Captain Moses Rogers (born New London, CT, January 1779; died in South Carolina, November 15, 1821, age 42) was a commander of first-generation steam-powered boats in the 1810s, including both

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

s and a hybrid vessel that used both engine and sail for propulsion, the ''

SS Savannah SS ''Savannah'' was an American hybrid sailing ship/sidewheel steamer built in 1818. She was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, transiting mainly under sail power from May to June 1819. In spite of this historic voyage, the great s ...

''. He is best known for commanding the ''Savannah'' on its voyage from its namesake port to

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

in May–June 1819.

Biography

Rogers commanded pioneer steamboats in the New York City region in 1809–1817, including boats for inventor

Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboat ...

. He served as master on the pioneer voyage of the ''Phoenix'' from New York Harbor to the estuary of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

in 1809, credited as having been the first ocean-going steam-powered voyage in American waters. After the end of the War of 1812, brokers who shipped cotton, grown by persons classified as slaves, made profitable trades from Southern ports such as

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. Savannah businessmen formed the Savannah Steamship Company, and deputized Rogers to launch the firm, find a boat, and become its commander. Returning to New York City in 1818, Captain Rogers located a 109-foot-long sailing packet being built at a Manhattan shipyard. Rogers worked with local suppliers to have the sailing ship refitted as an ocean-going steam vessel. Working with New Jersey enginebuilder Stephen Vail, Rogers located a 90 h.p. engine that could be fitted into the 320-ton sailing packet's hull. Weak by the standards of later steamships, the year-1818 engine could drive the ship at speeds up to 6 knots. The pioneer hybrid vessel was launched on August 22, 1822, in New York City, and docked in North New Jersey for fitting-out.

The ''Savannah''

The hybrid sail-steam vessel had its paddlewheels, upper works, masts, and rigging erected by spring 1819, and underwent sea trials in New York Bay in March 1819. Working quickly, the Savannah Steamship Co. financed the hybrid vessel's

deadhead A Deadhead or Dead head is a fan of the American rock band the Grateful Dead. The Deadhead subculture originated in the 1970s, when a number of fans began traveling to see the Grateful Dead in as many shows or festival venues as they could. As mo ...

trip southward from Greater New York to her home port, starting March 28, 1819. The log shows no passengers or cargo were on board, and it is conjectured that despite Rogers' command experience New York City shippers were boycotting the pioneering vessel. With publicity in mind, Rogers and his empty boat showed up in Savannah at a time that coincided with a publicized visit to the Georgia port city of U.S. President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

. Captain Rogers offered to take the President and his personal staff on an excursion cruise through Savannah Harbor. The presidential outing, from Savannah to Tybee Island Light and return, took place on May 11, 1819, and Rogers promptly turned his vessel's bow towards England. Following unsuccessful attempts to rustle up passengers or a cargo, the captain and crew left Savannah on May 22, the date later celebrated as United States National Maritime Day. In place of a cargo, the vessel was weighed down with 75 tons of coal and 25 cords of wood. One of the chief responsibilities of Captain Rogers and his

sailing master The master, or sailing master, is a historical rank for a naval Officer (armed forces), officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing ship, sailing vessel. In the Royal Navy, the master was originally a warrant officer who ...

, cousin Stevens Rogers, was to trade off when the vessel would have steam up as opposed to moving under canvas. The vessel's fuel load and its engine's rate of consumption would allow only about 80 hours of time under steam. On June 20, 1819, Rogers brought the ''Savannah'' into harbor at Liverpool. This was the first voyage by a steam-powered hybrid vessel across the Atlantic Ocean; but of Captain Rogers' 707-hour voyage, only 80 hours had been under steam. Word followed the pioneering vessel across the Atlantic that Savannah Steamship Company's money was running out, and the captain bought more coal and ordered the vessel to proceed across the North Sea and up the Baltic to show her to potential buyers in Sweden and in Russia. From July through October 1819, Rogers and his vessel called at the ports of Stockholm, St. Petersburg, and Copenhagen. Captain Rogers's offers-to-sell were heard, and he exchanged visits with high-ranking members of the courts of Sweden and Russia, but neither nation bought the vessel. Captain Rogers and his crew brought the Savannah back to North America under sail in late 1819, and the captain and his boat were both paid off.

Later life

Rogers found new backers and began operating a steam-powered riverboat service on the

Pee Dee River The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in the Carolinas of the United States. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course, above the mouth of the Uwharrie River, is known a ...

. He is described as being successful in this venture, but died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

on the South Carolina section of the river on November 15, 1821, age 42. His life and achievement were largely forgotten until the inauguration of the 32nd U.S. president, New York maritime enthusiast and shipping heir

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. President Roosevelt oversaw the inauguration of May 22 as

United States National Maritime Day National Maritime Day is a United States federal observance created to recognize the maritime industry. It is observed on May 22, the date in 1819 that the American steamship ''Savannah'' set sail from Savannah, Georgia on the first ever transoce ...

, an unofficial U.S. holiday, and a 1942 World War II Liberty Ship was named in Rogers' honor.

Biography

The ''Savannah''

Later life

References

Further reading