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Brown & Bell

New York NY

Most recent update: January 12, 2021.

David Brown and Jacob Bell started in the industry as apprentices in the shipyard operated by Adam and Noah Brown, on the East River, at the foot of Houston Street. Following the end of the War of 1812, they started their own yard on the Tombigbee River, in St. Stephens, the capital of the Alabama Territory, north of Mobile. The site was physically constrained, however, so they moved their operation to Blakely, on the Tensaw River, just northeast of Mobile. Then in 1821 they moved back to New York to take over the Adam & Noah Brown yard. David Brown died in 1848 and the firm continued as Jacob Bell. Bell died in 1852 and his son carried on for a few years, but the yard closed in 1855. Note that on this table, "Abandoned" in the last column includes scuttling and scrapping.

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O/N Name Customer Type GT LOA Built Notes
Built by Brown & Bell in St. Stephens AL and Blakely AL
Alabama steamboat 218 1818 collision and lost 1824
Mississippi steamboat 378 1819 snagged off St. Genevieeve MO 1825
Tensas steamboat 58 1820 abandoned 1821
Tombeckbe steamboat 64 1821 snagged off Erie AL 1824
Built by Brown & Bell in New York NY
William Tell sailing ship 414 1821
Orbit sailing ship 465 1821
New York sailing ship 615 1822
Baltic Say sailing ship 400 1822
John Wells sailing ship 442 1822
Henry sailing ship 306 1822
Savannah sailing ship 267 1822
Canada sailing ship 615 1823
Calhoun sailing ship 295 1823
Maria schooner 48 1823
Pacific sailing ship 657 1824
Hudson steamboat 177 1824 abandoned 1848
Gratitude pilot boat 57 1824
Augusta 206 1824
Washington sailing ship 979 1825
Roman sailing ship 601 1825
United States sailing ship 829 1825
Constitution steamboat 280 1825 abandoned 1849
Constellation steamboat 280 1825 abandoned 1850
Washington steamboat 330 1825 collision and lost 1831
Ohio ferry 85 1825
ferry 85 1825
Wm. Cutting ferry 150 1825 abandoned 1840
Rufus King sloop 70 1825
Great Britain sailing ship 893 1826
Britannia sailing ship 741 1826
McDonough steamboat 265 1826 stranded off Little Egg Harbor 1839
Marco Bozzaris steamboat 125 1826 stranded off Bermuda 1833
Barnet steamboat 37 1826
John Jay sailing ship 593 1827
Helen sailing ship 548 1827
George Canning sailing ship 637 1827
Havana brig 160 1827
Independence steamboat 345 1827 abandoned 1858
Caledonia sailing ship 741 1828
Cyrus Butler bark 472 1828
Benjamin Franklin steamboat 421 1828 converted to barge 1842
Thomas H. Smith pilot boat 80 1828
Ohio steamboat 371 1829 converted to barge 1840
President steamboat 528 1829 converted to barge 1842
Ned schooner 96 1829
Albert schooner 64 1829
Hibernia sailing ship 665 1830
Seraphina brig 196 1830
John Stoney 163 1830
William Drayton sailing ship 390 1831
Congress sailing ship 472 1831
North America sailing ship 699 1831
Montevideo brig 260 1831
Water Witch steamboat 187 1831 abandoned 1862
Boston steamboat 380 1831 abandoned 1857
South America sailing ship 720 1832
Erie steamboat 490 1832 abandoned 1842
Champlain steamboat 490 1832 converted to barge 1843
Hercules steamboat 191 1832 abandoned 1856
Providence steamboat 344 1832 converted to barge 1843
Wave yacht 30 1832
Victoria sailing ship 719 1833
Europe sailing ship 743 1833
Mississippi sailing ship 708 1833
Francis Depeu sailing ship 696 1833
David Brown steamboat 192 1833 foundered 1836
45270 John Mason steamboat 189 1833 converted to barge 1865
William Gibbons steamboat 299 1833 stranded off Body Island 1836
Tampico steamboat 144 1833 to Mexico 1835
Troy sailing ship 666 1834
Silvie de Grasse sailing ship 738 1834
Vicksburgh sailing ship 554 1834
Bangor steamboat 353 1834 sold foreign 1843
Columbia steamboat 417 1834 sold foreign 1841
Pluto ferry 100 1834 converted to barge 1861
Shakespeare sailing ship 827 1835
Montezuma sailing ship 471 1835
Emerald sailing ship 596 1835
Frank steamboat 115 1835 abandoned 1861
James Boatwright steamboat 175 1835
Massachusetts steamboat 660 1835 abandoned 1859
Rhode Island steamboat 587 1835 foundered 1850
Washington pilot boat 81 1835
Switzerland sailing ship 638 1836
Garrick Dramatic Line packet ship 927 1836
Sheridan Dramatic Line packet ship 927 1836
Home steamboat 550 1836 foundered off Ocracoke 1837
Saint Matthew steamboat 185 1836 stranded off Darien GA 1851
Siddons Dramatic Line packet ship 927 1837
New York steamboat 375 1837 foundered off Gulf Coast 1846
Savannah steamboat 349 1837 foundered off Cape Hatteras 1841
Fulton ferry 180 1837 abandoned 1859
Relief ferry 100 1837 abandoned 1844
Amelia schooner 171 1837
James Avery pilot boat 61 1837
Eutaw sailing ship 708 1838
Roscius Dramatic Line packet ship 1,009 1838
Kosciusko steamboat 253 1838 converted to barge 1857
Colonel Jewett steamboat 132 1838 sold foreign 1842
Joseph Leggett pilot boat 96 1838
John E. Davidson pilot boat 91 1838
Rochester sailing ship 779 1839
Patrick Henry Blue Swallowtail Line packet ship 854 1839
Una brig 312 1839
Jacob Bell pilot boat 86 1839
Lion Spanish Navy gunboat 181 1840
Eagle Spanish Navy gunboat 184 1840
Angola fast schooner 85 1840 built for the opium trade
Cornelia sailing ship 1,184 1841
Jove steamer 189 1841 sold foreign 1842
Dan steamer 189 1841 sold foreign 1842
Florida Bianco brig 184 1841
Liberty brig 239 1842
Mazeppa schooner 184 1842
Jacob Bell tugboat 229 1842 to USN 1861, lost under tow 1865
Mutual Safety Samuel L. Fox tugboat 420 1842 stranded in the St. Johns River 1846
Liverpool Woodhull & Miniums steamer 1,074 1843
Queen of the West sailing ship 1,169 1843
Houqua A. A. Low & Brother sailing ship 706 1844
Sultana sailing ship 692 1844
Matilda gunboat 69 1844
Emily gunboat 69 1844
Lizzy gunboat 77 1844
Addy yacht 18 1844
Spray yacht 41 1844
Ianthe yacht 59 1844
Henry Clay Blue Swallowtail Line sailing ship 1,228 1845 wrecked 1861
Isabella gunboat 77 1845
Jane gunboat 77 1845
Clara gunboat 77 1845
Galena sailing ship 851 1846
Spitfire steamer 241 1846
Vixen US Navy steamer 241 1846 sold 1855
refrigerated freighter gunboat 77 1846
Bonite gunboat 77 1846
Petrel gunboat 77 1846
Palmetto Charles Morgan steamer 533 1846 stranded in Matagorda Bay 1851
Southerner Spofford, Tileston & Co steamer 785 1846 first merchant ship with U.S.-built side-lever engine, abandoned 1858
Northerner Spofford, Tileston & Co steamer 1,012 1847 stranded off Cape Mendocino 1860
Constitution sailing ship 1,334 1847
Maid of Orleans sailing ship 1,050 1847
Rimac Peruvian Navy steamer 656 1847
Samuel Russell A. A. Low & Brother clipper ship 957 1847 wrecked 1870
Rover bark 380 1848
J. W. Bell schooner 100 1848
23219 Senator J. Cunningham steamer 754 1848 sold foreign 1884
Built by Jacob Bell in New York NY
Oriental A. A. Low & Bros. clipper ship 1,003 1849
Seneca Navy Yard Ferry Co. ferry 232 1849 burned 1870
Pacific Collins Line steamer 2,707 1849 disappeared 1856
2308 Baltic Collins Line steamer 2,723 1850
22822 St. Louis steamer 1,050 1850 abandoned 1878
White Squall William Platt & Son clipper ship 1,119 1850
Trade Wind Booth & Edgar clipper ship 2,030 1851
Jacob Bell A. A. Low & Bros. clipper ship 1,381 1852
Messenger Slate & Co. clipper ship 1,351 1852
North Wind Grinell, Minturn & Co. clipper ship 1,041 1853
San Francisco Wardell & Co. clipper ship 1,307 1853
America steamer 923 1853 burned at Crescent City CA-1855
Adelaide Wardell & Co. clipper ship 1,831 1854

Printed from shipbuildinghistory.njscuba.net