Matthew Turner (shipbuilder)
Encyclopedia
Matthew Turner was an American sea captain
, shipbuilder and designer. He constructed 228 vessels, of which 154 were built in the Matthew Turner shipyard in Benicia. He built more sailing vessels than any other single shipbuilder in America, and can be considered "the 'grandaddy' of big time wooden shipbuilding
on the Pacific Coast."
in 1825. His family lived on the shores of Lake Erie
and there he learned about both fishing and shipbuilding. His first wife died in childbirth with their first child. He then sought his fortune in gold mining in California
in 1850 and was quite successful.
Toronto, sailing her back to California. There he went into business with Captain Richard Thomas Rundle and started shipping timber to San Francisco
from the Mendocino
coast. They were soon able to replace the Toronto with another larger schooner, the Louis Perry, and a few years later they purchased the brig
Temandra. When Turner took this larger vessel to the Sea of Okhotsk
he noticed the abundance of cod and so bought the Porpoise to capitalize on this, as cod were selling in San Francisco at a high price. Meanwhile Turner also set up a company to trade with Tahiti
.
During his career as a ship's captain he twice received recognition of his heroism and the services that he rendered to foreign governments. He was given a gold-mounted spyglass by Queen Victoria in recognition of his part in saving the lives of British sailors. The Norwegian government presented him with a silver service
for his rescue of a Norwegian vessel in danger of foundering at Honolulu.
Turner was greatly admired by shipbuilder Henry Hall, of the Hall Brothers shipyard in Port Blakely
. He described the "Turner Model" of sailing rig, using the Bermudan sail, a "fore and aft sail without gaff, being a large triangular sail." Eliminating the gaff
made it much easier to bring the sail down during sudden Pacific squalls.
. "Turner also built some of the fastest racing yachts in the world, proven out during the famous races sponsored by the San Francisco Yacht Club, of which Turner was a charter member."
. He decided to retire. He died on February 10, 1909 at the age of 83 years after a short illness at his home in Oakland.
by a shipwright who had worked in Turner's yard, arrived in San Francisco under the French flag.
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
, shipbuilder and designer. He constructed 228 vessels, of which 154 were built in the Matthew Turner shipyard in Benicia. He built more sailing vessels than any other single shipbuilder in America, and can be considered "the 'grandaddy' of big time wooden shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
on the Pacific Coast."
Early life
Matthew Turner was born in Geneva, OhioGeneva, Ohio
Geneva is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The area which would become Geneva was originally settled in 1805, and was incorporated as a city in 1958. It is named after Geneva, New York. The city's population was 6,595 at the 2000 census....
in 1825. His family lived on the shores of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
and there he learned about both fishing and shipbuilding. His first wife died in childbirth with their first child. He then sought his fortune in gold mining in California
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...
in 1850 and was quite successful.
Career as ship captain
Turner later travelled to New York where he bought the schoonerSchooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Toronto, sailing her back to California. There he went into business with Captain Richard Thomas Rundle and started shipping timber to San Francisco
West coast lumber trade
The West Coast lumber trade was a maritime trade route on the West Coast of the United States. It carried lumber from the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and Northern and Central California mainly to the port of San Francisco.-Lumber schooners:...
from the Mendocino
Mendocino, California
Mendocino is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. Mendocino is located south of Fort Bragg, at an elevation of 154 feet...
coast. They were soon able to replace the Toronto with another larger schooner, the Louis Perry, and a few years later they purchased the brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
Temandra. When Turner took this larger vessel to the Sea of Okhotsk
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaidō to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coast along the west and...
he noticed the abundance of cod and so bought the Porpoise to capitalize on this, as cod were selling in San Francisco at a high price. Meanwhile Turner also set up a company to trade with Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
.
During his career as a ship's captain he twice received recognition of his heroism and the services that he rendered to foreign governments. He was given a gold-mounted spyglass by Queen Victoria in recognition of his part in saving the lives of British sailors. The Norwegian government presented him with a silver service
Silver Service
The Silver Service is a brand currently applied by Amtrak to two of its East Coast long-distance passenger trains operating between New York City and Miami:*Silver Meteor*Silver Star...
for his rescue of a Norwegian vessel in danger of foundering at Honolulu.
Shipyard in Benicia
He designed his first ship, the brig Nautilus, in 1868, which was built at Eureka, in an attempt to get a faster ship for the Tahiti run. The hull of Nautilus was exactly the reverse of what was customary in the area at that time, being "long and sharp forward, lean and full on the waterline aft." Despite the predictions of sceptics that the ship would dive and pitch into the water, resulting in a very wet ride, Nautilus proved a great success. Turner decided to move into shipbuilding, setting up a yard near Hunter's Point with his brother Horatio. In 1876 he married for a second time to Captain Rundle's widow, Ashbeline. The success of his first shipyard led him to search for another location, to allow the business to expand. He went into business with his brother and John Eckley, forming the Matthew Turner Shipyard at Benicia in 1883. This yard constructed at least 154 wooden-hulled ships.Turner was greatly admired by shipbuilder Henry Hall, of the Hall Brothers shipyard in Port Blakely
Port Blakely, Bainbridge Island, Washington
Port Blakely is a community of Bainbridge Island, Washington. It is located on the east side of the island, slightly to the south. The centre of Port Blakely is generally defined as the intersection of Blakely Hill Road and Blakely Avenue NE, although the wider area is generally also known as...
. He described the "Turner Model" of sailing rig, using the Bermudan sail, a "fore and aft sail without gaff, being a large triangular sail." Eliminating the gaff
Gaff rig
Gaff rig is a sailing rig in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar called the gaff...
made it much easier to bring the sail down during sudden Pacific squalls.
Prolific shipbuilder
During his career as a shipbuilder, Turner designed and built 228 sea going vessels in a period of 37 years, from 1868 to 1905, more sailing vessels than any other American shipbuilder. According to Gibbs, "although many [vessels] were small in size, this record was probably never equalled by any other individual shipbuilder in the American era of sail. He further, in all probability, built more vessels for foreign account than any other American since the Revolution." Turner had business interests in the South Sea Islands, and many of his ships were built for owners in that region. He also specialized in vessels for pelagic sealingSeal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
. "Turner also built some of the fastest racing yachts in the world, proven out during the famous races sponsored by the San Francisco Yacht Club, of which Turner was a charter member."
Later life
Turner was something of an invalid from 1904 onwards. Nonetheless, in 1906, at age 81, Turner, was still personally supervising work at his shipyard, and found himself suddenly swamped with work following the San Francisco Earthquake1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
. He decided to retire. He died on February 10, 1909 at the age of 83 years after a short illness at his home in Oakland.
Legacy
Gibbs reports that Turner's influence on the South Seas schooner was still evident as late as 1941, when a two-masted schooner, Benicia, built in TahitiTahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
by a shipwright who had worked in Turner's yard, arrived in San Francisco under the French flag.
Notable ships built by Turner
- Anna, a schooner with a ten day run from Honolulu to San Francisco in 1886, and eight round trips, as well as a 357 day passage between San Francisco and Kahului
- AmaranthAmaranth (barquentine)Amaranth was a four-masted barquentine built by Matthew Turner of Benicia, California in 1901. Amaranth sailed in the China trade between Puget Sound and Shanghai. She was wrecked on a guano island in the South Pacific in 1913 while carrying a load of coal.-Construction:Barquentine Amaranth Co....
- Four-masted barquentineBarquentineA barquentine is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts.-Modern barquentine sailing rig:...
that broke the record for the Astoria, OregonAstoria, OregonAstoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
to ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
run (23 days) - ArielAriel (schooner)Ariel was a 4-masted schooner built by Matthew Turner in 1900. She was wrecked at Inuboyesaki, Japan, in 1917....
- Four-masted schooner built by Matthew Turner in 1900. She was wrecked at Inuboyesaki, Japan, in 1917. - BeniciaBenicia (barquentine)Benicia was a barquentine built by Matthew Turner in Benicia, California in 1899. She was known for a fast passage from Newcastle, New South Wales to Kehei, Hawaii, of 35 days...
, a barquentine with a fast passage from Newcastle, New South WalesNewcastle, New South WalesThe Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
to Kehei, Hawaii, of 35 days - EquatorEquator (schooner)The two-masted pygmy trading schooner Equator on which in 1889 Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Vandegrift Stevenson were passengers on a voyage through the islands of Micronesia, visiting Butaritari...
- Schooner that was chartered by Robert Louis StevensonRobert Louis StevensonRobert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
and helped inspire his book The WreckerThe WreckerThe Wrecker is a British play, written in 1924 by Arnold Ridley, who much later played Private Godfrey in Dad's Army.The play is about an old engine driver who thinks his engine is malevolent and self-aware... - Emma Claudina, 126 ft., 266 ton brigantine, the first ship of the Matson Line, named for the daughter of John D. Spreckles
- GalileeGalilee (ship)The Galilee was a brigantine, built in 1891, designed by Matthew Turner. She started on the packet line between San Francisco and Tahiti and was reckoned a very fast ship. In 1905 she was chartered by the Carnegie Institution's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism and converted into a magnetic...
- BrigantineBrigantineIn sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
that holds the record for the Tahiti-San Francisco run in a wooden-hulled sailing vessel (22 days), converted to magnetic observatory when under charter to the Carnegie Institute of Washington Department of Terrestrial Magnetism for three years - Geneva, a brigantine with a passage of 2 days between Launceston, Tasmania and Newcastle, New South Wales
- John D. Spreckels, a 266 ton brigantine with "at least three ten day voyages on the San Francisco-Hawaiian Island run"
- HMCS KarlukHMCS KarlukThe Karluk was an American-built brigantine which, after many years' service as a whaler, was acquired by the Canadian government in 1913 to act as flagship to the Canadian Arctic Expedition. While on her way to the expedition's rendezvous at Herschel Island, Karluk became trapped in the Arctic...
- Brigantine whaler that was acquired by the Canadian government as flagship to the Canadian Arctic Expedition - Lurline, a 135-foot brigantineBrigantineIn sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
made for Claus SpreckelsClaus SpreckelsClaus Spreckels, formally Adolph Claus J. Spreckels , , was a major industrialist in Hawai'i during the kingdom, republican and territorial periods of the islands' history...
in 1887, who sold immediately 75% to William Matson as an expansion of Matson Lines. They resold the vessel in 1896. The brig was lost in 1915. - Nautilus, 104 t., 173 ton brig, fast passage from Tahiti to San Francisco of 20 days
- PapeetePapeete (schooner)The Papeete was a schooner built in 1891 by Matthew Turner, a San Francisco Bay Area shipbuilder who had extensive business interests in Tahiti. The ship was known for a fast passage from San Francisco to Tahiti of 17 days....
, schooner with a 17 day passage from San Francisco to Tahiti - Solano, fast passage from ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
to Port Townsend, WashingtonPort Townsend, WashingtonPort Townsend is a city in Jefferson County, Washington, United States, approximately north-northwest of Seattle . The population was 9,113 at the 2010 census an increase of 9.3% over the 2000 census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County...
of 24 days in April 1902. Wrecked on North Beach (the ocean side of Long Beach PeninsulaLong Beach PeninsulaThe Long Beach Peninsula is an arm of land in western Washington state. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the south by the Columbia River, and the east by Willapa Bay...
, February 5, 1907. - William G. Irwin, a sugar packet built in 1881 for J.D. Spreckels. Launched as a brigantine, later re-rigged as a three masted schooner. Fast passages from San Francisco to Kahului, Hawaii, 8 days 17 hours, 1881, Honolulu to San Francisco, 9 days
- W.H. Dimond, a brigantine with a 9 day, 10 hour passage from San Francisco to Honolulu
Park
- Map of Matthew Turner Shipyard Park
- Turner/Robertson Shipyard, 1883-1918, California State Historic Landmark 973. "The yard sways, and the Whaler Stamboul, used as a shipyard work platform, are visible at low tide."
- Photograph of plaque at site of Turner Shipyard
- Mission Bay location of first Turner Shipyard
School
- Who was Matthew Turner, and Why Was a School Named After Him?
- Matthew Turner Elementary School, Benicia, CA
Ships
- Herman, Matthew Turner Built Sealing Schooner
- John D. Spreckles, codfish schooner involved in a collision off Pt. Reyes
- The Matson Brigantine Lurline, first ship of the Matson Line, purchased from J.D. Spreckels
- Pitcairn, schooner built by Turner for the Seventh Day Adventists
- Ship Model, Steam Schooner Royal, 1891 fishing schooner
- Santa Cruz, Turner-built schooner shipwrecked at Santa Cruz Island, 1913