Julius Petersen Inc. ~ Shipbuilding History

Julius Petersen Inc.

Upper Nyack NY

Most recent update: March 22, 2020.

This shipyard was started by John Van Houten in 1798: a marine railway was added in 1834. It was sold to the Voorhis family after the Civil War, and then to Samuel Ayres & Son in 1893. The Ayres died in 1904 and 1905, however, and the yard was sold in 1909 to B. W. Church, who renamed it Hudson Yacht & Boat Company. This entity folded in 1913 and the yard was sold to Julius Petersen, a Danish immigrant who had previously built boats on Staten Island and in Tarrytown. Then, in 1928, Petersen bought the yard established for wartime construction by International Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering. The main yard was at the foot of Spear Street, on the south side of Burd Street: it is still operating as a boatyard, although it stopped building boats after Petersen died in 1949. It was damaged by Hurricane Sandy but has been rebuilt and is now called North River Shipyard. Visit it at northrivershipyard.com. See it from the air on Google here.

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	O/N	Name	Customer	Type	GT	LOA	Built	Notes
Built by Voorhis (1870s-1893)
	25894	Virginia Rulon	Jacob E. Ridgeway	schooner	280	130	1874
	80979	Wilbur A. Heisley	Long Branch & Seabright Steam Boat Co.	steamer	537	185	1883	later City of Long Branch, burned 1892
Built by Samuel Ayres & Son (1893-1906)
	161046	Keystone		yacht	21	53	1893	abandoned 1927
	25306	Utopian	John Jacob Astor	yacht	35	68	1896	later Xylophone
	150764	Presto	J. Adooph Mollenhauer	yacht	22	72	1896
		Ellide	E. Burgess Warner	yacht		80	1897	to USG 1898, returned and abandoned
		Viper	Francis P. Magoun	yacht			1897	lost 1901
	3788	Bonnie Bairn	Malcolm Graham Jr.	sloop	15	34	1897
		Enaj		yacht		52	1899	later Quo Vadis
	107691	Arrow	Charles R. Flint	yacht	82	127	1901
	111369	Rancocas		yacht	151	117	1901	later Marjorie, Swordfish
	127548	Cachalot		yacht	174	91	1901
	117202	Scat		yacht	20	68	1902	abandoned 1923
	201983	Edithia		yacht	124		1904	later Sea Gannet, burned 1910
	202990	Nerita		yacht	27	69	1906	burned 1940
Built by Hudson Yacht & Boat (1909-1913)
	207485	Grayling	Theodore Cooke	motor yacht	16	50	1909
	207423	Kelpie II	Carlton M. Prankhard	motor yacht	26	55	1910	later Mahana, foundered 1948
	208065	Benitez	Jose Benitez	motor yacht	23	52	1910	(Puerto Rico), abandoned 1948
	208817	Itasca II	A. G. Thomas	motor yacht	85	100	1911	to USN 1918 as SP-803, returned 1919, Getaway, Mimspearl, Donaldo, to USN 1943
	209314	Gladiola		motor yacht	43	69	1911	later Milben, Dawn, Stalwart
	210008	Lotowana II	J. O. Segura	motor yacht	25	55	1912
	210294	Apache	L. F. Robinson	motor yacht	73	90	1912	later Arev
	210497	Manita II	K. Keyward	motor yacht	23	52	1912	to USN 1917 as SP-262, Shirley I, abandoned 1949
Built by Julius Petersen (1898-1949)
	201109	Whileaway	J. Herbert Carpenter	yacht	49	54	1904	built in Tarrytown, NLD 1951
	221801			yacht	21	42	1905	built in Tarrytown, Iris
		Gayety		yacht			1906	built in Tarrytown
		Wanderer		motor launch		29	1907	built in Tarrytown
		Caprice				45	1908
		Tortoise		houseboat		37	1909
	207485	Graham		yacht	16	50	1909	later Grayling, to USN 1917 as SP-289, returned 1919, abandoned 1948
		North Pole		motor yacht	2,147	113	1913	to USN 1918 as YD-45, sold 1929
		To-Whee	E. K. Hardy	yacht		40	1916
210				motor yacht	26	60	1917	to USN 1917 as SP-907, lost 1918
212	220472	Yank	N Ackerman	motor yacht	26	60	1917	to USN 1917 as SP-908, returned 1919
	218826	Ortolan	Maynard Lawrence	motor yacht	23	54	1919
	223486	Effort II	Russell C. Bonfield	passenger	49	76	1923	to USN 1942 as YP-175, to MARAD 1946
	223487	Elmar II	J. R. Brazelle	tugboat	49	76	1923
	225681	Brook II	Percy R. Pyne II	motor yacht	21	56	1926	later Rocket, Cannon Ball, foundered 1941
	226423	Navajo	George N. Ray	motor yacht	52	73	1927	to USN 1942 as YP-564, to MARAD 1946
		Lottie K	Adolph Zukor	yacht			1928
	227727	Possum	Louis Weiss	motor yacht	31	61	1928	later Rujopa
	227761	Gaetana	Alfred J. Pote	motor yacht	90	91	1928	later Maicaway, Blackbird
	228691	Saga	John Vanneck	motor yacht	82	85	1929	later Amphitrite
	229667	Sabiha III	Lucien H. Tyng	motor yacht	98	91	1930	to USN 1942 as YP-205, lost 1943
	230678	Zamette III	Zalmon G. Simmons	motor yacht	148	98	1931	later Genzam, to USN 1942 as YP-203, to MARAD 1946
	232356	Clumber	Oliver Gould Jennings	motor yacht	55	65	1933	later Sirocco, Willow Dean, Calypso, Tul-E
	233229	Binker	Donaldson & Co.	motor yacht	9	40	1934
	235011	Panda	Frank E. Wolcott	motor yacht	26	50	1936	to USCG 1942 as CG-7248, CG-52021, CG-52025, sold 1945 as Panda
	235085	Missy	Howard Raymond	motor yacht	30	50	1936
	235114	Floenna	Charles Brahs	motor yacht	30	50	1936	later Phalarope II, Damfino, Ariel III, The Squire's Lady
	235241	Libra II	Graham Thomson	motor yacht	50	62	1936	to USN 1942 as YP-512, small boat 1946
	236022	Amici II	Walter Friend	motor yacht	31	50	1937	to USG 1941
	236107	Pelham Gulf	Gulf Oil Corp.	tanker	34	53	1937	to USN 1943 as YOG-81
	236391	Gretchen II	Gertrude H. Zinn	motor yacht	32	31	1937	later Picalede, Victoria
	236682	Bettina	L. L. Warriner	motor yacht	30	50	1937	later Confusion II, Ilona, to USG 1943
	237489	Pan-Air II-A	Pan-American Air	passenger	9	31	1938	NLD 1957
		Rose John	John B. Hoover	motor yacht		42	1938
	237526	Sandra II	Henry Ickelheimer	motor yacht	23	47	1938	to USCG 1942 as CG-48024, sold 1945 as Banshee IV
	238781	Besnhari	Harry Thoens	motor yacht	21	40	1939	later Serendipity
	239054	Pan-Air XV-P	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1939	NLD 1957
	239184	Pan-Air XXI	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1939
	239875	Pan-Air XVII-P	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1940
	240157	Pan-Air XVIII-P	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1940	NLD 1944
	240745	Pan-Air XIX-P	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1941	to New Zealand 1949
	240746	Pan-Air XX-P	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1941
	240438	Wego	Powell Crosley	motor yacht	54	57	1941	to USN 1942 as YP-536, sold 1946 as Magna-Mar, Spartan
		Padisa	Richard Southgate	motor yacht		38	1941
	241180	Paratus	David C. Gerli	motor yacht	68	74	1941	later Bink II, Wasp
	241229	Pan-Air XIII-A	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1941	NLD 1954
	241280	Pan-Air XIV-A	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1941	to Portugal 1948
	241304	Pan-Air XV-A	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1942	NLD 1954
	241340	Pan-Air XVI-A	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1942	NLD 1954
	241366	Pan-Air XVII-A	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1942	NLD 1954
	241434	Pan-Air XVIII-A	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1943	NLD 1954
	244411	Pan-Air XXVIII-A	Pan-American Air	passenger	14	35	1943	NLD 1954
		SC-652	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	18 Jun 1942	transferred overseas 1947
		SC-653	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	8 Jul 1942	to USCG 1945 as Air Falcon (WAVR-421)
		SC-738	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	21 Oct 1942	transferred overseas 1947
		SC-739	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	31 Oct 1942	to the Philippines 1948 as Ilocos Sur (P-16), scrapped
		SC-740	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	13 Nov 1942	wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef 17-Jun-43
		SC-741	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	15 Dec 1942	transferred overseas 1947
		SC-742	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	1 Jan 1943	to the Philippines 1948
		SC-743	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	27 Feb 1943	to the Philippines 1948
	520881	SC-1315	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	9 Jun 1943	later SCC-1315, sold as Wee-Te, Wakamian, NLD 1976
		SC-1316	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	19 Jun 1943	later SCC-1316, to US Army 1946, sold as Helen E, wrecked 1951
		SC-1317	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	6 Jul 1943	sold 1946 as Atlantic 114, David H, NLD 1971
		SC-1318	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	10 Aug 1943	sold 1946 as Atlantic 115, to Indonesia as Bhayamkara 1
		SC-1319	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	28 Aug 1943	sold 1946 as Del Mar
		SC-1320	US Navy	subchaser	136d	110	24 Sep 1943	sold 1946 as Golden Spade
		QS-13	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	2/1943 - 3/1943
		QS-14	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	2/1943 - 3/1943
		QS-15	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	2/1943 - 3/1943
		QS-16	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	3/1944 - 1/1945
	260017	QS-17	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	Apr 1944	later P-752, sold as Bali Hai
		QS-18	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	3/1944 - 1/1945
		QS-19	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	3/1944 - 1/1945
		QS-20	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	3/1944 - 1/1945
		QS-21	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	3/1944 - 1/1945
		QS-22	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	3/1944 - 1/1945
		QS-23	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	3/1944 - 1/1945
		QS-24	US Army	boat, quick supply		104	3/1944 - 1/1945
		P-355	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945	to USAAF as R-1-652, to Japan 1946
		P-356	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945	to USAAF as R-1-653
		P-357	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945	to USAAF as R-1-654
		P-358	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945	to USAAF as R-1-655
		P-359	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945	to USAAF as R-1-656
		P-440	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945
		P-441	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945
		P-442	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945
		P-443	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945
	251348	P-444	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945	later Ukulele Lady, Big Flamingo, Peconic Star II
		P-445	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945
		P-446	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945
		P-447	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945
	259980	P-448	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945	later Tide, yacht Penthouse
		P-449	US Army	boat, rescue	379d	85	3/1944 - 1/1945
	265881	one of the abovea			98	82	1945	later Q-213, Stardust, passenger vessel Challenger, NLD 1979
	249369	Martha J	Delta and Pine Land Co.	yacht	66	67	1946	later The Yankee Clipper, Yankee Clipper, Greetings III
	249988	Day Dreams	Henry L. Crowley & Co.	yacht	59	62	1946	later Pairdice, Marett III, Taurus, High Tide, Easy Living, NLD 1991
	250957	Nambay	Cyrus McCormick	houseboat	128	82	1946
Other Ships Built in Nyack
	213034	Magnet		passenger	14	37	1914
	213948	Mary H		freighter	24	45	1916	later Bessie
	214057	Winifred		oyster boat	25	45	1916	to Venezuela
	214788	Mars		freighter	47	58	1916	later Gladys
	237898	C. H. Fisher	E. I. DuPont	freighter	32	60	1918	built by Nyack SB
	220206	Ojai	U.S. Diesel	motor yacht	17	52	1920
	220349	Island Beach	Town of Greenwich	ferry	58	61	1920	built by Nyack SB
	225633	Munevitas	V. Turecamo	tugboat	74	79	1921
	222759	Marlon K	Alfred D. Carman	tugboat	49	63	1923
	223228	Oriole		motor yacht	36	70	1923	later Chee Kee II, NLD 1952
	223266	Roosevelt	Champlain Transportation	ferry	126	108	1923	built by Simpson
	224316	Antlers	R. T. Hull	tugboat	8	34	1924	to USCS, abandoned 1948
	224939	Topaz X	Rudolph Hicht	motor yacht	36	62	1925	burned 1925
	226409	Ojai II	Leroy Frost	motor yacht	26	60	1927	later Tyee
	238340	Gold Arrow	Earl W. Crosby	passenger	14	47	1927	later Lake Pancoast II
	236636	Quisseta II	Corwin Wickersham	motor yacht	41	56	1937	later Victory, Dicklebird, Glori-Bee IV
	238340	Karan	Roy E. Larsen	motor yacht	14	47	1927	later All-Alone, Somoria, Tebwinc, Benrue, Audriell, Sable Vert
	258410			motor yacht	14	36	1928	later Sea Doll
	251581			motor yacht	9	28	1934	later Playmate