MARINE ART
'Ifie Sfoop 'Ezyeriment Leads the
Jiudson out into the Wider 'WorU art and text by Len Tantillo
Project Experiment, a committee of NMHS, is gathering support to build a replica ofthe Hudson River sloop Experiment, which in 1785 became the second vessel to voyage to Canton in China under the Americanflag. Much ofour interest in this vessel was inspired by artist Len Tantillo 's vibrant images of the sloop and his detailed research into her place in the stream of Hudson River history. The text is adapted from Mr. Tantillo's book Visions of New York State: The Historical Paintings of L. F. Tantillo (Wappingers Falls NY: The Shawangunk Press, 1996) or as long as hum an be in gs have inhabired irs banks, vessels have been built on the Hudso n River. The Mahica ns built dugo ut ca noes, and the Durch built yachts. Brigs, fr igates, gunboats, passenger steamboats, rugs and everything in between slid in to the waters of this great rive r. N one, however, acco mplished a more daring feat than rhe 60-foor sloop from Albany, New Yo rk, named the Experiment.
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Stewart Dean, Merchant and Patriot T he man responsible for this voyage was Captain Stewart D ean, a Marylander who moved to Albany in the 1760s and sailed a small merchant ship in the cargo trade between the colonies. D ean was passionately committed to th e spiri t of independence and offered his servi ces to the fl edgling military forces of General Washington. Within days of th e signing of the D eclaration of Independence, Captain D ean was engaged in naval battles in rhe Caribbea n. In May 1782, whil e parrolling St. Christopher's H arbor in the Wes r Indies aboard the schooner Nimrod, D ean was attacked by two 20-gun British warships. After a short and bloody batde, Nimrod was captured , and Stewart D ean, seriously wounded, was held prison er for 20 days. His freedom was secured through the negotiarions of th e governor of Antigua and 28
D ean rerurn ed to his home in Al bany to convalesce. After the wa r, D ean returned to the merchant trade and, requiring a new ship , had the sloop Experiment built on the banks of the Hudson Ri ve r in Albany. T his singlemasred vessel was a typ ical wo rk boat of its day. Th e deck was wide and low, 59' 11 " in length with a 19' 3" beam , and was registe red at 85 .5 to ns. Following several comm ercial ve ntures the Experiment sailed into m aritime history com pleting a voyage of one yea r and fo ur months and covering approximately 28,000 nauti cal miles. The Voyage of the Experiment T he Experiment cleared Albany in July 1784 on its maiden voyage carrying grain across theAd anti c to Madeira. There D ea n loaded his ship with wine and a few head of catde. H e rhen sail ed to the West Indi es and traded his cargo for rum, which, in rum, was so ld in C harlesto n, South Carolina. T he Experiment returned to New Yo rk in D ecember, co mpl eting its first success-
ful commercial excursion. T he ve ntures that fo llowed were less p rofitab le, an d Dean needed a new app roac h. W ith the support of investo rs from Albany and New Yo rk C ity, he organized an incredible voyage . In D ecember 1785, the Experiment, with a crew of seve n me n and two boys, set sail for Canton, C hina, a fo cal po int fo r in te rnational commerce. O nl y one sh ip fro m the fledgli ng US had made the journ ey before, the three- masted square rigger, Empress of China. Loaded with supplies and trade goods, the well-armed Experiment left M urray's Dock in New Yo rk C ity. Braving sto rms and ro ugh water and ever watchful fo r th e pirates of the So uth China Sea, Dea n arri ved in Canton in Jun e 1786. He remai ned there fo r six months and negotiated many lucrative transactions with the C h inese Hong merchants. O n 10 December 1786, Dean left Canto n, ar riving back in New Yo rk C ity on 20 April 1787. T here, the Experiment was greeted by a jubilant crowd, canno n sa-
The quest for commercial success led the Dutch Jar up the North River to the site ofAlbany in the 1600s. A century and a halflater, the Dutch inspired sloop Experiment would leave that same city in pursuit ofcommerce. ("The Ferry: A View ofFort Orange, 1643 (Albany NY)" by L. F. Tantillo, acrylic on canvas, 17.5 "x 26': 1998; Collection of Marie and Robert Dolfi)
SEA HISTORY 87, WINTER 1998- 99