Steamer
Nobska
leaving
Nantucket
in September 1973 . Photo, William H. Ewen, Jr.
The Nobska: A Steamboat With a Future By Barry W. Eager
When the Steamer Nobska, a veteran of 48 years service to the islands of Martha' s Vineyard and Nantucket, was sold by the Island Steamship Authority in 1975, many people in the area expressed concern over her fate. She was soon resold to the City of Baltimo re, Maryland for use as a noating restaurant. There was a strong feeling that the boat belonged in New England. The Steamer Nobska was built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine in 1925 for the New England Steamship Company, which also operated the famou s Fall River Line. Virtually complete when she was launched on March 24, 1925, she made her first trip from New Bedford to Martha 's Vineya rd and Nantucket on April 9th . Two major mishaps occurred
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during her long career: a six-day gro unding in November I 931 off Edgartown, Martha' s Vineya rd, and a colli sion with her sister ship, the Martha's Vineyard, in dense fo g on Nantucket Sound the followin g summer. Decline of Island traffic in the 1930s caused the boat to be diverted to excursion service between Providence, Rhode Island and Oak Bluffs on Martha' s Vineya rd. During World War II she did hard serv ice on the Island Line, after two of her running mates were sent to the Engli sh Channel for service as transports and hospital ships . Between 1928 and 1956 she carried the name Nantucket. The Friends of Nobska, Inc. was chartered in November 1975 as a nonprofit Massachusetts corporation. Communication was immediately estab lished with those who had charge of the vessel and assurance was given that no major changes were contemplated wh ich wou ld threaten the steam plant or the vessel's structure. Within a year the Friends had sent their first preservation tea m to Baltimore to work on the various part s of the vessel' s steam plant to maintain it in operating condition. The Friends of Nobska has brought together an unusual group of people with va rying skills: fina nce, marine architecture and engineering, historical research a nd interpretation, and so on. The group has developed a multimedia pres:::ntation to carry th eir message to interested groups. It includes some history of New England steamboating with emphasis on the Nobska, and the Friends' plans for the vessel's future . Membership now exceeds 500, and a plan has been developed for securing financial support when th e time is ri ght for the vessel's purchase. Most interesting o f the Friends' ongoing activities is it s program of preservation maintenance . Periodically a group of five to ten members has gone to Ba ltimore to work on the Nobska under special arran gement s with the City and the operator of the restaurant. The main engine and au xiliary stea m equipment are lubricated, and their steam cylinders
given a fresh coat of cylinder oil. Th e main engine is turned manually to keep it from seizing up and to keep the sha ft from sett ling unevenl y. Journal boxes are checked and refilled with oil if necessary . The boilers are inspected and a drying agent is kept in them to forestall any buildup of moisture a nd the consequent deterioration by rust. All wo rk is carefully documented to help give direction to future work. Professional marine engineers are consulted abo ut the work and sometimes have supervised it personally . An examinat ion of the li st of surviving inl and steamers of the East Coast (see Sea History 10: 13) will show that the Nobska is the o nl y one remaining wi th both a traditional appeara nce and steam equipment in operating condition . Her preservation and return to limited operation under steam are the goals of the Friends of Nobska. The demise of most steampowered vessels and the general decline of marine passenger services increase the need for interpretation of thi s whole experience to generations of Americans which will have no other opport unity. The Nobska, with some of her spaces converted for museum purposes, can travel a long the northeast coast to any port where she is wanted . In addit ion, she can operate excursion s from and between traditional ports offering people an opportunity to follow the routes of the historic day and night lin es. She can provide the real experience needed to bring the lesso ns of la nd -based marine museum s to life for untold numbers of people . At thi s wri1ing, the Nobska Restaurant in Baltimore is closed, a nd negotiations with anot her restauranteur are underwa y. The Fri ends of Nobska are watching these events carefu ll y, wh ile continuing to improve th eir state of preparedness for purchasing the vessel and establishing her as an operat ing steamship museum. Those int erested in learning more about th te Friends of Nobska should contact the President, Robert C. Cleasby, 128 Ocearn Avenue, Cranston, RI 02905.
u. u. u.
SiEA HISTORY, SUMMER 1979