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|Ship name= |Ship name=
|Ship namesake= |Ship namesake=
|Ship owner={{ubl|] parties (1864–1865)|] (1865–66)|{{nobreak|S. American Nav. & Marine Railway Co. (1866–??)}}}}
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=As for owners, except: ] (Apr–May 1866)
|Ship operator=
|Ship registry= |Ship registry=
|Ship route={{ubl|] – ] (1864)|] – ] (1865–66)|] – ], Brazil (1867–??)}}
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered= |Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded= |Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=W. & A. Curtis (]) |Ship builder=W. & A. Curtis (Portland, ME)
|Ship original cost= |Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number= |Ship yard number=
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|Ship recommissioned= |Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned= |Ship decommissioned=
|Ship maiden voyage= |Ship maiden voyage=Aug 1864
|Ship in service= |Ship in service=
|Ship out of service= |Ship out of service=
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|Ship stricken= |Ship stricken=
|Ship reinstated= |Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport= |Ship homeport={{ubl|Boston, MA (1864)|Portland, ME (1865–66)}}
|Ship identification= |Ship identification=Official No. 21548<ref name="lytle"/>
|Ship captured= |Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Sold foreign, 1867; subsequent disposition unknown
|Ship fate=Unknown
|Ship status= |Ship status=
|Ship notes= |Ship notes=
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|Ship class= |Ship class=
|Ship type=Passenger-cargo steamboat |Ship type=Passenger-cargo steamboat
|Ship tonnage=430 |Ship tonnage=430 ]
|Ship displacement= |Ship displacement=
|Ship tons burthen= |Ship tons burthen=
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|Ship propulsion=Sidewheels |Ship propulsion=Sidewheels
|Ship sail plan= |Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed=Fast |Ship speed={{cvt|15|kn|lk=on}} (estimate)
|Ship capacity= |Ship capacity=
|Ship troops= |Ship troops=
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}} }}
|} |}
'''''Regulator''''' was a passenger-cargo sidewheel steamboat built in ], in 1864. Initially employed in service along the ] coast, she was sold in early 1865 and would spend the next two years in operation between Portland and ], Maine.


In mid-1866, ''Regulator'' was briefly chartered by the United States ] to help foil a raid on British Canadian territory from northern Maine, planned by the ]. After returning to commercial service in Maine, the steamer was sold in late 1866 for service in ]ian waters, where she arrived in 1867. Sold to foreign interests later that year, her subsequent disposition is effectively unknown.


⚫ == Construction and design ==
⚫ ''Regulator'', a wooden-], passenger-cargo sidewheel steamboat, was ordered by Massachusetts parties, who planned to put the steamer in service between ] and ].<ref name="launch"/> She was built at ] in the newly established shipyard of W. & A. Curtis, launched on 28 May 1864,<ref name="launch">{{cite news |title=Launch |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-launc/159655793/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1864-05-30 |page=3}}</ref> and completed the following August.<ref name="inservice">{{cite news |title=Original and Selected |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-in-se/159656205/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1864-08-13 |page=2}}</ref>


''Regulator'' was built of ] and ] with copper and iron fastenings.<ref name="lloyds1866">{{cite book |title=Lloyd's American Register of Shipping |date=1866 |publisher=Board of Underwriters |location=New York |page=}}</ref> Her ] featured a {{nautical term|billethead}}.<ref name="providence_registers">{{cite book |title=Ship Registers and Enrollments of Providence, Rhode Island 1773&ndash;1939 |date=1941 |volume=1: N–Z |publisher=The National Archives Project |location=Providence, RI |pages=}}</ref> She was {{convert|153|ft}} in length, with a ] of {{convert|26|ft}}, ] depth of {{convert|8|ft}} and draft of {{convert|5|ft}}.<ref name="lloyds1866"/> Her ] was 430.<ref name="lloyds1866"/> The '']'' described her at the time as a "beautiful little craft".<ref name="launch"/>


''Regulator'' was powered by a ] of unknown type,{{efn|The vast majority of sidewheel steamboats built in the ] at this time were powered by ] engines, but occasionally other types, such as ] engines, were used.}} built by the ] of that city.<ref name="launch"/> According to an 1864 news item, she was capable of a speed of {{convert|15|kn|lk=on}},<ref name="speed">{{cite news |title=The Class of Vessels Sent in Pursuit of the Tallahassee |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-daily-herald-regulator-15-knots/159605432/ |work=The New York Herald |date=1854-08-26 |page=9}}</ref> which would have made her a very fast vessel of her type for the era;{{efn|''Regulator''{{'s}} stablemate ''Harvest Moon'', for example, had a documented speed of 15 knots—the same as that claimed for ''Regulator''—but was widely cited in contemporaneous journals for her exceptional speed and was used as a dispatch boat and flag vessel during the civil war—uses typically reserved for the fastest class of vessels.}} however, later reports make no mention of exceptional speed.{{efn|Company advertisements describe her as a "fast" vessel, but no independent reports other than the 1864 item have been found.}} She was fitted with a single mast for emergency sail power.<ref name="providence_registers"/>


⚫ == Service history ==
=== Merchant service, 1864–1865 ===
''Regulator'' entered service in August 1864, on her originally intended route between Boston and Gloucester.<ref name="speed"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Original and Selected |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-in-se/159656205/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1864-08-13 |page=2}}</ref> The following February, however, she was purchased by ] of Boston to replace their steamer ''Lady Lang'' in ] service on the ] to ] route, after the latter vessel had been chartered to the government for use as a transport in the ongoing ].<ref name="langchartered1864">{{cite news |title=Local and Other Items |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-lady-lang/159592507/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1864-12-26 |page=3}}</ref><ref name="spearpurchase">{{cite news |title=Marine News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-chang/159605571/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1865-02-20 |page=2}}</ref><ref name="spearpurchase2">{{cite news |title=The Inside Route |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/159605756/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1865-02-23 |page=3}}</ref>


⚫ Before returning her to service, ''Regulator''{{'}}s new owners improved and expanded her passenger accommodations, adding a new saloon with 18 staterooms on her {{nautical term|aft|after}} promenade deck, and an additional 32 berths to the gentlemen's cabin.<ref name="revamp">{{cite news |title=Local and Other Items |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/159605876/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1865-03-08 |page=3}}</ref> The refreshment room was also converted to a forward cabin with additional berths.<ref name="revamp"/> After these modifications, the ], where the saloon was located, was completely enclosed.<ref name="lloyds1866"/> The steamer was also thoroughly cleaned and repainted.<ref name="revamp"/>


''Regulator'' entered service for her new owners on Wednesday, 15 March 1865.<ref name="first_trip">{{cite news |title=First Trip |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160081645/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |page=3}}</ref> Initially, the steamer was only able to travel as far north as ] on the ] due to river ice.<ref name="first_trip"/> Her schedule at this time consisted of two trips per week, departing Portland on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 6 am and returning from Winterport Mondays and Thursdays, again with a start time of 6 am.<ref name="first_ad1865">{{cite news |title=Portland & Penobscot River |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160081629/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1865-03-13 |page=2}}</ref> No mention of {{nautical term|way-landing}}s is made in early company advertisements,<ref name="first_ad1865"/> but typical stops on this route are known to have included ], ], ] and ],<ref name="farereduced65">{{cite news |title=Fare Reduced |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160081814/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1865-05-30 |page=2}}</ref><ref name="summer66"/> with ] included intermittently.<ref name="summer66"/><ref name="searsport1">{{cite news |title=For Searsport |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-seapo/160081704/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1865-04-14 |page=3}}</ref> At Portland, ''Regulator'' connected with steamers of the Portland Steamship Company continuing on to Boston, and also with the ] and ] railroads for Boston and intermediate stops.<ref name="summerschedule65">{{cite news |title=For Portland and Boston |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/159966208/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1865-04-22 |page=2}}</ref>
⚫ == Construction and design ==
⚫ ''Regulator'', a wooden-], passenger-cargo sidewheel steamboat, was ordered by Massachusetts parties who planned to put the steamer in service between ] and and built at ] in the newly established shipyard of W. & A. Curtis. She was launched on 28 May 1864, and completed the following August.


By late March, ice was clearing on the Penobscot,<ref name="ice_clearing1865">{{cite news |title=Local and Other Items |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160081683/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1865-03-31 |page=2}}</ref> and on Sunday, 2 April, ''Regulator'' was able to reach Bangor for the first time.<ref name="at_bangor1865">{{cite news |title=Arrivals |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160081672/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1865-04-03 |page=2}}</ref> Her schedule through the spring and summer thereafter was increased to three trips per week, departing Bangor at 6 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and returning to Portland the same days with a departure time of 10 pm.<ref name="summerschedule65"/> With Bangor now the terminus, Winterport became a way-landing, along with ].<ref name="summerschedule65"/> From June, through fares between Bangor and Boston were reduced from $5 (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|5|1866|fmt=c}} today) to $4, with fares between Bangor and Portland reduced from $4 to $3 and intermediate stops enjoying proportional reductions.<ref name="farereduced65"/>
''Regulator'' was built of ] and ] with copper and iron fastenings. She was {{convert|153|ft}} in length, with a ] of {{convert|26|ft}}, ] depth of {{convert|8|ft}} and draft of {{convert|5|ft}}. Her tonnage was 430. She was powered by a ] of unknown type,{{efn|The vast majority of American sidewheel steamboats at this time were powered by ] engines, but occasionally other types, such as ] engines, were used.}} built by the Portland Company of that city. The ''Portland Daily Press'' described her at the time as a "beautiful little craft".


In late October, ''Regulator''{{'s}} service was reduced to twice weekly, leaving Bangor at 6 am Mondays and Thursdays, and returning from Portland from 10 pm Mondays and Fridays.<ref name="twiceaweek65">{{cite news |title=Twice a Week |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160082870/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1865-10-27 |page=3}}</ref><ref name="fallschedule65">{{cite news |title=Portland and Penobscot River |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-fall/160082914/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1865-10-27 |page=2}}</ref> In early December, the steamer's northern terminus reverted to Winterport due to the presence of river ice.<ref name="winterschedule65">{{cite news |title=For Portland and Boston |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160083042/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1865-12-09 |page=2}}</ref>
⚫ == Service history ==


''Regulator'' made her last trip of the 1865 season on December 21.<ref name="lasttrip65">{{cite news |title=Local and Other Items |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/161414551/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1865-12-18 |page=3}}</ref> Over the course of the year, she had completed a total of 216 passages between Portland and Bangor, and was praised by the press for having done so without missing a single scheduled trip or causing any injury to either passengers or crew.<ref name="216trips65">{{cite news |title=Items of State News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-216-p/161414991/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1865-12-29 |page=2}}</ref>
''Regulator'' entered service in August 1864, on her originally intended route between ] and ]. The following February, however, she was purchased by ] of ], to replace their steamer ''Lady Lang'' on the Portland to ] route, after the latter vessel was chartered to the government for service as a transport in the ongoing civil war.


=== Merchant service, early 1866 ===
⚫ Before placing her in service, ''Regulator''{{'}}s new owners improved and expanded her passenger accommodations, adding a new saloon with 18 staterooms on her after promenade deck, and an additional 32 berths to the gentlemen's cabin.<ref name="revamp">{{cite news |title=Local and Other Items |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/159605876/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1865-03-08 |page=3}}</ref> The refreshment room was also converted to a forward cabin with additional berths. After these modifications, the ], where the saloon was located, was completely enclosed. The steamer was also thoroughly cleaned and repainted.

During the 1865–1866 winter off-season, ''Regulator'' was repainted, recarpeted and refitted, with the saloon extended further to incorporate six new staterooms.<ref name="refitwinter66">{{cite news |title=Steamer Regulator |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160083631/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1866-03-09 |page=2}}</ref> The steamer returned to service on Friday, March 2, running twice per week from Portland on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 pm, and returning from Winterport Mondays and Thursdays with a 6 am start, touching at all the regular way-landings both ways.<ref name="springschedule66">{{cite news |title=Steamers |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-sprin/161461893/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1866-03-02 |page=4}}</ref>

=== Fenian incident, April–May 1866 ===
{{multiple image
|width=100
|image1=George G. Meade Standing.jpg
|image2=Charles Hastings Doyle Province House Nova Scotia Canada.jpg
|footer=General ] (left) and Major-General ] co-ordinated a defense against the ] in a meeting aboard ''Regulator''
}}
In March 1866, news spread that the ], a group dedicated to the cause of ], was planning a series of raids from the United States against British colonies in ].<ref name="klein">{{cite journal |last1=Klein |first1=Christopher |title=When the Irish Invaded Canada |journal=Island Journal |date=2022 |url=https://www.islandinstitute.org/island-journal/when-the-irish-invaded-canada/ |publisher=Island Institute}}</ref> One of the planned raids was to be launched from ], to ], ].<ref name="klein"/> Fearing an international incident, U.S. President ] ordered Major-General ] to Eastport with a company of U.S. troops to prevent the raid occuring.<ref name="klein"/> To facilitate their movements, ] chartered ''Regulator'' between April 16 and 22 for the sum of $1,350 (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|1350|1866|fmt=c|r=-3}} today) and $250 (${{inflation|US|250|1866|fmt=c|r=-2}}) per day thereafter.<ref name="meadetoeastport">{{cite news |title=Arrival and Departure of Gen. Meade, with Troops for the Eastward |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-meade/160083867/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1866-04-19 |page=2}}</ref><ref name="charterdates">{{cite book |title=United States Congressional Serial Set 1346 |date=1868 |publisher=United States Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |page=84 (sequence 964) |chapter-url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b3985053?urlappend=%3Bseq=964%3Bownerid=9007199276156658-996 |chapter=Vessels Bought, Sold and Chartered by the United States}}</ref> Meade used the steamer to travel with the troops to Eastport on the 19th, where they seized a cache of arms belonging to the Fenians.<ref name="klein"/><ref name="thestandard"/>

Meade then traveled to ], aboard ''Regulator'' to consult with British Major-General ], who was organizing defenses on the Canadian side.<ref name="thestandard">{{cite news |title=America |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-standard-regulator-meade-and-boyle-m/160085862/ |work=The Standard |date=1866-05-03 |location=London, England |page=5}}</ref><ref name="meadetocalais">{{cite news |title=Interview Between General Meade and the British General Doyle &ndash; The Latter Trusting to General Meade to Maintain our Neutrality |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/baltimore-daily-commercial-regulator-mea/160083936/ |work=Baltimore Daily Commercial |date=1866-04-21 |page=1}}</ref> Meeting aboard the steamer, the two agreed that Meade would prevent a raid from Calais to ], while Doyle would deploy his own troops to defend ].<ref name="thestandard"/><ref name="meadetocalais"/> Discouraged by the response to their plans, the Fenians were forced to cancel their raid.<ref name="klein"/> With the threat thus neutralized, Meade returned to Portland aboard ''Regulator'' on May 3, the charter being terminated the following day and the steamer returned to her owners.<ref name="charterdates"/><ref name="meadetoboston">{{cite news |title=Termination of the Fenian War |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-patriot-news-regulator-fenian-incide/160084104/ |work=Patriot Union |date=1866-05-02 |location=Harrisburg, PA |page=2}}</ref>

=== Return to merchant service, 1866 ===

While ''Regulator'' had been under charter to the government, her stablemate ''Lady Lang'', which had recently been released from her own government charter,<ref name="ladylangreleased">{{cite news |title=Shipping Intelligence |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-norfolk-virginian-lady-lang-discharg/159592957/ |work=The Norfolk Virginian |date=1866-02-15 |location=Norfolk, VA |page=2}}</ref> had taken ''Regulator''{{'}}s place on the Portland–Bangor route.<ref name="ladyreplaces">{{cite news |title=Local and Other Items |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-lady-lang/160083970/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1866-04-21 |page=3}}</ref> With ''Regulator''{{'}}s return, the two steamers were able to provide a daily service on the route for the first time.<ref name="dunbaugh1992_p193">Dunbaugh 1992. p. 193.</ref><ref name="dailyservice_whig">{{cite news |title=Local and Other Items |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160086111/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1866-05-15 |page=3}}</ref> the two leaving Bangor for Portland on alternate days at 5 am Mondays through Saturdays,<ref name="summer66">{{cite news |title=Summer Arrangement, 1866 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160086165/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1866-05-18 |page=4}}</ref> beginning May 15.<ref name="dailyservice_whig"/>

In early August, ''Lady Lang'' suffered a broken ]<ref name="crankshaft">{{cite news |title=Accident to the Lady Lang |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-lady-lang/159593161/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1866-08-06 |page=3}}</ref> and was absent from the route for most of the month, leaving ''Regulator'' to maintain the service alone, running three times a week.<ref name="reg_alone_aug66">{{cite news |title=The Inside Route |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160086563/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1866-08-07 |page=3}}</ref> By late August, ''Lady Lang'' had returned and the daily service from Bangor was resumed,<ref>{{cite news |title=Steamers |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-lady-lang-retur/160086799/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1866-08-28 |page=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Special Notices |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160086661/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1866-08-25 |page=2}}</ref> with ''Regulator'' also finding time to add an all-day excursion to ] on Monday the 27th.<ref>{{cite news |title=Excursion to Mount Desert |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/161557866/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1866-08-27 |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Grand Excursion to Mount Desert |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160086614/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1866-08-25 |page=2}}</ref>

At around midnight on 6 September, ''Regulator'' struck a rock in thick fog near the ] and began taking water, forcing her to return to Portland.<ref>{{cite news |title=Accident to the Steamer Regulator |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-times-regulator-accid/160087015/ |work=The Brooklyn Daily Times |date=1866-09-06 |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Accident to Steamer Regulator |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-accid/160998658/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1866-09-06 |page=1}}</ref> She was repaired at a ] marine railway.<ref name="repairs">{{cite news |title=Local and State Items |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-regulator/160087098/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1866-09-08 |page=3}}</ref> In spite of the damage being only relatively minor,<ref name="repairs"/> ''Regulator'' would not return to service on the route, ''Lady Lang'' evidently being found sufficient to meet declining demand with the approach of winter.

=== Sale and later history ===

By August 1866, Charles Spear, ''Regulator''{{'s}} principal owner, was running into increasing financial difficulty through disputes over contracts signed with the federal government during the war, and would eventually be forced into bankruptcy. On December 19, a few days after ''Lady Lang''{{'s}} final trip of the season, it was announced that both she and ''Regulator'' had been sold to the South American Navigation and Marine Railway Company of New York for service in South American waters,<ref name="providence_registers"/><ref name="sold_prov_parana">{{cite news |title=Varieties |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-lady-lang-regu/159593715/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1866-12-19 |page=1}}</ref> with ''Regulator''{{'s}} sale price being $60,000 (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|60000|1866|fmt=c|r=-3}} today).<ref name="sold60k">{{cite news |title=Marine News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-sold/160087498/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1867-02-07 |page=2}}</ref> Soon after, both steamers traveled to ], to be refitted for their new role.<ref name="sold_prov_parana"/>

The two steamers departed Providence on May 18, 1867, for ] via ] and ],<ref>{{cite news |title=Domestic Ports |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-regulator-to-mo/161704129/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1867-05-21 |page=2}}</ref><ref name="tobuenosaires">{{cite news |title=Foreign Ports |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-portland-daily-press-providence-to-b/161003957/ |work=Portland Daily Press |date=1867-06-17 |page=2}}</ref> but on the 26th, encountered a severe gale in the ] and were forced to run deeper into the ] for about 18 hours.<ref name="gale">{{cite news |title=Local and Maine Items |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bangor-daily-whig-and-courier-lady-lang/159593850/ |work=Bangor Daily Whig and Courier |date=1867-06-24 |page=4}}</ref> Finally, fearing they were being driven too far east, both steamers dropped anchor to try and hold their position.<ref name="gale"/> ''Lady Lang''{{'s}} anchor held, but ''Regulator''{{'s}} dragged and her captain was forced to cut the ] and run before the storm again for another {{convert|100|mi}}.<ref name="gale"/> ''Lady Lang'' eventually reached Saint Thomas on the 31st and ''Regulator'' the following day.<ref name="gale"/>

Although both steamers had originally been slated for operation on the ],<ref name="sold_prov_parana"/> on arrival at Buenos Aires they were instead placed in coastal service between ] and ], including intermediate stops.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Brazils |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-perthshire-advertiser-etc-regulato/161704748/ |work=Perthshire Advertiser |date=1867-08-22 |location=Perth, Scotland |page=4}}</ref>

On December 4, 1867, ''Regulator'' was sold to foreign interests.<ref name="providence_registers"/> Apart from an insurance reassessment completed at New York in January 1870,<ref>{{cite book |title=American Lloyd's Register of American and Foreign Shipping |date=1871 |publisher=Society of American Lloyd's |location=New York |page=28 |chapter-url=https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l0237571871/#870 |chapter=Steamers}}</ref> her subsequent disposition is unknown.<ref name="lytle">{{cite book |last=Lytle |first=William M. |last2=Holdcamper |first2=Forrest H. |editor1-last=Mitchell |editor1-first=C. Bradford |date=1975 |title=Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1790–1868 (The Lytle-Holdcamper List) |url= |location=], New York |publisher=The Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc |page=182}} {{OCLC|22040526}}</ref>


== Footnotes == == Footnotes ==
{{notelist}} {{notelist}}
== References == == References ==
{{reflist}} {{reflist|30em}}
=== Sources ===
* {{cite book |last=Dunbaugh |first=Edwin L. |date=1992 |title=Night Boat to New England 1815–1900 |location=Westport, CT |publisher=Greenwood Press}} {{OCLC|24065509}}




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=== refs === === refs ===

* ]
* meade capture of arms
* charter dates
* sold foreign 1867







* charter list
* webster charter dates

Latest revision as of 12:40, 29 December 2024

Regulator
History
Owner
OperatorAs for owners, except: USQMD (Apr–May 1866)
Route
BuilderW. & A. Curtis (Portland, ME)
Launched28 May 1864
CompletedAug 1864
Maiden voyageAug 1864
Homeport
  • Boston, MA (1864)
  • Portland, ME (1865–66)
IdentificationOfficial No. 21548
FateSold foreign, 1867; subsequent disposition unknown
General characteristics
TypePassenger-cargo steamboat
Tonnage430 grt
Length153 ft (47 m)
Beam26 ft (7.9 m)
Draft5 ft (1.5 m)
Depth of hold8 ft (2.4 m)
Decks1
Installed powerSteam engine
PropulsionSidewheels
Speed15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) (estimate)

Regulator was a passenger-cargo sidewheel steamboat built in Portland, Maine, in 1864. Initially employed in service along the Massachusetts coast, she was sold in early 1865 and would spend the next two years in operation between Portland and Bangor, Maine.

In mid-1866, Regulator was briefly chartered by the United States Quartermaster's Department to help foil a raid on British Canadian territory from northern Maine, planned by the Fenian Brotherhood. After returning to commercial service in Maine, the steamer was sold in late 1866 for service in Brazilian waters, where she arrived in 1867. Sold to foreign interests later that year, her subsequent disposition is effectively unknown.

Construction and design

Regulator, a wooden-hulled, passenger-cargo sidewheel steamboat, was ordered by Massachusetts parties, who planned to put the steamer in service between Boston and Gloucester, Massachusetts. She was built at Portland, Maine in the newly established shipyard of W. & A. Curtis, launched on 28 May 1864, and completed the following August.

Regulator was built of white oak and hackmatack with copper and iron fastenings. Her bow featured a billethead. She was 153 feet (47 m) in length, with a beam of 26 feet (7.9 m), hold depth of 8 feet (2.4 m) and draft of 5 feet (1.5 m). Her gross register tonnage was 430. The Portland Daily Press described her at the time as a "beautiful little craft".

Regulator was powered by a steam engine of unknown type, built by the Portland Company of that city. According to an 1864 news item, she was capable of a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), which would have made her a very fast vessel of her type for the era; however, later reports make no mention of exceptional speed. She was fitted with a single mast for emergency sail power.

Service history

Merchant service, 1864–1865

Regulator entered service in August 1864, on her originally intended route between Boston and Gloucester. The following February, however, she was purchased by Spear, Lang & Delano of Boston to replace their steamer Lady Lang in Maine service on the Portland to Bangor route, after the latter vessel had been chartered to the government for use as a transport in the ongoing American Civil War.

Before returning her to service, Regulator's new owners improved and expanded her passenger accommodations, adding a new saloon with 18 staterooms on her after promenade deck, and an additional 32 berths to the gentlemen's cabin. The refreshment room was also converted to a forward cabin with additional berths. After these modifications, the main deck, where the saloon was located, was completely enclosed. The steamer was also thoroughly cleaned and repainted.

Regulator entered service for her new owners on Wednesday, 15 March 1865. Initially, the steamer was only able to travel as far north as Winterport on the Penobscot River due to river ice. Her schedule at this time consisted of two trips per week, departing Portland on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 6 am and returning from Winterport Mondays and Thursdays, again with a start time of 6 am. No mention of way-landings is made in early company advertisements, but typical stops on this route are known to have included Bucksport, Belfast, Camden and Rockland, with Searsport included intermittently. At Portland, Regulator connected with steamers of the Portland Steamship Company continuing on to Boston, and also with the Boston and Maine and Eastern railroads for Boston and intermediate stops.

By late March, ice was clearing on the Penobscot, and on Sunday, 2 April, Regulator was able to reach Bangor for the first time. Her schedule through the spring and summer thereafter was increased to three trips per week, departing Bangor at 6 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and returning to Portland the same days with a departure time of 10 pm. With Bangor now the terminus, Winterport became a way-landing, along with Hampden. From June, through fares between Bangor and Boston were reduced from $5 (equivalent to $104 today) to $4, with fares between Bangor and Portland reduced from $4 to $3 and intermediate stops enjoying proportional reductions.

In late October, Regulator's service was reduced to twice weekly, leaving Bangor at 6 am Mondays and Thursdays, and returning from Portland from 10 pm Mondays and Fridays. In early December, the steamer's northern terminus reverted to Winterport due to the presence of river ice.

Regulator made her last trip of the 1865 season on December 21. Over the course of the year, she had completed a total of 216 passages between Portland and Bangor, and was praised by the press for having done so without missing a single scheduled trip or causing any injury to either passengers or crew.

Merchant service, early 1866

During the 1865–1866 winter off-season, Regulator was repainted, recarpeted and refitted, with the saloon extended further to incorporate six new staterooms. The steamer returned to service on Friday, March 2, running twice per week from Portland on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 pm, and returning from Winterport Mondays and Thursdays with a 6 am start, touching at all the regular way-landings both ways.

Fenian incident, April–May 1866

General George Meade (left) and Major-General Charles Doyle co-ordinated a defense against the Fenians in a meeting aboard Regulator

In March 1866, news spread that the Fenian Brotherhood, a group dedicated to the cause of Irish independence, was planning a series of raids from the United States against British colonies in Canada. One of the planned raids was to be launched from Eastport, Maine, to Campobello Island, New Brunswick. Fearing an international incident, U.S. President Andrew Johnson ordered Major-General George Meade to Eastport with a company of U.S. troops to prevent the raid occuring. To facilitate their movements, federal authorities chartered Regulator between April 16 and 22 for the sum of $1,350 (equivalent to $28,000 today) and $250 ($5,200) per day thereafter. Meade used the steamer to travel with the troops to Eastport on the 19th, where they seized a cache of arms belonging to the Fenians.

Meade then traveled to Calais, Maine, aboard Regulator to consult with British Major-General Charles Hastings Doyle, who was organizing defenses on the Canadian side. Meeting aboard the steamer, the two agreed that Meade would prevent a raid from Calais to St. Stephen, while Doyle would deploy his own troops to defend St. Andrews. Discouraged by the response to their plans, the Fenians were forced to cancel their raid. With the threat thus neutralized, Meade returned to Portland aboard Regulator on May 3, the charter being terminated the following day and the steamer returned to her owners.

Return to merchant service, 1866

While Regulator had been under charter to the government, her stablemate Lady Lang, which had recently been released from her own government charter, had taken Regulator's place on the Portland–Bangor route. With Regulator's return, the two steamers were able to provide a daily service on the route for the first time. the two leaving Bangor for Portland on alternate days at 5 am Mondays through Saturdays, beginning May 15.

In early August, Lady Lang suffered a broken crankshaft and was absent from the route for most of the month, leaving Regulator to maintain the service alone, running three times a week. By late August, Lady Lang had returned and the daily service from Bangor was resumed, with Regulator also finding time to add an all-day excursion to Mount Desert Island on Monday the 27th.

At around midnight on 6 September, Regulator struck a rock in thick fog near the Portland Light and began taking water, forcing her to return to Portland. She was repaired at a Cape Elizabeth marine railway. In spite of the damage being only relatively minor, Regulator would not return to service on the route, Lady Lang evidently being found sufficient to meet declining demand with the approach of winter.

Sale and later history

By August 1866, Charles Spear, Regulator's principal owner, was running into increasing financial difficulty through disputes over contracts signed with the federal government during the war, and would eventually be forced into bankruptcy. On December 19, a few days after Lady Lang's final trip of the season, it was announced that both she and Regulator had been sold to the South American Navigation and Marine Railway Company of New York for service in South American waters, with Regulator's sale price being $60,000 (equivalent to $1,249,000 today). Soon after, both steamers traveled to Providence, Rhode Island, to be refitted for their new role.

The two steamers departed Providence on May 18, 1867, for Buenos Aires via Saint Thomas and Montevideo, but on the 26th, encountered a severe gale in the Gulf Stream and were forced to run deeper into the North Atlantic Ocean for about 18 hours. Finally, fearing they were being driven too far east, both steamers dropped anchor to try and hold their position. Lady Lang's anchor held, but Regulator's dragged and her captain was forced to cut the hawser and run before the storm again for another 100 miles (160 km). Lady Lang eventually reached Saint Thomas on the 31st and Regulator the following day.

Although both steamers had originally been slated for operation on the Parana River, on arrival at Buenos Aires they were instead placed in coastal service between Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina, including intermediate stops.

On December 4, 1867, Regulator was sold to foreign interests. Apart from an insurance reassessment completed at New York in January 1870, her subsequent disposition is unknown.

Footnotes

  1. The vast majority of sidewheel steamboats built in the eastern United States at this time were powered by walking beam engines, but occasionally other types, such as inclined engines, were used.
  2. Regulator's stablemate Harvest Moon, for example, had a documented speed of 15 knots—the same as that claimed for Regulator—but was widely cited in contemporaneous journals for her exceptional speed and was used as a dispatch boat and flag vessel during the civil war—uses typically reserved for the fastest class of vessels.
  3. Company advertisements describe her as a "fast" vessel, but no independent reports other than the 1864 item have been found.

References

  1. ^ Lytle, William M.; Holdcamper, Forrest H. (1975). Mitchell, C. Bradford (ed.). Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1790–1868 (The Lytle-Holdcamper List). Staten Island, New York: The Steamship Historical Society of America, Inc. p. 182. OCLC 22040526
  2. ^ "Launch". Portland Daily Press. 1864-05-30. p. 3.
  3. "Original and Selected". Portland Daily Press. 1864-08-13. p. 2.
  4. ^ Lloyd's American Register of Shipping. New York: Board of Underwriters. 1866. p. 675.
  5. ^ Ship Registers and Enrollments of Providence, Rhode Island 1773–1939. Vol. 1: N–Z. Providence, RI: The National Archives Project. 1941. pp. 897–898.
  6. ^ "The Class of Vessels Sent in Pursuit of the Tallahassee". The New York Herald. 1854-08-26. p. 9.
  7. "Original and Selected". Portland Daily Press. 1864-08-13. p. 2.
  8. "Local and Other Items". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1864-12-26. p. 3.
  9. "Marine News". Portland Daily Press. 1865-02-20. p. 2.
  10. "The Inside Route". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1865-02-23. p. 3.
  11. ^ "Local and Other Items". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1865-03-08. p. 3.
  12. ^ "First Trip". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. p. 3.
  13. ^ "Portland & Penobscot River". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1865-03-13. p. 2.
  14. ^ "Fare Reduced". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1865-05-30. p. 2.
  15. ^ "Summer Arrangement, 1866". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1866-05-18. p. 4.
  16. "For Searsport". Portland Daily Press. 1865-04-14. p. 3.
  17. ^ "For Portland and Boston". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1865-04-22. p. 2.
  18. "Local and Other Items". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1865-03-31. p. 2.
  19. "Arrivals". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1865-04-03. p. 2.
  20. "Twice a Week". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1865-10-27. p. 3.
  21. "Portland and Penobscot River". Portland Daily Press. 1865-10-27. p. 2.
  22. "For Portland and Boston". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1865-12-09. p. 2.
  23. "Local and Other Items". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1865-12-18. p. 3.
  24. "Items of State News". Portland Daily Press. 1865-12-29. p. 2.
  25. "Steamer Regulator". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1866-03-09. p. 2.
  26. "Steamers". Portland Daily Press. 1866-03-02. p. 4.
  27. ^ Klein, Christopher (2022). "When the Irish Invaded Canada". Island Journal. Island Institute.
  28. "Arrival and Departure of Gen. Meade, with Troops for the Eastward". Portland Daily Press. 1866-04-19. p. 2.
  29. ^ "Vessels Bought, Sold and Chartered by the United States". United States Congressional Serial Set 1346. Washington, D.C.: United States Congress. 1868. p. 84 (sequence 964).
  30. ^ "America". The Standard. London, England. 1866-05-03. p. 5.
  31. ^ "Interview Between General Meade and the British General Doyle – The Latter Trusting to General Meade to Maintain our Neutrality". Baltimore Daily Commercial. 1866-04-21. p. 1.
  32. "Termination of the Fenian War". Patriot Union. Harrisburg, PA. 1866-05-02. p. 2.
  33. "Shipping Intelligence". The Norfolk Virginian. Norfolk, VA. 1866-02-15. p. 2.
  34. "Local and Other Items". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1866-04-21. p. 3.
  35. Dunbaugh 1992. p. 193.
  36. ^ "Local and Other Items". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1866-05-15. p. 3.
  37. "Accident to the Lady Lang". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1866-08-06. p. 3.
  38. "The Inside Route". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1866-08-07. p. 3.
  39. "Steamers". Portland Daily Press. 1866-08-28. p. 5.
  40. "Special Notices". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1866-08-25. p. 2.
  41. "Excursion to Mount Desert". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1866-08-27. p. 3.
  42. "Grand Excursion to Mount Desert". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1866-08-25. p. 2.
  43. "Accident to the Steamer Regulator". The Brooklyn Daily Times. 1866-09-06. p. 3.
  44. "Accident to Steamer Regulator". Portland Daily Press. 1866-09-06. p. 1.
  45. ^ "Local and State Items". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1866-09-08. p. 3.
  46. ^ "Varieties". Portland Daily Press. 1866-12-19. p. 1.
  47. "Marine News". Portland Daily Press. 1867-02-07. p. 2.
  48. "Domestic Ports". Portland Daily Press. 1867-05-21. p. 2.
  49. "Foreign Ports". Portland Daily Press. 1867-06-17. p. 2.
  50. ^ "Local and Maine Items". Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. 1867-06-24. p. 4.
  51. "The Brazils". Perthshire Advertiser. Perth, Scotland. 1867-08-22. p. 4.
  52. "Steamers". American Lloyd's Register of American and Foreign Shipping. New York: Society of American Lloyd's. 1871. p. 28.

Sources

  • Dunbaugh, Edwin L. (1992). Night Boat to New England 1815–1900. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. OCLC 24065509


Category:1864 ships Category:Ships built by W. & A. Curtis Category:Ships built in Portland, Maine Category:Steam vessels of Spear, Lang & Delano Category:Steamboats of Maine Category:Steamboats of Massachusetts Category:Steamboats of Brazil Category:Transports of the United States Quartermaster's Department



refs

  • Fenian raids
  • meade capture of arms
  • charter dates
  • sold foreign 1867




  • charter list
  • webster charter dates