Vigilant was the victorious United States defender of the eighth America's Cup

America's Cup

The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...

 in 1893 against British challenger Valkyrie II

Valkyrie II (yacht)

Valkyrie II was the unsuccessful British challenger of the eighth America's Cup race in 1893 against American defender "Vigilant".-Design:Valkyrie II was a gaff-rigged cutter...

. Vigilant was designed by Nathanael Greene Herreshoff and built in 1893 by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol, Rhode Island

Bristol, Rhode Island

Bristol is a town in and the historic county seat of Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,954 at the 2010 census. Bristol, a deepwater seaport, is named after Bristol, England....

. It was Herreshoff's first victorious America's Cup

America's Cup

The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...

 defender design.

Design

Vigilant was a centerboard sloop

Sloop

A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....

 with all-metal (steel and bronze) construction. It was owned by a syndicate led by Charles Oliver Iselin and which included Edwin Dennison Morgan, August Belmont, Jr.

August Belmont, Jr.

August Belmont, Jr. was an American financier, the builder of New York's Belmont Park racetrack, and a major owner/breeder of thoroughbred racehorses.-Early life:...

, Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...

, Charles R. Flint

Charles Ranlett Flint

-Further reading:**...

, Chester W. Chapin

Chester W. Chapin

Chester William Chapin was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Chester W. Chapin was born in Ludlow, Massachusetts, the youngest son of Ephriam and Mary [Smith] Chapin; six generations removed from the family's pilgrim immigrant Deacon Samuel Chapin attending common schools and Westfield...

, George R. Clark, Henry Astor Carey, Dr. Barton Hopkins, E.M. Fulton, Jr. and Adrian Iselin. It was skippered by Nathanael Greene Herreshoff himself.

Career

Launched on June 14, 1893, Vigilant beat Colonia, Jubilee and Pilgrim to win the 1893 American selection trials for the America's Cup

America's Cup

The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...

 defense. It then went on to successfully defend the cup against British keel cutter Valkyrie II

Valkyrie II (yacht)

Valkyrie II was the unsuccessful British challenger of the eighth America's Cup race in 1893 against American defender "Vigilant".-Design:Valkyrie II was a gaff-rigged cutter...

.

Vigilant was broken up at a New London

New London, Connecticut

New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....

 junkyard in 1910.

Specifications

• Overall length: 38.5m
• Length at water line: 25.9m
• Beam
  Beam (nautical)
  The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
  
   (width): 7.92m
• Draft
  Draft (hull)
  The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
  
  : 3.96m
• Displacement
  Displacement (fluid)
  In fluid mechanics, displacement occurs when an object is immersed in a fluid, pushing it out of the way and taking its place. The volume of the fluid displaced can then be measured, as in the illustration, and from this the volume of the immersed object can be deduced .An object that sinks...
  
  : 138 tonnes
• Sail area: 1014.5 m2