The Sailing Vessels of Pensacola's Historical Red Snapper Fishing Industry: toward an understanding of construction trends

Abstract

Commercial red snapper fishing dominated the Pensacola, Florida, waterfront around the turn of the 20th century. At the height of the industry, nearly 50 large schooners sailed from Pensacola, supplying demands for fresh fish across the United States. Using historical data from the List of Merchant Vessels of the United States and archaeological data from three probable commercial red snapper fishing schooner shipwrecks in north‐west Florida, this article traces build trends and characteristics among industry vessels from 1881–1930. Recognizing these developments may help identify other commercial red snapper fishing vessels among Gulf of Mexico‐area archaeological shipwreck sites.

抽象

彭萨科拉历史上的红鲷鱼渔业帆船:理解造-趋势

20世纪之交红鲷-贸易主导了佛罗里达彭萨科拉的海滨。在这一行业的高峰期, 近50艘大型纵帆船从彭萨科拉出发为美国各地提供-鱼。利用《美国商船目录》上的历史记录以及三艘可能是来自西北佛罗里达的红鲷鱼帆船-骸的考古数据, 本文探索1881‐1930年间工业-舶的建造趋势和特点。认识-些发展特征有助于确认墨西哥湾考古沉船遗址中其他红鲷鱼渔业船。

关键词: 工业, 纵帆船, 渔业, 佛罗里达, 墨西哥湾, 红鲷鱼

彭薩科拉曆史上的紅鲷魚漁業帆船:理解造-趨勢

20世紀之交紅鲷-貿易主導了佛羅里達彭薩科拉的海濱。在這一行業的高峰期, 近50艘大型縱帆船從彭薩科拉出發爲美國各地提供-魚。利用《美國商船目錄》上的歷史記-以及三艘可能是來-西北佛羅里達的紅鲷魚帆船-骸的考古數據, 本文探索1881‐1930年間工業船舶的建造趨勢和特點。認識-些發展特征有助于確認墨西哥灣考古沉船遺址中其他紅鲷魚漁業船。

關-詞: 工業, 縱帆船, 漁業, 佛羅裏達, 墨西哥灣, 紅鲷魚

Abstracto

Las embarcaciones de vela de la industria histórica de pesca de pargo rojo de Pensacola: hacia una comprensión de los modos de construcción

La pesca comercial de pargo rojo dominó el litoral de Pensacola, Florida a finales del siglo XX. En la cúspide de la industria, alrededor de 50 goletas navegaban desde Pensacola para satisfacer la demanda de pescado fresco en Estados Unidos. Utilizando información histórica de la Lista de Embarcaciones Mercantes de los Estados Unidos y datos arqueológicos de tres naufragios de posibles goletas de pesca comercial de pargo rojo en el noroccidente de Florida, este artículo rastrea los modos de construcción y las características de las naves de esta industria desde 1881 hasta 1930. Se reconoce que este desarrollo puede ayudar a identificar otras embarcaciones de pesca comercial de pargo rojo entre los restos arqueológicos de naufragios en el Golfo de México.

Palabras clave: industria, goleta, pesca, Florida, Golfo de México, pargo rojo.

ملخص

Key words:

• industry
• schooner
• fishing
• Florida
• Gulf of Mexico
• red snapper

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the Florida Public Archaeology Network for its educational and financial support during this research effort. The University of West Florida Archaeology Institute and the University Archives and West Florida History Center were also instrumental as sources of data pertaining to previous archaeological inquiry and historical records. Additionally, the expertise of Dr Della Scott‐Ireton, Dr Amy Mitchell‐Cook, and Dr Greg Cook was invaluable to the outcome of this research.

Notes

1. This research was unable to uncover any substantial information on local shipyards specifically building snapper vessels. Based on references to the cities building commercial fishing vessels for Pensacola's fleet found in the LMVUS and marine surveyor records, the 1920 Rudder Marine Directory: A Trade List of Shipbuilding, Shipping and Marine Industries could provide the names of some of the local shipbuilding operations. In Pensacola, the Rudder Marine Directory mentions F.F. Bingham, Bruce Dry Dock Co., J.W. Bullock Shipbuilding Co., Dunwoody‐Alken Towboat Co., Gulf Machine Works, Pensacola Marine Railway Co., Pensacola Shipbuilding Co., Pensacola Trading Co., Pensacola Vessel Construction Corp., E.E. Saunders & Co., and the Warren Fish Company. The Rudder Marine Directory also mentions Bagdad Shipbuilding Co. and Hoodless Shipbuilding Co. in Milton, and American Lumber Co. and Gulf Shipbuilding Co. in Millville.

2. One known Pensacola commercial red snapper fishing vessel is still afloat: Lettie G. Howard. Constructed in Essex, Massachusetts, in 1893, Lettie G. Howard fished from Pensacola between 1910–1930 based on LMVUS records. At 74.6 feet (22.7m) in length, 21 feet (6.4 feet) in beam, and 8.4 feet (2.6m) in depth, this vessel is a representative example of the larger schooners working on the Campeche Banks after the 1890. Like they did with most other fishing schooners, the Pensacola fish houses rebuilt the Lettie G. Howard with a 36–horsepower auxiliary engine in the mid 1920s. Sold to New York's South Street Seaport in 1968, the ship eventually was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989 (Jackson and Strong, 1991).