Thomas Francis McManus (September 11, 1856November 14, 1938) was a fish merchant who became a naval architect, responsible for introducing the shortened bowsprit and long stern overhang to give speed to his vessels. He was well known for revolutionizing the Gloucester fishing schooner. He made the fastest vessels of their type in the world and was honored on two continents for his skill as a naval architect. He became known as the "Father of the Fishermen's Races." 500 fishing schooners used his designs to improve speed. He was a friend of Sir Thomas Lipton and President Theodore Roosevelt.
Family
McManus was born in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts on September 11, 1856, one of five children of John H. McManus, (1822-1893), an Irish-born sailmaker from Fingal, and Margaret "Meg" Harriet Sweetman (1829-1884). The couple were married on May 26, 1853, in Boston. John McManus' parents were Charles McManus and Ann Herbert, who brought his family to America during the 1846 sailing season.
John H. McManus
John H. McManus owned McManus & Son, which was chosen by Edward Burgess to furnish the sails for the Puritan, a 19th-century racing yacht and the 1885 America's Cup defender. Burgess chose McManus again when the Mayflower was built and won the sixth America's Cup in 1886 against Scottish challenger Galatea. Other yachts that wore the sails cut by McManus were the America, Halcyon, and Sachem. He built the Joseph Henry (1860), Sylph (1865), Actress (1871), Sarah H. Prior (1882), John H. McManus (1885), and the A. S. and R. Hammond (1884).
John McManus died on October 11, 1893, in Charlestown, Boston of pneumonia. His funeral was at St. Mary's church in Charlestown and burial at the Calvary Cemetery.
Youth
Thomas McManus spent much of his youth at the waterfront in boats and visits with the merchants at the Boston wharfs. He studied ship construction under Dennison J. Lawlor, who was friends with the McManus family that lasted half a century. Formal education was at the English High School and at Comer's Commercial College in Boston, a business and stenography school. After college, he took a job as a clerk in local fish store on Atlantic Avenue.
McManus married Catharine Agnes Cokeley of Charlestown, Boston on September 10, 1878. They had 12 children.
Career
McManus was a fish merchant who had a great interest in boat racing and boat design. In 1876, he went into business with Charley Lampee and opened a wholesale and retail fish market at No. 13 Commercial Wharf. The name changed to McManus & Co., when Lampee left the business in 1879.
He revolutionized the Gloucester fishing schooner and made it the fastest vessel of its type in the world. He was honored on two continents for his skill as a naval architect. To his credit, McManus helped design 500 fishing schooners. Among the most notable McManus-designed boats, are the Imperator; Kernwood, renamed the Trenton (1907); the Rose Dorothea, which won the Lipton Cup in 1907 with its “Indian Head” design; the Henry Ford, winner of the Lipton Cup at Gloucester in 1924; the Experanto, winner of the Halifax Herald Cup; the Oriole; the Regina, well known for her speed; the Elizabeth Howard, called the White Ghost; and Little Dan, named for a celebrated halibut fisherman.
The L. A. Dunton, built in 1921, was modeled after the ship Joffre designed by McManus. The Dunton is now a National Historic Landmark fishing schooner and exhibit located at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut.
Technique
McManus used a unique design innovation where he shortened the bowsprit and increased the stern overhang to give speed to his vessels. Nearly every fishing schooner today carries the McManus lines. Two of his models, the James S. Steele and the Helen B. Thomas are at the Smithsonian Institution. He later took away the bowsprit, which helped in speed and safety.
Fishermen's races
In May 1886, McManus and John Malcolm Forbes sponsored a race between the pilot-boat Hesper and the fishing schooner John H. McManus. The race was from Boston to Gloucester, rounding the buoy off Eastern Point Light. Eleven fishing schooners took part in the Fishermen's Race. The race was well advertised. The Hesper won the silver cup and the John H. McManus won the $100 purse.