Blue Dolphin (schooner)
| Career (Canada) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Blue Dolphin |
| Owner: | S.H. Valie (Blue Dolphin Limited) |
| Port of registry: | Shelburne, Nova Scotia, 1928-1935 |
| Builder: | Shelburne Shipbuilders Limited |
| Launched: | 1926 |
| Fate: | Sold to Amory Coolidge, Boston in 1933 |
| Notes: | official number 152577[1] |
| Career (USA) | 100x35px |
| Acquired: | 17 March 1942 |
| In service: | 6 April 1942 |
| Out of service: | 28 June 1945 |
| Struck: | 11 July 1945 |
| Fate: | Sold |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 91 tons |
| Length: | 99 ft 8 in (30.38 m) |
| Beam: | 22 ft 5 in (6.83 m) |
| Draft: | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Speed: | 8 knots |
| Complement: | 8 |
Blue Dolphin was an auxiliary schooner built in 1926 at Shelburne, Nova Scotia by the Shelburne Shipbuilding Company as an adventure yacht. She served as US Navy auxiliary, IX 65 in World War II and as a postwar reseach vessel made famous by a Stan Rogers song.
Blue Dolphin was designed by the famous naval architect William Roue, designer of the famous racing schooner Bluenose. Sometimes called a sister ship to Bluenose, Blue Dolphin was in fact considerably smaller but reflected the overall style of legendary Bluenose. Blue Dolphin was built for S.H. Felie of Kansas City. A rich businessman interested in "long foreign voyages", Felie ordered a fishing schooner style vessel with an extra re-enforced hull but luxurious cabins in place of a fishing hold. She was registered at Shelburne for the beginning of her career which her owner used as a base for adventure trips to the north.[2]
In 1933, Blue Doplhin was purchased by Boston businessman Amory Coolidge who transferred her registry to Boston, Massachusetts in 1935.[3]
Blue Dolphin was designated a miscellaneous auxiliary, IX 65, and acquired by the Navy on 17 March 1942 from Amory Coolidge for the nominal fee of $1.00. She was designated a miscellaneous auxiliary, IX 65 and placed in service at the Section Base, Boston on 6 April 1942.
Blue Dolphin spent the next 38 months serving as station vessel at Casco Bay, Maine. Shortly after Germany surrendered, she was placed out of service at Boston on 28 June 1945. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 11 July 1945, and she was delivered to the Maritime Commission's War Shipping Administration for disposal on 14 September 1945.
After the war, Blue Dolphin was apparently sold to a Mr. David C. Nutt who was involved in oceanographic research in conjunction with various universities, civilian research organizations, and the Office of Naval Research. Mr. Nutt was also a naval reserve commander. On 3 April 1949, she was designated as “suitable for use as a naval auxiliary in time of war” by the Chief of Naval Operations. She was also authorized to fly the Naval Reserve Yacht pennant. The last information available on her indicates that she continued to conduct oceanographic and hydrobiological research out of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, into the summer of 1954.
The schooner is commemorated in the Stan Rogers song, "Man with Blue Dolphin", part of his From Fresh Water album. The liner notes mention that Rogers wrote the song based on his contact with a photographer named Bruce Kemp who was at the time trying to restore the Blue Dolphin.
References
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
