1860: A Mid-Afternoon Launch for a Pilot Boat

July 12, 1860 

At about three o’clock on a Thursday afternoon, a pilot boat named Fannie was launched at the junction of Bushwick Creek and the East River in the Greenpoint neighborhood of the city of Brooklyn (now one of New York City’s five boroughs). This type of vessel operates in the vicinity of a port and is used to transport maritime pilots to ships in the area. While on board a ship, the maritime pilot is responsible for safely guiding that vessel in or out of the port.

Fannie was constructed by Edward F. Williams (1826-1902) and the launch of this pilot boat specifically took place at his shipyard at the foot of Quay Street in Greenpoint. Fannie’s first owner was Edward Douglas Messerve, who had been born in New York City in 1821 and worked as a “coffee master” prior to pursuing a maritime career. Messerve remained captain of Fannie until his death in 1864. Fannie continued to operate as a pilot boat mostly in and near New York Harbor during the rest of the American Civil War era and for more than three decades beyond that. She was retired from service on February 1, 1896.

The accompanying image of Fannie is a painting that was created in 1870 by marine artist Conrad Freitag (1843-1894).

Image Credit: Public Domain

For more information on pilot boats that have served in the northeastern United States, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Northeastern_U.S._pilot_boats