Being careful not to damage the ships, they smashed open 340 chests of tea (approximately 92,000 lbs.) and dropped them into the harbor, a significant act of protest in what would become the American Revolution. The next day, The Sons of Liberty, a group of more than 100 men from all walks of life, led by Samuel Adams, boarded the Beaver, as well as two other ships loaded with tea - the Dartmouth and The Eleanor. After spending two weeks in quarantine in Boston Harbor, due to a case of smallpox on board, it finally docked at Griffin’s Wharf on December 15, 1773. As was customary, it took on a different cargo for its return, in this case some fine English furniture as well as 112 chests of tea from the British East India Company. Captained by Hezekiah Coffin, the Beaver made its maiden voyage from Nantucket to London to deliver whale oil. Commissioned by the prominent Rotch family of Nantucket, it measured 85 feet in length, with an almost 24 foot beam, and a draft of only nine feet, to accommodate Nantucket’s shallow harbor. The Beaver: One of the ships involved in the Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773) was The Beaver, a whaler constructed by Ichabod Thomas at the Brick Kiln Shipyard in Pembroke. In the meantime, I’ve compiled some basic facts about some of the more famous ships. Vernon Briggs’ book, History of Shipbuilding on the North River, which is available in most of our local libraries. If you’re interested in the histories of the North River shipyards and the vessels constructed there, check out L. Vessels were commissioned by such entities as the US Navy, British trade companies, and whaling fleets from Nantucket, New Bedford and Martha’s Vineyard. The shipbuilding industry provided jobs for all sorts of craftsmen – carpenters, caulkers, liners, sailmakers, and so on, - as well as sawmill operators to provide lumber, and pilots to maneuver the ships downstream to the ocean – a complicated process that often took a full week. Between 16, more than 1,000 vessels were constructed along the river in Hanover, Pembroke, Marshfield, Norwell and Scituate. Beginning in the mid-1600s and continuing long into the 19 th century, this 12-mile waterway was home to a total of 24 shipyards. The North River today is so serene: it can be difficult to imagine that it was once a booming center of industry.
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