John Alexander Robb (June 1, 1792January 28, 1867), was a 19th-century

shipbuilder Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

Fell's Point, Baltimore Fell's Point is a historic waterfront neighborhood in southeastern Baltimore, Maryland, established around 1763 along the north shore of the Baltimore Harbor and the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River. Located 1.5 miles east of Baltimore's d ...

. He had his own

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 ...

, which became noted for fast sailing Baltimore

Clipper A clipper was a type of mid-19th-century merchant sailing vessel, designed for speed. The term was also retrospectively applied to the Baltimore clipper, which originated in the late 18th century. Clippers were generally narrow for their len ...

s. He was an apprenticeship under shipbuilder Henry Eckford. Abolitionist

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most impor ...

, as a young man, worked at the John A. Robb shipyard as a caulker for several years. Robb built the steamship ''Pulaski,'' that was lost off Cape Lookout in the 1838 Steamship ''Pulaski'' disaster. Robb died in

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 ...

, in 1867.

Early life

John A. Robb was born on June 1, 1792 in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He was the son of Captain John Alexander Robb (1869-1818) and Abigail Tupper (1771-1841). Robb moved to New York, with his parents, when he was twelve years old (1804). He married Cornelia Cheney in 1818 in

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 ...

and had eight children. His son, Eliakim Tupper Robb (1831-1908) worked for

Montgomery C. Meigs Montgomery Cunningham Meigs (; May 3, 1816 – January 2, 1892) was a career United States Army officer and military and civil engineer, who served as Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. Although a Sou ...

in 1856 as a draughtsman, and in 1861 was in charge of the droughting departments of the iron

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

company Reaney, Son & Archbold and the

Vulcan Iron Works Vulcan Iron Works was the name of several Ironworks, iron foundries in both England and the United States during the Industrial Revolution and, in one case, lasting until the mid-20th century. Vulcan (mythology), Vulcan, the Roman god of fir ...

in 1892. Another son, John A. Robb (1828-1910), Jr. served one term in the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

in 1868 and then became a Baltimore City Register for 14 consecutive terms.

Career

In New York, John A. Robb served as an apprenticeship under shipbuilder Henry Eckford where he learned the shipbuilding business and later became one of Eckford's most trusted shipbuilders. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

he enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. After the war Robb and his family moved to East Baltimore,

in 1825 and became the foreman in the construction of the frigate ''Baltimore'', built for the government of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Robb established a

on Thames Street, next to the

Patapsco River The Patapsco River ( ) mainstem is a river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore. With its South Branch, the Patapsco forms the northern border of Howar ...

, which flows into the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

. It was called the John A. Robb & Co. or just "Robb's Yard." At this shipyard, he built most of his vessels including ships, steamships, brigs and pilot boats (see list below). The shipyard became noted for fast sailing Baltimore Clippers. Abolitionist

, as a young man, worked at the shipyard as a caulker for several years.

Howard I. Chapelle Howard Irving Chapelle (February 1, 1901 – June 30, 1975) was an American naval architect, and curator of maritime history at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. In addition, he authored many books and articles on maritime history an ...

, in his book ''The Search For Speed Under Sail,'' identified boats connected with the

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

and built at John A Robb's shipyard at Fells Point, while Douglass was working there. These boats include the schooners ''Viper'' (1836) and the ''Clara'' (1838). On July 4, 1828, Robb acquired payment provided by the Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland Steamboat Company for the best model of a steam boat. The Pulaski explodes

On July 19, 1837, John A. Robb & Co. built a steam dredge boat for the United States Government for deepening the harbor at

Ocracoke, North Carolina Ocracoke ( )
, from the North Carolina Collection website at the

. In August 1837, he built the

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts of which the fore mast, mainmast, and any additional masts are Square rig, rigged square, and only the aftmost mast (mizzen in three-maste ...

''John A. Robb'' for New Orleans pilots. Captain Bennett was in command. In 1837 he built the steamship ''Pulaski'' for the Savanah & Charleston Steam Packet Company. She was lost off Cape Lookout on the coast of North Carolina in 1838, in what was called the Steamship ''Pulaski'' disaster, when her starboard boiler exploded. In 1846, Robb built the New York pilot boat

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

''David Mitchell,'' No. 5. She was launched on September 5, 1846, at the John A. Robb

. The boat was built for James Mitchell and other New York pilots. Robb built the

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

for the steamship ''Republic'' in 1849 for the

Pacific Mail Steamship Company The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was founded April 18, 1848, as a joint stock company under the laws of the State of New York by a group of New York City merchants. Incorporators included William H. Aspinwall, Edwin Bartlett (American consul ...

of New York. She was a packet ship that ran between Baltimore and Charleston. Her dimensions were 207 ft. length on deck; 30 ft. breadth of beam; 18.6 ft. depth of hold and 800-tons burthen. By 1850, his holdings included his Baltimore shipyard that was worth over $18,000. In 1853, Robb built the 567-ton clipper ship ''Frigate Bird'' for C. H. Cummings & Co., of Philadelphia. The ''Bird'' traveled to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

under the command of Captain Perry C. Cope. On August 24, 1853, the 1,200-ton sidewheel steamship ''Tennessee'' was launched from the John A. Robb shipyard for the Baltimore and Southern Packet Company's Line, which owns the ''Palmetto'' built by the Robb shipyard. She was later renamed the USS ''Mobile'' in 1864 and then SS ''Republic'' in 1865. She sank in a hurricane off the coast of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

in October 1865. In 1855, Robb built the ''William Jenkins,'' which was one of the first side-wheel steamships of the M. & M. Trans. Co. He retired for the business in 1865. He was a prominent member of the

Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York The Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York is the oldest Charitable organization, charitable institution in the state of New York (state), New York and is focused on helping Scots in the New York community with the motto Charity, Fello ...

and belonged to the Burns Club.

Death

John A. Robb died, at age 56, on January 28, 1867, at his residence in

. The funeral took place at his residence and was conducted by Rev. Rodman of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He was buried at the Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore.

Early life

Career

Death

See also

References

Further reading