DSK wrote:
Jeff Morris wrote:

The anchors, cleats, winches and numerous other fittings known as
"Herreshoff" were designed by Captain Nat Herreshoff, largely in the
1890's.
....

IIRC he and his brother John were both graduates of MIT and enthusiastic
sailors. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company started out as a caster of
small metal machine parts and then produced a very efficient multi-fuel
water-tube boiler. They built sailboats for themselves and that turned
out to be the direction their business grew...

Captain Nat was a brilliant engineer, I'm sure he would have been a
notable contributor to any field he had decided to enter. As for how he
spelled his name, I'm not inclined to make a big deal out of it but if
some people are, they should make an effort to get it right.

Cap Nat never graduated - he took a three year special course but
never actually got a degree. I'm not sure if his brother went to MIT
or Brown - I'll look that up.

As for spelling his name correctly, that's a matter of common respect.
As the greatest Naval Architect of his time, and perhaps all time, I
think he deserves that, especially from sailors.

BTW, someone commented on the "gender" of L. Francis' middle name. I
think it was actually a family name. Nat's grandfather had married
the daughter of John Brown (of Brown University) who was related to
Governor Francis of Rhode Island. Nat's mother came from several
prominent Boston families, and Nat himself was named for the
Revolutionary War general who was Washington's second in command and
his father's best friend. Definitely good breeding.