Biography of Isaac Webb
(8 September 1794 – 14 January 1840)
19th-century shipbuilder, owner and founder of the Isaac Webb & Co. Shipyard. He was one of the founders of shipbuilding in the United States.
| Isaac Webb | |
| Born | September 8, 1794 Stamford, Connecticut |
| Died | January 14, 1840 New York City |
| Occupation | Shipbuilder |
| Children | William Henry Webb, Eckford Webb |
Early life
Isaac Webb was born in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, on September 8, 1794. He was the son of Wilsey Webb and Sarah Jessup. Isaac and Phebe had four children. Their son, Eckford Webb was named after the shipbuilder, Henry Eckford. His son, William H. Webb, became a shipbuilder.
In September 1810, Henry Eckford took on the 16-year-old Isaac Webb as an apprentice at his shipyard in New York. In the following years, Eckford would take on many other apprentices who would become important naval architects and shipbuilders, including Jacob Bell, William Bennett, David Brown, Andrew Craft, John Dimon, John Englis, Thomas Megson, Stephen Smith, and Sidney Wright.
He founded the Isaac Webb & Co. Shipyard
After completing his training Webb opened his own shipyard, Isaac Webb & Co., near Corlears Hook, New York City in about 1818, later relocating to Stanton Street. In 1822, Isaac Webb built the three-masted ship Superior for the Black Ball Line.
Death
On 14 January 1840, Webb died in New York City, at the age of 46, of inflammation of the lungs.
Major Contribution
He invested heavily in innovative marine architecture, and even promoting the concept of new ideas in ship construction.