author
Howard Irving Chapelle
1901–1975
A leading voice in American maritime history, this naval architect and historian spent his life studying how ships were built, used, and remembered. His books helped generations of readers picture the working craft, sailing vessels, and naval designs that shaped the United States at sea.
4 Audiobooks
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America
by Tappan Adney, Howard Irving Chapelle
Fulton's "Steam Battery": Blockship and Catamaran
by Howard Irving Chapelle
The Migrations of an American Boat Type
by Howard Irving Chapelle
About the author
Born on February 1, 1901, Howard Irving Chapelle grew up around the maritime world of New Haven, Connecticut, and set his sights early on designing small boats. He studied naval architecture at the Webb Institute and began working in shipbuilding and marine design in the years after 1919.
Chapelle combined practical design experience with deep historical research. During the 1930s he was involved with efforts to document older American vessels, and later he became a leading curator and historian at the Smithsonian Institution, where he served in the field of transportation and maritime history. He retired as Historian Emeritus in 1971.
He is best remembered for influential books and articles on ship design, maritime history, and traditional American small craft. Works such as American Small Sailing Craft and The History of American Sailing Ships made him an important guide for historians, model makers, boatbuilders, and anyone curious about the craft and culture of life on the water.