Item 17611 - Steamship Westport, Squirrel Island, ca. 1912

Item 17611 - Steamship Westport, Squirrel Island, ca. 1912
Contributed by Stanley Museum
Item 17611
Steamship Westport, Squirrel Island, ca. 1912
Zoom
4761px x 3001px - 15.9"w x 10.0"h @ 300dpi  |  Need a larger size?
*Credit line must read: Collections of Stanley Museum
Image Info

The steamer "Westport" and her sister ship "Southport" were built in Boston in 1911 for the Eastern Steam Ship Corporation. Identical vessels 125 feet long, powered by 450 HP steam engines, they were often referred to as the "Twins," recognized even in the fog by their distinctive chime-like whistles.

The "Westport" was piloted by Captain Harry A. Biggins, and like her twin, served the Boothbay region and the Kennebec and Sheepscot Rivers from 1911-1920, and later in the Penobscot Bay region from 1920-1934. After that the "Twins" were split up, the "Westport" going into ferry service at Block Island, Rhode Island.

Commissioned during WWII as the "Col. Lewis F. Garrard," the "Westport" was later used as a deep sea fishing vessel out of Boston Harbor. Sold to a New Jersey firm in the 1950s, the "Westport" was destroyed by fire while undergoing refitting.

The "Westport" is shown here approaching the Squirrel Island dock around 1912 or 1913.

Show Details