Vamoose (yacht)

Negative image of Vamoose taken in 1891
History
NameVamoose
OwnerWilliam Randolph Hearst
OrderedWinter 1890
BuilderNathanael Greene Herreshoff
Cost$65,250 (equivalent to $2,212,700 in 2023)
Yard number168
Laid downDecember 20, 1890 (1890-12-20)[1]
LaunchedAugust 29, 1891 (1891-08-29)[1]
CompletedAugust 26, 1891 (1891-08-26)[1]
RefitApril 1893[2]
HomeportNew York City
FateUnknown
General characteristics
Class and typecoastal steamship
Length112.5 feet (34.3 m)[3]
Beam13 feet (4.0 m)[3]
Draft4.9 feet (1.5 m)
Installed power875 horsepower (652 kW) quadruple expansion steam engine with Thornycraft boiler (1891), converted to Sterling 4-cyl gas engine (1910)
PropulsionSingle 57-inch (140 cm), three-bladed Zeise propeller
Speed25.5 knots (47.2 km/h)[1]
Range2,800 nautical miles (3,200 mi)[1]
Crew10[1]
NotesSteel-framed wooden hull[1]

Vamoose was a fast steam-powered private yacht built for William Randolph Hearst by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Designed by Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, she was based on an earlier torpedo boat commissioned by the United States Navy.[1] At one point, Vamoose was claimed to be the fastest boat in the world, and her exploits drew attention from newspapers and yachting enthusiasts of the day. The majority of her life was spent in New York metropolitan area; as a member of the American Yacht Club, she participated in regattas as both a competitor and a press boat.[4] In 1896, Vamoose was outfitted as a private dispatch boat for the New York Evening Journal to cover the Cuban War of Independence.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Mr. Hearst's New Yacht" (PDF). The New York Times. September 4, 1891. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference refit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference mfr record was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Yachtsmen Take a Rest" (PDF). The New York Times. August 8, 1892. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2022.