Jacob Aaron Westervelt
Jacob Aaron Westervelt (January 20, 1800 – February 21, 1879) was a renowned and prolific shipbuilder who constructed 247 vessels of all descriptions during his career of over 50 years. From 1853 until 1855 he was Mayor of New York City.
Jacob Aaron Westervelt
Westervelt and his associates later built very successful steamships. Through 1850 they built 8 of the 38 steamships constructed in New York until that year, including the "Franklin" and "Havre" (the first steam vessels for the Havre Line), followed by and "Rhode Island" (for the government) and "Eagle" and "Morro Castle" (for Spofford, Tileston & Company). Westervelt & Sons also built "Foong Shuey", afterwards named "Plymouth Rock", of 287 feet in length, with an engine from the Lake Erie steamer "Plymouth Rock". This vessel made the voyage from New York to Singapore in 51 days. (The all-time record for a sailing vessel on that route is 78 days.) The SS Winfield Scott built in 1850 by Westervelt & MacKay, wrecked on Middle Anacapa Island in 1853, and has been the object of numerous salvage operations since; she currently rests underwater as part of the Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary. The wreck site of the "Winfield Scott" is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.