Bayles Shipyard ~ Shipbuilding History

Bayles Shipyard

Port Jefferson NY

Most recent update: August 22, 2017.

In the 19th century, Port Jefferson was the leading shipbuilding center in Suffolk County, with 40% of the county's total production. There were many small shipyards in the town and, as was common in those days of wooden hulls powered by sail, the ownership and management of these yards was in a constant state of flux. (In this context, note that Port Jefferson was known before 1936 as Drowned Meadow, a name that was rooted in its downtown area being below normal tide level.) We have noted elsewhere that the 19th-century yards in this database that are significant are those that survived the Civil War, when the U.S. shipbuilding industry was compelled to restructure itself for a market that was (a) much smaller in size and (b) much more complex in its technological requirements. In this context, the Bayles Shipyard was really the only significant shipyard in Port Jefferson and this table documents its entire output.

The Bayles shipyard was roughly where Harborfront Park is today: it had been established in 1835, by Charles and James Bayles. In 1854, they decided it would be more efficient if they each had their own operation and they divided the yard into two separate facilities until about 1874, when Charles moved out and James took over the whole thing. With the coming of World War I, the ownership was restructured as Bayles Shipyard, Inc., and the facilities were converted for steel shipbuilding, assisted by $2,225,000 from the USSB. The new entity was not a success, however, and another new company, called New York Harbor Dry Dock Co., took over and completed the wartime contracts, continuing after that as a repair facility.

See the site from the air on Google here. The first part of the table below is complete in that it lists all the 135 ships that James Bayles built, with or without his brother, while the second part lists the ships that Charles Bayles built in the northern end of the yard. Apart from the Bayles shipyard, there were four other yards building ships in Port Jefferson when the Civil War ended: the output of these yards is summarized here.

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	O/N	Name	Customer	Type	GT	LOA	Delivered	Notes
Built by Charles L. and James M. Bayles
1		Miami		sloop	68		1836
2		Native		sloop	611		1838
3		Belle Del Mer		brigantine	125		1839
4		Denmark		schooner	135		1841
5		Adelia		sloop	48		1843
6		Belle		schooner	126		1845
7		Telegraph		schooner	143		1846
8		Mary R. Kirby		sloop	65		1846
9		Edward L. Frost		schooner	150		1847
10		William E. Collis		schooner	148		1847
11		Breeze		yacht	100		1848
12		Rainbow		schooner	145		1848
13		Francis A. Baker		schooner	80		1849
14		Phoebe Ann		sloop	42		1849
15		Eliza A. Jayne		sloop	76		1849
16		Senator		sloop	70		1850
17		C. L. Bayles		schooner	154		1850
18		James M. Bayles		schooner	170		1851
19		Mary L. Davis		schooner	176		1851
20		Willett S. Robbins		schooner	180		1847
21		Stephen H. Townsend		schooner	260		1849
22		Stephen Taber		schooner	304		1852
23		Elliptic		yacht	112		1853
24		Breeze		schooner	254		1853
25		Flying Arrow		sloop	60		1853
26		Henry Janes		schooner	261		1854
27		Thomas W. Olcott		schooner	203		1854
Built by James M. Bayles
28		M. H. Reed		schooner	221		1854
29		A. Hammond		schooner	219		1854
30		Moonlight		schooner	263		1855
31		Mary E. Jones		half brig	265		1856
32		E. A. Conkling		schooner	260		1856
33		Yankee		sloop	85		1857
34	999	Anna Shepard		schooner	185	94	1858
35		Ann Amelia		schooner	89		1859
36		Glenwood		schooner	148		1861
37		Lucinda A. Bayles		schooner			1860	sank 1870
Built by James M. Bayles & Son
38	498	Annie Lewis		schooner	313		1863
39		Anna W. Collins		schooner	209		1864
40		Julia E. Willetts		schooner	243		1864
41		Julia A. Rider		schooner	273		1864
42	1473	Annie V. Bergen		schooner	184	108	1865
43	14071	Katie J. Hoyt		schooner	220	112	1865
44	1209	Ann E. Valentine		schooner	257	125	1866
45	5515	Circle		schooner	42	58	1867
46	17588	Matilda Brooks		schooner	333	120	1867
47	10834	George H. Mills		schooner	296	118	1867
48	23504	Susan Bergen		brigantine	247	105	1868
49		Carib		bark	294	117	1868
50		Henry Taber		schooner	129		1869
51	1904	Alert		schooner	43	59	1870
52	75228	Jennie Rosaline		schooner	342	126	1869
53	90202	Millie Frank		schooner	60	68	1870
54	95103	Henrietta		schooner	30	59	1871
55	24872	Thomas P. Ball		schooner	430	133	1871
56		Thyra		steamer	205		1871
57	18710	Nomad		bark	476	134	1872
58		Lighter No. 1	St. Croix USVI	lighter			1872
59		Lighter No. 2	St. Croix USVI	lighter			1872
60	105138	Ada Rhame		sloop	15	42	1872
61	8822	Eliza Rhodes		sloop	14	42	1872	later F. J. Baker
62	80362	William H. Keeney		schooner	314	126	1873
63	90615	Mary Emmor		schooner	52	76	1873
64	6816	De Morey Gray		schooner	402	131	1874
65		Rosa Eppinger		schooner	293		1874
66	105357	Annie A. Booth		schooner	202	114	1874
67	25287	Clara E. Bergen		schooner	481	142	1874
68	75686	James E. Bayles		schooner	413	140	1874
69	80549	William E. Clowes		schooner	571	140	1875
70	90815	Manuel R. Cuza		schooner	298	119	1875
71		Eleanor		schooner	350		1876
72	95481	Horatio		whaler	348	116	1877	wrecked 1898
73		Fleetwing		bark	328		1877
74	125628	Comet		schooner	301	118	1877
75	76007	Jimmie		schooner	18	44	1878
76	130144	Nellie Floyd		schooner	457	136	1879
77	95579	H. & J. Blendermann		schooner	419	146	1879
78		Gracie N.		schooner	415		1880
79	24615	Transit		sloop	12	32	1880
80		Chatham		schooner	113		1880
81	80834	Waccamaw		passenger freighter	458	138	1881
82	106037	Atlanta		brigantine	371	123	1881
83	80898	Whitby	Frank Hammer	steam yacht	30	59	1882
84		Lillie Holmes		schooner	428		1882
85		Ocean Child		schooner	37		1882
86	130270	Nellie W. Craig		passenger freighter	493	146	1883
87	135733	Elsie A. Bayles		schooner	296	115	1883
88	130317	Nettie Shipman		schooner	338	118	1884
89	126376	City of Bridgeport		passenger freighter	500	145	1886	later Rosalie 1899, H. C. Rowe & Co. 1906, burned 1922
90	155143	Ostrea		steamship	97	68	1887
91	106604	Arvesta		passenger freighter	504	140	1888
92	116298	Sylph		schooner yacht	68	77	1889
93	76869	Jessie		steam yacht	43	85	1890
94	150490	Percy and Lillie		passenger freighter	503	141	1890
95	106821	Argus		oyster boat	25	50	1891
96	141150	Laguna		schooner	385	125	1891
97	161726	Vigil	Andrew Radel	oyster boat	12	44	1893
98	81464	Wayfarer	John H. Hammond	schooner yacht	71	76	1894
99	86345	Giralda	David Martin	steam yacht	144		1896
100		Lodona		sloop			1896
101		Lavrock		steamer			1898
102		Intrepid		schooner			1900
103	100702	Iztoccihuatl		yawl	32	55	1900	later Sayona
104	28145	Zoraya	Frank McAvoy	steam yacht	124		1901
105		Hydrographer	U.S. C. & G. S.	survey ship	116	101	1901	decommissioned 1928
106	117133	Sibyl	Geo. G. Williams	sloop	27	60	1902
107	93301	Mo Mo Weta/Monioweta ?		motor yacht	19	14	1902
108	86651	Gerhilde		passenger	35	58	1902
109	137078	Elsa II		steamer	99	100	1903
110	200903	Palestine		schooner	68	82	1904
111		Gled		motor yacht			1905
112	201902	Continental		steamer	82	85	1905
113		De Soto		motor yacht			1906
114	203005	Arbus		water boat	12	34	1906
115		Alma		motor yacht			1907
116	203233	Mermaid		motor yacht	56	63	1907
117	204120	Jessamine		motor boat	57	81	1907
118	204428	Elaray		schooner	68	84	1907	later Kestrel
119	204819	Frank T. Lane		freighter	169		1907	later Peter Rinelli
120		Mahary		motor yacht			1909
121	209305	Heather		motor yacht	77	93	1911	later Alcalda, to USN 1917 as SP-630, returned 1919, to Cuba 1940
122	208932	Osiris		gas yacht	137	110	1911
123	213497	Maraval		freighter	60	81	1915	later Normad
124	167201	Belle Terre	US Navy	barge	208	95	1917
Built by Bayles Shipyard Co.
134	167238	A. Geo. Volck	US Navy	barge	208	95	1918	later Setauket
Built by New York Harbor Dry Dock Co.
1		Canonnier (ex-Osiris)	Lloyd Royale Belge	freighter	3,165	324	July 1920	later Essex Friar, scrapped 1932
2		Bombardier (ex-Cloverock)	Lloyd Royale Belge	freighter	3,162	324	Feb 1920	foundered 1921
3	221062	Redbird (ex-Conimicut)	Redbird Steamship	freighter	3,286	324	Nov 1921	sold 1930 as Mundolphin, scrapped 1937
4	221063	Redman (ex-Beezelake)	Redbird Steamship	freighter	3,286	324	June 1921	sold 1930 as Mundixie, Mount Taygetus 1940, torpedoed and lost 1942
	219294	George C. Greer (ex-Basswood)	Magnolia Petroleum	tugboat	426	142	Dec 1919	wrecked 1942
	219295	Standtug No. 1 (ex-Bastrop)	Standard Oil of NJ	tugboat	426	142	Feb 1920	later Satoco, scrapped 1953
	220249	Anahuac	USSB	tanker	863	180	Aug 1920	later Brilliant 1923, John and Frederick 1930, hulked 1930
Built by Charles L. Bayles
		Edward Slade		schooner	285		1855
		Susan E. Jayne		schooner	204		1855
		Anna M. Edwards		schooner	119		1856
		Reindeer		schooner	197		1856
		Yankee Blade		half brig	275		1857
	12345	Ida A. Jayne		schooner	211		1863
	15390	Lavinia Bell		schooner	154		1864
	23426	S. T. Wines		schooner	224		1864
	16857	Madison Holmes		schooner	189		1864
		John Swan		yacht	30		1865
	11745	Henry N. Squire		schooner	308	116	1867
	11822	Helen M. Rowley		half brig	390	123	1867	later Beatrice Rillston, stranded in Cyprus 1891
	15428	Lewis L. Squire		half brig	425		1868
	90065	M. M. Francis		half brig	439		1869
		Nymph		schooner	140		1870
	1978	Anna M. Dickinson		schooner	214	96	1871
	80200	Wm. H. Phare		schooner	154		1871
	24991	T. Harris Kirk		schooner	350	121	1873
	135004	Emma Avery		schooner	330		1874
	105437	Addie Schlaefer		schooner	178	106	1874