Henry B. Nevins, Incorporated facts for kids

Henry B. Nevins Incorporated was a famous company that built amazing wooden boats, especially yachts. It was started in 1907 by Henry B. Nevins in City Island, New York. Henry Nevins was a true expert at building boats. He learned his skills at another company on City Island called Charles L. Seabury & Company. Later, he bought a nearby boatyard to make his own company bigger.

Henry B. Nevins Inc. built special boats for many different people. They made fancy sailboats and motor yachts for wealthy customers. They also built fast racing boats. But they didn't just make luxury boats; they also built smaller tugboats and barges for businesses. Henry Nevins was a perfectionist, which means he wanted everything to be just right. His company even prepared its own wood, made its own parts, created its own glue, and carefully balanced the masts for sails. Because of this dedication, Nevins' company built more yachts that won famous races than any other company!

Building Amazing Boats

In 1939, the United States Navy recognized Henry B. Nevins Inc. for their excellent work. They gave the company $15,000 for designing the best motor torpedo boat, which was about 54-foot (16 m) long. This showed how skilled Nevins' team was at boat design.

Helping Out During World War II

During World War II, Henry B. Nevins Inc. played an important role in helping the war effort. They built 24 YMS-1 class minesweepers for the U.S. Navy. Minesweepers are special boats that clear dangerous underwater mines from the sea. They also built 4 aircraft-rescue boats, which were used to help pilots who crashed into the water. Some of the yachts Nevins built before the war, like USS Saluda, were even used by the Navy during the war. After the war ended, the shipyard went back to building boats for private owners and businesses.

The End of an Era

Henry Nevins passed away in 1950. After the war, it became hard for the company to compete with shipyards in Europe. These European companies could build yachts for much less money. Even though they built three minesweepers for the Belgian Navy in 1953–54, the company struggled. Henry's wife sold the shipyard in 1954, and it finally closed down in 1962. Today, the place where the shipyard once stood is now home to the City Island School. You can still see a few old parts of the boatyard, like the tracks for moving boats, but only when the tide is low.

Famous Boats Built by Nevins

Henry B. Nevins Inc. built many notable boats, including:

• Brilliant (schooner) - a beautiful schooner built in 1932.
• Columbia (1958 yacht) - built in 1958, this yacht famously won the 1958 America's Cup race.
• USS Grackle (AMS-13) - a minesweeper built in 1943.
• USS Magpie (AMS-25) - another minesweeper from 1943.
• USS Robin (AMS-53) - a minesweeper built in 1953.
• USS Saluda (IX-87) - a yacht built in 1938 that served in the Navy.
• USS Seagull (AMS-55) - a minesweeper built in 1943.
• USS Tamarack (SP-561) - built in 1915.

Nevins also built a special type of boat called the Fishers Island One Design. These were sloops (a type of sailboat) designed by Charles Mower. They had a hull about 24-foot (7.3 m) long, with 15 feet (4.6 m) on the waterline, and were 7-foot (2.1 m) wide. The first ones had a specific type of sail called a gaff rig. Twenty-five of these boats were built.