author
Howard Irving Chapelle
1901–1975
Best known for bringing America’s working boats to life on the page, this naval architect and maritime historian combined hands-on design experience with a deep love of seafaring history. His books helped preserve the shapes, stories, and practical wisdom of small craft that were rapidly disappearing.
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 in 1901, Howard Irving Chapelle grew up around the busy waterfront culture of New Haven, Connecticut, and developed an early fascination with boats. He began working as a marine apprentice and designer in 1919, later striking out on his own in 1936 as a naval architect and producing designs for fishing craft, yachts, and other small vessels.
Chapelle became especially admired for studying and documenting traditional American watercraft at a time when many of them were vanishing from everyday use. He wrote widely on maritime history and marine architecture, and American Small Sailing Craft is often singled out as one of his best-known books. His work is still valued by boatbuilders, historians, and readers who love the practical details of ships and sailing.
In 1957 he joined the Smithsonian as Curator in the Division of Transportation, later serving as Senior Historian, and retired in 1971 as Historian Emeritus. During those years he helped shape major maritime interpretation at the museum, including the planning and construction of hundreds of ship models for the Hall of Merchant Shipping. He died in 1975.