This made for a sleeker entry through the water which gave his vessels more speed and stability. By moving the displacement of the ship aft Turner was able to narrow the bow of the ship. Matthew Turner was more than just the most prolific builder of sailing ships in history, he was also responsible for one of the greatest innovations in commercial sailing vessel hull design. Matthew Turner’s Innovation: Full Aft Narrow Fore Turner himself discovered the Alaska cod industry and owned and operated the first packet ships between San Francisco and Tahiti. Only the largest and fastest modern sailing yachts can hope to beat the 8 days and six hours trip From SF to Hawaii by the Lurline and the 9 day trip from Honolulu to SF by the W.G. His ships moved between San Francisco and Hawaii at record speeds, making 13 round trips in one year, including loading and unloading. Spreckles Sugar had a fleet of Turner’s ships, as did C&H Sugar. Matson Lines began their operations with the Lurline. His vessels were responsible for the success of many entrepreneurs of his time. The Nautilus launched Turner’s career and he is considered the most prolific builder in history, with 228 vessels built by the end of his career in 1907. At that time on the East Coast, design innovation in commercial sail was at a standstill, as steamships became the focus.īut on the West Coast, long distances, lack of coal and the industrial capacity to produce large steam engines gave sailing vessels the edge until the turn of the century. The Nautilus outperformed all other ships of the time, raising the bar in sailing ship design. Not impressed with the available vessels at that time, he pulled together what he had learned from his father about ship design and building on Lake Erie, and his experience with contemporary vessels in the Pacific, to build his first ship, the Nautilus, in 1868. He began his career in the booming coastal lumber trade and quickly found that he needed more ships. He came to California to try his luck in the gold fields and, finding success, he traveled back to the East Coast to purchase a ship, for he saw more potential in the shipping business than in the gold trade. The inspiration for our tall ship design comes from Matthew Turner, who immigrated to the Bay Area from his home on the shores of Lake Erie in 1850.
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