The ''Christian Bergh'' was a 19th-century Sandy Hook

pilot boat A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting. Pilot boats were once sailing boats that had to be fast because the first pilot to reach the incoming ship ...

built in 1851 at the Westervelt & Co.

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

. She later became a

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

pilot boat until her service ended in 1886 when she became an oyster boat in the

Delaware Bay Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States, lying between the states of Delaware and New Jersey. It is approximately in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltw ...

. She was named after Christian Bergh a prominent shipbuilder in New York and a close friend of Jacob Westervelt.

Construction and service

New York pilot-boat ''Christian Bergh,'' No. 16 was built by Aaron J. Westervelt at the Westervelt & Co. shipyard at the

East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1851. On June 14, 1851, she was launched from the Westervelt

at the foot of Houston Street for piloting into the port of New York. On June 16, 1851, she went down the

New York Bay New York Bay is the large tidal body of water in the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary where the Hudson River, Raritan River, and Arthur Kill empty into the Atlantic Ocean between Sandy Hook, New Jersey, Sandy Hook and Rockaway Point. Geogr ...

on her first trial trip. She was sometimes listed as the ''Christian Berg.'' On April 2, 1855, the ''Christian Bergh,'' No. 16, met up with the pilot boat ''Edwin Forrest,'' when the Forrest was on a trial trip near the

Sandy Hook Light __NOTOC__ The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, located about one and a half statute miles (2.4 km) inland from the tip of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States. It was designed and built on June 11, 1764 by ...

ship. On their return to port, both pilots were able to test the speed and strength of their boats. In 1860, the ''Christian Bergh'', was one of twenty-one New York and New Jersey pilot boats. Josiah Johnson Sr., owned shares in the Christian Bergh. On October 10, 1860, New York Sandy Hook Pilot Jacob Britton, of the pilot boat ''Christian Bergh,'' No. 1, signed a statement along with other pilots, that he was satisfied with the representation he had received from the

New York Board of Commissioners of Pilots The Board of Commissioners of Pilots of The State Of New York is the New York state agency responsible for licensing and regulating maritime pilot, pilots within one of the largest harbors in the world. It licenses and regulates up to 75 pilots of ...

. On March 10, 1860, the pilot boat ''Christian Bergh'', No. 16, picked up passengers on the

packet ship Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed mainly for domestic mail and freight transport in European countries and in North American rivers and canals. Eventually including basic passenger accommodation, they were used extensively during t ...

''De Witt Clinton,'' and took them to

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...

. The ''Christian Bergh,'' was registered with the ''Record of American and Foreign Shipping'' from 1881 to 1897. In 1881, Electus Comfort was listed as

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

of the ship; New York Pilots were owners; built in New York in 1851; and New York was her hailing port. Her dimensions were 74 ft. length on deck; 66 ft. length on keel: 18.3 ft. breadth of beam; 8 ft. depth of hold; 42-tons burthen. From 1882 to 1897, according to ship records, the owner of the ''Christian Bergh,'' changed to Captain W. W. Andrews and her hailing port became

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Out of service

On September 6, 1886, the pilot boat ''Christian Bergh,'' was reported as a

pilot boat that was taken off her pilot station. She was then rebuilt and

fitted out Fitting out, or outfitting, is the process in shipbuilding that follows the float-out/launching of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her o ...

for new service. She then became an

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but no ...

boat in the

on Dec 1, 1886.

References

{{List of Northeastern U. S. Pilot Boats, state=autocollapse Schooners of the United States Service vessels of the United States 1851 ships Pilot boats Ships built in New York City

Construction and service

Out of service

See also

References