It’s been five years — including a prolonged Covid pause — since Sandy Lee and a team of volunteers began the undertaking of building a replica of the 1898, 28’ steam launch built for the USS Eagle, a converted gunboat that participated in the Spanish American War before spending the next two decades surveying the Caribbean.

“It took Herreshoff a couple of months,” laughed Lee. “It’s taken us a little longer.”

Lee, who also led the team that built a to-scale model of Reliance several years ago, was assisted by about 15 volunteers in total, ranging from seasoned professionals to interested learners. He notes that they even had volunteers from Electric Boat — the nuclear subs that they are accustomed to building actually run on power generated by steam — so evolutionarily, the vessels aren’t as far apart as they might seem.
Unlike the approach to building the Reliance replica, the steam launch replica was built organically, from the inside out.

“A huge amount of research went it to seeing how it was constructed,” said Lee.

The volunteers built an entire steam plant and reconstructed a boiler around an original Herreshoff bent tube sourced from the west coast, all to original Herreshoff plans.

“What people don’t know is that from the time they began in 1876 until 1892, Herreshoff almost entirely designed and built steam yachts and launches,” said Lee. “The engine and boiler are Capt. Nat’s ultimate designs for lightweight power…he perfected lightweight boat building on these launches, then he took that approach to sailboats.”

The team left some of the planking off the replica to allow visitors a literal glimpse inside Capt. Nat’s genius.

“When you see the open construction, you can really appreciate the engineering,” said Lee.

An added bonus: coal, and lights (not real fire!) in the boiler for added authenticity. Even the steam whistle works.

The final exhibit will include a flat panel display to show the engine and operation of the launch, and will tell several stories, including the history of USS Eagle and the launch — its role and importance to U.S. history and the emergence of the United States as a global presence in first twenty years of 1900s; the process going from half hull in Capt. Nat’s office to actual boat construction; the operation of the steam plant; Capt. Nat’s prototype for systems, focused on four critical elements of launch performance (lightweight boat construction according to “Herreshoff Rules”, the evolution of advanced boiler and engine designs, his design and optimization of propellers, and the advanced hull shape).

"Once again, the museum's volunteer crew has hit it out of the park,” said Herreshoff Marine Museum Executive Director Bill Lynn. “I don't know what we would do without them. The new launch fits perfectly into our steam exhibit, and really helps illustrate, not only how a full steam system works, but also the methods of Herreshoff lightweight construction. It will be a terrific addition to the HMM visitor experience.”

The Herreshoff Marine Museum will open for the 2022 season this Sunday, April 24. For more information visit Herreshoff.org.