Charles P Notman

Type

Schooner

Period

19th Century

Nation

United States

Overview: The Charles P. Notman was a wooden four-masted downeast coasting schooner, notable as hull #1, the first vessel launched by the newly formed Percy & Small Shipyard of Bath, Maine, on August 29, 1894. Percy & Small went on to become one of the most prolific builders of large multi-masted coasting schooners in the United States, later launching the six-masted Wyoming, the largest wooden sailing vessel ever built in America. Specifications: The ship had a register length of 219.3 feet on the waterline and a gross tonnage of 1,518 tons. She carried four masts in the typical gaff-rigged downeast schooner configuration used for the bulk coastwise trade (coal, lumber, and similar cargoes), with a wooden hull reinforced with iron strapping in the fashion typical of Percy & Small's construction. Service History: The Notman served in the American coastwise bulk trade under her first master, Captain L.W. Jewett. On June 12, 1900, she was reported run down and sunk in a fog off Delaware after a collision with the steamer Colorado; her crew was saved and Captain Jewett reportedly intended to pursue legal action against the steamer's owners (the Mallory Line). Notable Facts: As the very first hull built at the Percy & Small yard, a site that survives today as part of the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, the only intact large wooden shipyard remaining in the U.S., the Notman holds particular historical significance for the Down East schooner story. The ship has been documented in detailed builder's plans (lines, sail, deck, and inboard profile) redrawn by Capt. Douglas K. Lee, which form the basis of a well-regarded Bluejacket Shipcrafters 1/8-scale (41-inch) wooden model kit, designed by Dr. Al Ross with technical input from Capt. Lee; this kit has been the subject of at least one detailed build log on Model Ship World.