Later years
After Captain Libby left, the vessel was laid up at Port Ludlow for four years. Capt. William Selby then ran the tug for a year and a half, and Ed. Clements took charge of the vessel for a short time. He was succeeded by Capt. William Williamson, who continued in command for six years, until July 27, 1894, when Goliah was again laid up at Port Ludlow. The recently formed Puget Sound Tug Boat Company had deployed a powerful fleet of newer, powerful propeller-driven steam tugs, and Goliah could not compete with them.In 1895 the Goliah's hull below the water line was said to have been still in excellent condition, and it was further said with mechanical repairs, Goliah might be able to outlast the pioneer steamship Beaver
Beaver (steamship)
Beaver was the first steamship to operate in the Pacific Northwest of North America. She made remote parts of the west coast of Canada accessible for maritime fur trading and was chartered by the Royal Navy for surveying the coastline of British Columbia....
, which had served 53 years until finally wrecked. With the loss of 'Beaver, Goliah then became the oldest steam vessel afloat on the Pacific Coast.
After being idle from 1894 on, Goliah was deliberately burned at Duwamish Head
Duwamish Head
Duwamish Head is the northernmost point in West Seattle, Washington, jutting into Elliott Bay. The Duwamish called it "Low Point" or "Base of the Point" . A large boulder covered with petroglyphs once lay on the beach....
by the scrapping firm of O.A. Bennett to recover the vessel's metal fittings. The old sidewheel tug S.L. Mastick was burned at the same time with Goliah.