62 sail and steam cargo vessels from Bahamas 1957, from Mercantile Navy List & Maritime Directory

A list of Bahamian sail and steam vessels from 1957 (list of motor vessels to follow):

From “Mercantile Navy List and Maritime Directory,” 1957, Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, London. NOTE: This volume is some 1,500 pages long, with probably 300 vessels registered to “Nassau, N.P.” Since a number of them are clearly marked “yacht” or “tender” or “fishing.” Those are not included in this list.

Since the focus of this research is mail boats and vessels carrying freight and passengers and mail inter-island in the Bahamas, I have included only those vessels which are designated “cargo” and/or “passenger” carriers and which are small enough to conduct inter-island trade, and whose ownership is not in some far-flung locale such as Canada. In other words the focus is on boats which either were mailboats or could have been mailboats in the Bahamas.

STEAM CARGO VESSELS in the Bahamas, 1956:

S.S. City of Nassau, ex-Laura, cargo, Official # 90415, registered to Nassau 1928, built Whiteinch, Glasgow, Scotland, 1885 (70+ years old in 1956), 207’ X 26.8’ X 13.2’, 223 tons net, 592 gross, 180hp, Call sign JVWF, (was VPFG), hull made of steel.
Previous owner: as the SS Laura was owned by the London & Southwestern Railway company, of London, UK.
Owners: Florida Inter-Island Steamship Company Limited, Nassau, N.P..

NOTE: There is only one relevant steam ship registered to the Bahamas at that time, probably because the advantage of steam was speed – not a key requirement for the short distances in the closed market of the islands at the time. Furthermore with steam came considerably more bunker, or fuel costs, which would have been uneconomical for the mostly single-ship economy of Bahamian mailboats. The advantages would not have offset the comparative disadvantages.

Source: http://www.crewlist.org.uk/data/vesselsnumview.php?OfficialNumber=90415

SAIL CARGO VESSELS in the Bahamas, 1956:

NOTE: Since on this blog I already listed the 50 or so sailing vessels, including yachts, etc. that were listed in the 1935 Mercantile Navy list, vessels designated “yachts” or built before 1934 have been omitted from this list, to avoid redundancy. The only exceptions are where vessels are larger and clearly designated “cargo” boats, in which case they were included here in detail.
1.      S/V Amlev Elvira, sloop, 13 tons, built Ragged Island, 1936, Merciver J. Adderley, Ragged
2.      S/V Anxious, sloop, 17 tons, built Andros 1945, Arnold Colebrook, Mastic Point, Andros
3.      S/V Bahamas Carol, cargo sloop, 19 tons, built Ragged Island, 1955, Sheffield Wilson, Ragged
4.      S/V Brian Tracey, cargo sloop, 17 tons, Acklins 1942, Louis Pintard, Ragged Island
5.      S/V Brunell, cargo sloop, 10 tons, Ragged island 1942, Norris Wallace, Ragged island
6.      S/V Champion R., schooner, 23 tons, Hope town Abaco 1913, Chatham Albury, Harbour Island
7.      S/V City Supply, cargo sloop, 18 tons, Andros 1955, Harold McPhee, Deep Creek, Andros
8.      S/V City Train, sloop, 12 tons, Kew, Caicos 1930, Joshua R. Darling, Acklins
9.      S/V Clipper Mae, cargo sloop, 18 tons, Mayaguana, 1955, Orthney S. Charlton, Mayaguana
10.  S/V Convince, cargo sloop, 11 tons, Ragged,1939, John Pintard & Roderick Munroe, Ragged
11.  S/V Dairy Maid, 16 tons, Eleuthera 1944, Eleuthera Limited, Hatchet Bay Eleuthera
12.  S/V Dono Casilda, ketch, 16 tons, Ragged Island 1934, Horace A. Wilson, Ragged Island
13.  S/V  E. G. Munroe, sloop, 9 tons, Ragged Island, 1935, Hubert Rolle, Bimini
14.  S/V Eastern Queen, cargo sloop, 6 tons, Mayaguana, 1946, Melvin Ellis, Mayaguana
15.  S/V Edith Brothers, cargo sloop, 9 tons, Acklins 1946, Elkin Roker, Delectable Bay, Acklins
16.  S/V Ethel Brook, cargo sloop, 8 tons, Mayaguana, 1945, Isaac Brooks, Mayaguana
17.  S/V Eula May, cargo sloop, 11 tons, Bimini, 1934, Whitfield Russel, Crown Harbour, Abaco
18.  S/V  Exempt, cargo sloop, 18 tons, Ragged, 1945, Sheffield Wilson & Cephas Maycock, Ragged
19.  S/V F. Benitez Rexach, barge, 52 tons, San Juan Puerto Rico, 1939, Transportation Company Ltd., Nassau
20.  S/V Gold Handsome, sloop, 12 tons, Mayaguana, 1923, Willam Charlton, Mayaguana
21.  S/V Go On, schooner, 25 tons, #154277, Ragged island, 1927, William M. Maycock, Ragged Island (note the Go-On, under Rev./Capt. Collie rescued 47 survivors, and buried 1 dead, from the US SS Potlatch when the landed after 29 days in open boats and rafts at Pinefield & Hard Hill Acklins on August 1, 1942. Marion Carstairs in Vergemere IV then took them to Nassau).
22.  S/V Heantie Marvel, cargo schooner, 31t, Ragged, 1946, Edgar O. Moxey & Frederick R. Munroe, Ragged
23.  S/V Heloise, cargo sloop, 20 tons, Cherokee Sound, Abaco 1951, Roland Bridgewater, Ragged
24.  S/V Invest, cargo sloop, 10 tons, Ragged, 1948, Berthan Munroe & Henricus Maycock, Ragged
25.  S/V Ival, cargo schooner, 22 tons, Andros, 1938, Rupert E. Bowleg, Nicolls Town, Andros (NOTE: The Ival under Capt. Bowleg and Reginald Chritie rescued survivors of the US SS Federal off Gibara, Cuba in April 1942, when it was torpedoed. The news made it to the Tribune.)
26.  S/V Ivy M., cargo sloop, 12 tons, Ragged, 1940, Ellis N. Curling & Raphael E. Munroe, Ragged
27.  S/V J. W. Hutt, schooner, 17 tons, Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, 1910, John W. Roberts, Normans Castle Abaco
28.  S/V Kelsie M., cargo sloop, 9 tons, Ragged , 1941, Nathan Munroe & James Adderley, Ragged
29.  S/V Lady Luella, sloop, 16 tons, Acklins, 1935, Mrs. Luella Kemp, Mason Bay Acklins
30.  S/V Laura Louise, cargo schooner, 31t, Man o War Abaco, 1915, William D. Weech, Jr., Bimini
31.  S/V Let-Me-Go, schooner, 15 tons, Clarence Town, Long Island, Lloyd H. Major, Clarence Town
32.  S/V Lillian Bird, sloop, 10 tons, Mayaguana, 1941, Jafus Charlton, Mayaguana
33.  S/V Lola E. Bennett, cargo schooner, 28 tons, Inverness, Florida, 1902, William H. H. Maura, Nassau
34.  S/V Malarke, sloop, 13 tons, Andros, 1934, Mrs. Elizabeth A. Dames, Pure Gold, Andros
35.  S/V Mi Amigo, cargo sloop, 11 tons, Ragged Island, 1938, Vivian B. Wilson, Ragged Island
36.  S/V Naiwa, cargo schooner, 15 tons, Abaco, 1932, Charles A. Arteaga, Nassau
37.  S/V Nelly B. Nora, cargo schooner, 23 tons, British Honduras, rebuilt West End Grand Bahama, Dionisio de Gregory, Nassau
38.  S/V Olive Bain, cargo sloop, 10 tons, Andros, 1946, Reginald G. Christie, Nassau
39.  S/V Oriline, cargo sloop, 18 tons, Marsh Harbour Abaco, 1948, Cecil Lockhart, Ragged Island
40.  S/V Out-Wit, cargo sloop, 8 tons, Ragged Island, 1939, Drucilla J. Maycock, Ragged Island
41.  S/V Pride of Andros, sloop, 11 tons, Stanyard Creek, Andros, 1938, Ronald Duncombe, Stanyard Creek, Andros
42.  S/V Princess Margaret Rose, cargo, 14 tons, Nassau, 1942, William Higgs, Nassau
43.  S/V Rosetta Lockhart, cargo sloop, 20 tons, Ragged island, 1954, Garnet R. Lockhart, Ragged
44.  S/V Ruth Salomie, cargo schooner, 21 tons, Abaco, 1940, james A. Dean, Sandy Point, Abaco
45.  S/V Ruthie Melrose, cargo schooner, 25t, Bahamas, 1898, Wilbert B. Griffin, Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera
46.  S/V Saale, cargo schooner, 25 tons, Ragged Island, 1927, Alonzo F. Hepburn, Ragged Island
47.  S/V Sea Plague, cargo sloop, 18 tons, Acklins, 1939, Elikam Moss, Acklins
48.  S/V Sea Serpent, cargo sloop, 15 tons, Nassau, 1944, Mrs. Madge W. Guillaume, Nassau
49.  S/V Sea Wolf, cargo sloop, 36 tons, Bottle Creek Caicos, 1947, Edward H. Godet, Nassau, Eustace N. Duncanson, Bottle Creek, Caicos, and George L. Godet, Cockburn Harbour, Caicos
50.  S/V Secret Creed, cargo sloop, 7 tons, Mayaguana, 1935, Cornelius Collie, Mayaguana
51.  S/V Silver Lane, sloop, 9 tons, Acklins, 1942, Solomon Johnson, Morant Bay, Acklins
52.  S/V Spectator, cargo sloop, 16 tons, Ragged, 1943, John Pintard & Jonathan Lockhart, Ragged
53.  S/V Sugar Town, cargo sloop, 11 tons, Acklins, 1942, Samuel J. Collie, Acklins
54.  S/V Toma H., cargo sloop, 15 tons, Ragged Island, 1954, Austin G. Hepburn, Ragged Island
55.  S/V Veronica Rolle, sloop, 13 tons, Abaco, 1940, Vincent G. Hepburn, Nassau
56.  S/V Victoria Armaly, cargo sloop, 11 tons, Andros, 1925, William J. Armaly, Nassau
57.  S/V Village Belle, sloop, 10 tons, #174276, Acklins, 1939, Gustavus Pearson, Delectable Bay, Acklins
58.  S/V Village Belle, sloop, 10 tons, #159996, Long Island, 1938, Mitchell Horton, Simms, Long I.
59.  S/V Vincent Charles, cargo sloop, 14 tons, Grand Bahama, 1932, Laurence L. Lightbourn, Nassau
60.  S/V Water Bird, cargo schooner, 27 tons, Bahamas, 1892, Harry P. Trew, Nicolls Town, Andros
61.  S/V William Turton, cargo sloop, 12 tons, Marsh Harbour, Abaco, 1926, Reginald V. Weech, Nassau