Pictured: a built model of this ship — not the historical vessel.

Willie Bennett

Type

Skipjack

Period

19th Century

Nation

United States

Overview: The Willie L. Bennett is a Chesapeake Bay skipjack, the last type of commercial sailing vessel developed on the Bay, used for oyster dredging. She is one of the best-documented examples of the type because her lines were formally recorded by naval historian Howard Chapelle. Specifications: Built in 1899 at Inverness, Maryland, she is a traditional V-bottomed, hard-chine, single-masted centerboard sloop (a "two-sail bateau") of the kind used for oyster dredging under sail, with the sharply raked mast and long boom typical of skipjacks. Model kits based on her (e.g. Model Shipways MS2032, plank-on-frame, 1:32 scale) reproduce her keelson, transom, and molds, giving modelers a well-documented reference hull. Service History: The Willie L. Bennett was built in 1899 at Inverness, Maryland. Her lines were recorded at Cambridge, Maryland by naval historian Howard Chapelle in 1942. Her whereabouts were unknown from 1942 until 1954, when she was discovered sunken in Harris Creek, Tilghman Island off Maryland's Eastern Shore. After she was raised and surveyed, it was determined that the damage was too expensive to repair. She was then returned to her resting place, where traces of her remains may still be found. Notable Facts: Based on a Skipjack discovered at the bottom of Harris Creek, Maryland in 1954, a full-size replica can be visited in Baltimore Maryland's Inner Harbor. The Model Shipways kit based on her lines is accompanied by a detailed instruction/plan set by Ben Lankford, making her one of the most popular Chesapeake skipjack subjects for scale modelers; the Mariners' Museum and several private collections also hold built display models of the vessel.