John H. Dialogue & Son ~ Shipbuilding History

John H. Dialogue & Son

Camden NJ

Most recent update: May 18, 2016.

John H. Dialogue was a machinist, who started in business repairing engines for locomotives and steamships. He bought the Elias Kaighn foundry in 1854 and became one of the few licensees of Corliss stationary steam engines. In 1862 he and some partners founded National Iron Armor & Shipbuilding Co., but this was not successful. He then worked as a subcontractor before restarting his own business in 1870 as River Iron Works. His partner died in 1874 and in 1890, he changed the name to John H. Dialogue & Son. The company went bankrupt in 1913 and the 34-acre site at Kaighn's Point was sold for other uses. See the site from the air on Google here: the shipyard is gone but you can still see the side-launch ways.

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	O/N	Name	Customer	Type	GT	LOA	Delivered	Notes
	1-152	1-152						presumed to be contracts for engines
Built by Wilcox & Whitney
153	4992	Thomas A. P. Champlin		tugboat	24		1862
154	15080	Lookout	W. P. Clyde	tugboat	35		1862	retired 2001
Built by National Iron Armor & Shipbuilding
155		Edwin Ludlow		tugboat	49		1863
156		Wyoming			799		1863	rebuilt as barge 1887
158		Uno	Solomon Thomas	tugboat	79		1864	to USN as Juniper 1864, to USLHB as Peter G. Washington 1865
159		J. W. Everman			692		1865	converted to barge 1887
160		Douglass			49		1866	lost 1898
Built by River Iron Works
161		Lillie Summers	American Dredge	tugboat	50		1870	Comet 1884
162		Iris	U.S. Lighthouse Service	tender			1871	sold 1899
163		Schuyler Colfax	U.S. Revenue Service	cutter	369		1871
164	105105	Aroma Mills	Browning Brothers	tugboat	85		1872
165	110036	Reba		tugboat	36		1872	J. H. Petersen 1906
166		Major		tugboat			1872	later Oceanic, Peter Cahill
167		Ferdinand R. Hassler	U.S. C. & G. S.	survey vessel	319		1872	later Clara Nevada, lost in Alaska 1898
168		Frank G. Fowler			49		1872
169		Agnes		passenger	448		1872	barge Israel W. Dunham 1898
170		Charles A Warren		tugboat	41		1873
171		Amanda Powell		tugboat	38		1873
172		Anna J. Kipp	Leonard Kipp	tugboat	43		1873
173		Samuel Gedney		tugboat	49		1873
174		City Ice Boat No. 3	City of Philadelphia	icebreaker	637		1874
175		Rebecca		tugboat	39		1874
176	2910	Bachelor		tugboat	26		1874
177		Diamond		passenger	12		1874
178	85326	George W. Childs		tugboat	98		1874
179	15969	Lightning		tugboat	48		1874
180		Spring Garden		tugboat	23		1874
181	150021	Pennsylvania		tugboat	91		1874
182		Stella		tugboat	39		1874
183		William. F. Havemeyer	City of Philadelphia	fireboat	111		1875
184		Ceres		passenger	52		1875
185	105485	Altoona		tugboat	64		1875	Senator Penrose 1918
186		General J. S. Schultze		ferry	536		1875	tank barge Schuylkill 1910
187	75798	John W. Thompson		passenger	497		1875	Harry Randall 1893, Capital City 1910
188		Evona		tugboat	15		1875
189		White Water		passenger	61		1875	to USACE 1911
190	95443	Hercules	James A. Wright	tugboat	119	111	1876
191	130057	North America	Insurance Co. of N. America	tugboat	290		1876
192	105603	Argonauta		tugboat	71		1876	to USAQMD 1899
193	75872	Juno		passenger	63		1876
194		Shackamaxon		passenger	383		1877
195	135317	E. E. Simpson		passenger	171		1877
196	95532	Hercules	David Tillson	tugboat	77		1878	Victoria 1884
197		Brazil	McKay, Scott & Co.	tugboat	123		1878
198	76042	Jennie Wilson	Pilots Assoc. of N. O.	pilot boat	78		1878	first iron pilot boat
199	76024	Juno			84		1878
200		Inca		tugboat	103		1879	to USN 1918 as ID-3219
201	130162	Nellie		tugboat	61		1879
202	150185	Pallas		tugboat	33		1879	Christiana Baird 1884
203		Phoenix		tugboat	95		1879
204		Italian	J. D. Dailey	tugboat	58		1879	to USAQMD as Reynolds 1898, J. C. Watson 1906
205	14374	Kate Jones		tugboat	123		1879	to USN as Seminole 1898, to USAQMD as General Ayres, Kate Jones 1906
206		Josiah W. Cloud		tugboat	18		1879	Raymond 1906
208		Hercules		tugboat	156		1880
209	140427	Louise		tugboat	105		1880
210	115744	Stella		tugboat	80		1880
211		John M Woodworth	Marine Hospital Service	hospital	88		1880
212	135496	Edwin D. Hartley		tugboat	60		1881	Harford 1905, Elise Ann Conners, in North River Tugboat Museum
213		Gladisfen		tugboat	67		1881	Mercedes 1888
214	25239	Underwriter	Pilots Assoc. of N. O.	pilot boat	171		1881	to USN 1918 as ID-1390, Adirondack (YT-44) 1920, sold 1922
215	115791	Samson	Port of New Orleans	passenger	160		1881
216	100293	Iris		passenger	66		1881
217		Ranger	American Salt Co	freighter	273		1881	Parole 1887, Presidente Carazo 1890, wrecked on Colorado Bar 1896
218	207767	Samuel G. King		fireboat	63		1881
219	105991	Anna		tugboat	75		1881	Reliance 1893
220	115780	S. J. Lennox		tugboat	78		1881	Viking 1893
222	Mexico	Sofia	Cia. Mexicana de. Nav.	tugboat	49		1882
223		Benito Estenger	Gallego, Messa & Co.	freighter	371		1882	deleted 1920
224	106090	Arctic		tugboat	33		1882
225	14407	Kensington		tugboat	34		1882	Bauerline 1918
226		Argus	Jas. A Wright	tugboat	171		1882
227	95727	Hercules		tugboat	70	77	1882	to USN as Chickasaw 1898, sold as Ross Reichert 1913; Harry R. Wheeler 1918, Peggy Sheridan 1943, Mae R. Mathiasen 1947, scrapped 1954
228	150255	Protector		tugboat	99		1882	to USN 1918 as SP-1242 but not used
229	135624	Emma Kate Ross	Ross & Sanford	tugboat	127		1882	to USN 1918 as SP-2844, Russell 5 1941, Essex 1941, Helen M. Mathiasen 1948
230	126028	Cecilia		passenger	98		1882
231	91423	Mary Wittich		tugboat	127		1882
234	135641	Echo		tugboat	136		1883
235		Gladisfen	Mrs. M.A. Meyer	tugboat	118		1883
236	100323	Ira M. Hedges	Washburn SB Co.	tugboat	76		1883
237	135671	Edwin Terry	Washburn SB Co.	tugboat	91		1883
238	135727	Elmer E. Wood		tugboat	112		1883	Mongah 1910, Robert H. Lockwood 1936
241	Mexico	American Augusto	Mexican Central RR	tugboat	135		1885	to Venezuela as Augusto, to Mexico 1896 as Tampico
256	126219	Charles H Fox		tugboat	41		1884	Walter E. Sutton 1884
257		Governor Safford	Gulf Steamboat Co.	passenger	307		1884	Philip J. Kenny 1920, burned 1923 near Ambrose LS
258	126184	Corsair		tugboat	95		1884
259		Sea Lion	Merchants & Shipowners	tugboat	186		1884
264		Madrono	U.S. Lighthouse Service	tender	412		1885	to USAT as Col. Charles L. Willard 1941
265	126309	Chicago		tugboat	89		1885
267	110691	rescue		tugboat	75		1886
269	126349	Chauncey M. Depew		tugboat	77		1886	NY Central No. 10, J. C. Reichart 1918
270	126401	C. C. Clarke		tugboat	150		1886	NY Central No. 3, A. W. Whitman, Susan Elizabeth, scrapped 2008
275		A. H. Whiteman	George W. Whiteman	tugboat	158		1886	Charles Clarke, N. H. De Bardeleben 1941, Shamrock 1962
271	154377	Peerless		tugboat	90		1886	Edmund J. Moran 1918
		Ybero		freighter	300		1886	foundered 1907
275	155151	Oakland	NY Central & H RR	tugboat	103		1887	NY Central No. 13, Hay-de, Pier 63 Maritime Museum
276	100415	Interstate	NY Central & H RR	tugboat	103		1887	NY Central No. 12
277	135958	W. S. Williams	Lamberts Point Towing	tugboat	136		1887	E. V. McCaulley
278	76664	James McCaulley	James McCaulley	tugboat	92		1887	Arabian 1918
279	91969	Mercer	Pennsylvania RR	tugboat	150		1887	St. Lawrence 1936
281	95943	Hercules	P. Wright & Son	tugboat	142	101	1888	to USN 1898, designated YT-13 1920, sold 1937
283	150454	Pocahontas		tugboat	94		1888
284	157205	Dandy		passenger	115		1888
286		Assistance	Henderson Brothers	tugboat	100		1888	T. F. Richardson, W. H. Williams 1918
287	157229	Douglas H. Thomas	Dougherty & Co.	tugboat	140		1888	to USN 1889 as Triton (YT-10), ID-3312 1918, sold 1930 as Melrose, J. Rich Steers 1945, Gwendoline Steers 1951, sank in LI Sound 1962
292	81249	Western Union	Western Union Co.	cable layer	185		1889
293	81217	William P. Congdon	Savannah Lighterage	tugboat	69		1889	later Chesapeake, sank 1995
296	141021	L. Luckenbach	Luckenbach Towing	tugboat	255		1889	Defiance 1905, to USN 1918 as SP-1015, Challenge, (AT-59) 1920, YT-126, YTM-126, to MARAD 1946
Built by John H. Dialogue & Son
297	130500	N. and W. 1	Norfolk & Western Railway	tugboat	311		1890	Murrell 1906, scrapped 1949
298	130512	N. and W. 2	Norfolk & Western Railway	tugboat	311		1890	Boswell 1905, scrapped 1963
299	92153	Mars	P. F. Martin & Co.	tugboat	278		1890	to USAT as ST-56
300		Armeria	U.S. Lighthouse Service	tender	1052		1890
301	126647	Carbonero	Export Coal Co.	tugboat	361		July 1890	Daniel Williard 1905, Gypsum Queen 1917, to USN 1917 as SP-430, lost off Brest 1919
303		Farniente		passenger	12		1891
304	96136	H. M. C. Smith	Merchants Mutual Line	tugboat	98		1891	Jack Scully 1918, to USN 1918 as ID-2289 but not used
305	136168	Enterprise	American Towing Co.	tugboat	214		1890	USN Modoc 1898, YTL-16, Flo
306	136173	Edgar F. Luckenbach	Luckenbach Towing	tugboat	273		May 1891	Luckenbach No.2, Cherokee, to USN 1918 as SP-458, foundered off NJ 1918
307	106804	Asher J. Hudson	Hudson Transportation	tugboat	136		1891	to USN 1918 as SP-3104, Yuma (YT-37), sold 1921 as Marathon
308	110948	Regis	Savannah Lighterage	Psgr/Tow	92		1891
309	81348	West Jersey		ferry	13		1891	Millville 1906
310	81456	Walter A. Luckenbach	Luckenbach Towing	tugboat	283		Sep 1893	to USN 1898 as Uncas (AT-51), YT-110, struck 1922, Joseph D. Wood, Henry W. Card, Relief
311	157368	Dauntless	C. W. Wisbee	tugboat	153		1893	later C. H. Hix, Restless 1944
312		Hudson	U.S. Revenue Service	cutter	174		1893	sold 1942
313	110960	Robert S Bradley	Bradley Fertilizer	tugboat	121		1892
314	116500	Scranton	Del., Lack. & Western RR	tugboat	300		1892	Clincher 1916, scrapped 1926
315		General Meigs	US Army QMD	passenger	292d		1892
316	126826	C. N. Kimpland	William E. Beard & Co.	tugboat	132		1892	Susan N Moran 1898, Diamond 8, Natalie, Marion Olsen
324	3588	Beronda		yacht	17		1893
325		Delta	Mr. E. Lee	passenger freighter	466		1893
326	96227	Hortense		tugboat	129		1893	to USN 1893 as Takoma, Sebago (YT-23), scrapped 1937
330	130672	Nottingham	Central RR of New Jersey	tugboat	408		July 1894	burned and scrapped 1947
331	157403	Dorothy Annan		tugboat	99		1894	Geo. D. Kuper, Bulley 1906
332	81493	William F. McCauley	Atlantic Towing	tugboat	149		1894	to USN 1918 as ID-2360, returned 1918, Captain Collier
333		Rosita		tugboat	84		1895
334		Tybee	U.S. Revenue Service	cutter	28		1895	sold 1930
335		Lamont	US Army USACE	tugboat	206		1895	sold 1936, John Roen 1944, Samuel E. Bool, Georgia 1972
336	136512	Esther		tugboat	27		1895
337		Scout	US Army USACE	tugboat	150		1896
338	136548	Edward Luckenbach	Luckenbach Towing	tugboat	149		1896	to USN 1917 as Tecumseh (YT-24), YTM-24, returned 1946
340		Princeton (PG-13)	US Navy	gunboat	1010		1898	sold 1919
341	130792	Navigator	J. Needham	tugboat	414		1898	to USN 1918 as ID-2225, YT-39, sold 1946
342	111172	Robert A. Van Wyck	New York Fire Dept.	fireboat	203		1898	William L Strong 1902, retired 1948
344	100656	Isis	International Elevating Co.	Elevator	591		June 1898
345	145781	Themis	International Elevating Co.	Elevator	591		June 1898
350	130759	New England	New England Fish Co.	fishing boat	230		Dec 1897
355	136772	Echo	Scully Towing & Tptn Co.	tugboat	413		Dec 1898	John Scully 1903, H. C. Cadmus 1919, to USAT as LT-332 1942, George W. Whiteman 1947, deleted 1954
357	136675	Eugene Grasseli	Grasselli Chemical Co.	freighter	157		1898	to USQMD as Poe 1898
358	92911	M. E. Luckenbach	Edgar F. Lukenbach	tugboat	439		Dec 1898	Luckenbach No.1, Barnegat, to USN 1918 as SP-1232, G. E. Roper 1923, abandoned 1935
		Dauntless No. 7	Dauntless Towing	tugboat	157		1898	later John A. Dorgan
361		Despatch		passenger	21		1899
362	136724	E. L. Russell	Gulf Refining Co. 1916	passenger	206		1899
363	77354	Jacob Dykman		tugboat	145		1899	S. O. No. 4 1906, Port Covington 1916
364	136743	Eugene Grasseli	Grasselli Chemical Co.	freighter	157		July 1899
365	127365	Charles Clarke	Texas Oil & Transit Co	passenger	211		Aug 1899
368	141675	Lackawanna	Del., Lack.a & Western RR	tugboat	340		1900	collision and lost 1915
369	81693	Wm. J. Bradley		tugboat	81		1900
370	107539	Abram Minis	N.Y., Phila. & Norfolk R.R.	passenger	284		May 1900	S. T. Morgan 1910, Salisbury
371	150885	Prudence	James McWilliams	tugboat	292		Dec 1919	later Lawrence H. Shaw
372		Astral	Standard Oil Co.	tugboat	616		Nov 1903	later Standard II
373	96555	Helen	Charles Gring	tugboat	113		1901
374	150921	Patience	Reading Co.	tugboat	292		Nov 1901
375	200471	Lewis Luckenbach	Luckenbach Steamship	freighter	3906		Nov 1903	torpedoed and lost 1917
376		Providence		Sailing Vsl	1651		1902
377	130958	Newcastle	Chas. E. Davis	tugboat	110		1902
378	77542	John A. Hughes	Asa Hughes Sons & others	tugboat	157		Aug 1902
379	201528	Lenape	H. P. Dilkes	tugboat	637		Nov 1904	E. E. Johnson 1946, Good News 1961, Trident Star 1966, scrapped 1970
380	117224	S. O. Company No. 12	Standard Tptn Co.	tugboat	158		Feb 1903	later S.T. Co. No. 12
381	141847	L. Y. Schermerhorn	American Dredging Co.	tugboat	174		Mar 1903
382	3949	Bryn Mawr	Chas. E. Davis Jr	tugboat	74		Apr 1903	engine and boiler only
383	93378	Montclair	D L & W R R	tugboat	130		May 1903
384	155466	Orange	D L & W R R	tugboat	130		June 1903
385	200557	John F. Lewis	Chesapeake Co.	tugboat	160		1904
388	201458	Blue Bell		tugboat	179		1904	Virginian 1910
389	201104	Edgar F. Coney	South Atlantic towboat	tugboat	153		July 1904	to USN 1918 as SP-346. returned 1919
390	201359	Columbia	Baker-Whiteley Coal Co.	tugboat	212		1904	Ionian 1916, LT-799, WWII
391		Lieut. Ord	US Army QMD	launch	22		1905	later Lieut. Augustine
392		Capt. Hartshorne	US Army QMD	launch	22		1905
393		Capt. Connell	US Army QMD	launch	22		1905
394	201823	Jack Twohy		tugboat	171		1905	to Panama Canal Commission as Bohio
395	203236	M. E. Scully	Scully Transportation	tugboat	272		1906	to Panama Canal Commission as Reliance
396		Lieut. Bumpus	US Army QMD	launch	22		1905
397		Cerberus	US Army USACE	tugboat	206		July 1905	Maurice R Shaw 1933
398	202702	Annie L. Vansciver	Phila, Rancocas & Mt Holley Tptn Co.	passenger	194		1905
399 ?		Macadam		tugboat	150		1906
400 ?		Concrete		tugboat	150		1906
400	203367	Newburgh	NY Trap Rock Co.	tugboat	234		1906	to Panama Canal Commission as Mariner
401	203366	Haverstraw	NY Trap Rock Co.	tugboat	234		1906	Aurora 1910, to USN 1917 as SP-345, returned 1919
403	203365	Florence		passenger	20		1906
404	164433	Managua		barge	177		1906
405	164432	Masaya		barge	177		1906
406	203766	Pocomoke	NY, Phila. & Norfolk RR	tugboat	293		1906	to USN 1917 as SP-2265 but not used
409		Blanca					1906
410	202890	James N. Knipe	American Dredging Co.	tugboat	109		1906
411	204384	Patchogue	Long Island R R Co.	tugboat	190		1907
412	204179	E. G. Reynolds	E.G. Reynolds et al	tugboat	192		1907	to Panama Canal Commission as La Boca
414	204267	Ariosa	Henry Dubois Sons	tugboat	262		June 1907	later Brian McAllister
415	203414	U. T. & L. Co. No. 1	United Transportation	tank barge	138		1906
416	203457	U. T. & L. Co. No. 2	United Transportation	tank barge	138		1906
421	204801	Hercules	Shipowners & Merchants Towing Co	tugboat	414	135	Dec 1907	later at the San Francisco Maritime Museum
422	204800	Goliath	Shipowners & Merchants Towing Co	tugboat	414	135	Dec 1907	to USN 1917 as SP-1494, sold 1921, scrapped 1952
423	204974	Ontario	New York, Ontario & Western Ry.Co.	tugboat	415		May 1908	scrapped 1948
424	204975	Western	New York, Ontario & Western Ry.Co.	tugboat	415		May 1908	wrecked off Shelburne NS 1926
425	206311	Sarah E. McWilliams	C. J. McWilliams	tugboat	294		July 1908	later Resolute 1916
426	206638	J. W. Thompson	J-W Thompson	tugboat	186		1909
429	206818	Parksley	Pennsylvania RR	tugboat	296		1909
431	207063	La Criada	United Fruit Co	tugboat	185		1909
433	207774	New York Central No. 27	New York Central RR	tugboat	231		1910
434	207392	Cape Charles	Pennsylvania RR Co.	tugboat	296		1910
435	208158	Rancocas	Hainseport Mining & Transportation	tugboat	106		1910
438	208398	The Barnett	Jacksonville Towing & Wrecking Co.	tugboat	194		1910	to USN 1917 as SP-1149, YT-29, sold 1936 as Richard Simmons, Raymond Card 1941, scrapped 1948
442	208565	La Belle	Alexander Winton	yacht	165		1911	later Marold II
443		Engineer	US Army USACE	tugboat	152		1911	to Panama Canal Commission 1916
444	208659	Greenwich	Pennsylvania RR Co.	tugboat	88		1911
445	208809	Vim		freighter	14		1911
450	210107	John J. Howlett		tugboat	66		1912
451	209518	Caspian	P. F. Martin	tugboat	125		1912	to USN 1917 as ID-1380 but not used, Trojan 1948, Cherokee, Denise E 1993
452	210643	M. Moran	Moran Towing	tugboat	256		Oct 1912	later Foremost, HS 42, M. Moran 1936
453	210901	Thomas J. Scully	Edward F. Luckenbach	tugboat	405		Feb 1913	Luckenbach No. 4 1916, Nahant 1917, to USN 1917 as SP-1250, Service No. 3 1920, sold as John F. Harlan 1929, Gotham 1935, W. E. Hunt 1942, Good Fortune 1961, scrapped 1963
455	210488	Willard U. Taylor			244		1913
456	211597	Senator Bailey	Gulf Refining Co.	tugboat	293		July 1913
457	211444	S. M. Goucher		tugboat	58		1913
458	165108	Fifty-Eight	The Texas Steamship Co.	barge	433		1913
459	165221	Fifty-Nine	The Texas Steamship Co.	barge	398		Mar 1913
460	165346	Sixty	The Texas Steamship Co.	barge	433		1913
461	211727	North American	The Texas Steamship Co.	tugboat	134		1913	later M. W. Storms