Isaac Webb (shipbuilder)

Isaac Webb was born in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, on September 8, 1794. He was the son of Wilsey Webb and Sarah Jessup.^[3][2] 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.^[4]

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.^[5]

Webb eventually took on a partner, John Allen, and the shipyard was renamed Webb & Allen in 1825.^[6][7] The shipyard continued to operate in the 1830s. The packet ship Natchez, was built by Web in 1831 for Captain Waterman.^[2] The pilot-boat John McKeon, was built in 1838 by Webb & Allen for the New Jersey pilots.^[8][9]

For the first couple of years at the helm, the Webb & Allen shipyard, relocated between Fifth and Seventh Streets on the East River, built a variety of mostly small sailing ships, including ferries, sloops and schooners.

Two other apprentices, Jacob Bell and David Brown founded the Brown & Bell shipyard in New York and built the famous sidewheel steamer USS Jacob Bell.