[An exceptional archive of sail plans, blueprints, hull body plans, specifications, manuscript documents, clippings, autographed letters, and other documents tracing the Mabry’s career as a draftsman and naval architect with some of the greatest yacht racing designers and shipbuilders on the East and West Coasts through the first four decades of the 20th century, including William Gardner, John G. Alden, and partnering with William Lambie of Los Angeles].

[New York & Brooklyn, NY; Boston, MA, Wilmington, CA, San Pedro, CA, Los Angeles, CA: Curtis D. Mabry, Lambie & Mabry, William Gardner, John G. Alden, et al, [1907-1940]. 24 cyanotype blueprints, diazo blueprints, manuscript blueprints on linen oilskin paper, some on glassine, sized from 11.5 x 12.5 in. up to 27 x 94 in., w/ several sized primarily between 16 x 27.75 in. to 22 x 48 in., nearly all w/ draftsman specifications w/in the image, many w/ pencil or grease pencil annotations and/or markings at margins of blueprints, or on versos, several signed w/in image, and separately by Mabry (chipping & edgewear to most, the largest piece on glassine diazo paper is quite fragile and chipped, w/ minor losses, many w/ minor closed tears, a couple w/ slight fading), still VG- grouping. Eighteen “Specifications & Block Lists,” most folio. 11 x 13 in., some typescript, others mimeographed, and several blueprint, w/ nearly all clasped at upper margin: C, 14 leaves; 42 leaves; E, 38 leaves; 14, [1] leaves; [2], 8 leaves; [15 leaves (unnumbered).] - 2 copies; [5 leaves (unnumbered).]; [5 leaves (unnumbered).]; 7, [2] leaves; [6 leaves (unnumbered).]; 5, [1] leaves; [2], 25, 4 leaves -- 2 copies; 2, 8 leaves; 8 leaves; 10 leaves; 5 leaves (nearly all stapled to backing paper as issued. File folder containing over 50 offprint clippings for sail plans, newspaper clippings, 4 TLS & ALS (2 on letterhead), 1 5 x 7 in. photo of Mabry, and more. These extraordinary sail plans, designs, specifications, and clippings trace the career arc of a marine architect career with some of the most significant yacht and ship designers in New York and Boston, and Southern California. Mabry (1882-1949) launched his career with the storied Gardner & Cox Naval Architects of New York, later William Gardner, as chief draftsman, and later inspector for the firm. He was responsible for designing the earliest version of the Star Class keelboat which produced a large chunk of the top U.S. sailors for years, and served as pipeline for training America’s Cup Racers, as one of the older one-design classes. His initial design made its regatta debut on Long Island in the Spring of 1907, which was then adapted by storied designer Francis Sweisguth who adapted the size of the hull and sail plan. This archive includes the blueprint Hull Body Plan, Lines, and Sail Plan for the Cyric, a Class “S” 32 foot sloop built for Eldon H. Trimingham, which raced for the LIpton Cup on Gravesend Bay, and later carried the Trimingham colours until the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club brought in a fleet of seven one-design sloops in 1925. It later raced in the 1930 International Yacht Races. Also included are the Block List, Body Plan, and Lines for Hull No. 254 by Gardner which was a 46 foot Class “S” finished in 1912 originally for Seward Prosser who also owned the yacht Constance. Of additional significance are the Hull Plans and Specifications for the Larchmont “O” Class sloops built in 1917 with six sister ships -- Georgia, Varuna, Nimbus, Grey Dawn, Maisie, and Betty with all except for the Varuna fitted with Gaff rigs. The Varuna fitted with a groundbreaking Marconi Rig proved to be the fastest design at the close of World War I. The tragic Sea Call, one of yachting’s greatest schooners as well as one of its greatest lost opportunities is well represented here including the Main Mast Head, Mizzen Mast Head, Sail Plan designs, together with the typescript Block List. In the design Gardner specified a combination of vanadium steel and monel metal which resulted in violent electrolysis and within three weeks of her first sea trial the decision was made to scrap her. She was designed to hold 10-12 guests, with a private owner’s deckhouse. During World War I subsequent to working on the Larchmont “O” Class for Gardner, Mabry contracted with J.F. Duthne & Co. in Seattle as chief draftsman, and after the War set up in Los Angeles as a Naval Architect. While working for the Los Angeles Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., he drafted the designs, and plans for the Steamers “Yale” & “Harvard” which had originally served as coastal steamers for the Admiral Line with the Pacific Steamship Co., and taken into Government Service during World War I, and then purchased and rebuilt by Harry & Ralph Chandler forming the LS Steamship Co. and operating subsequently as popular steamships on the Pacific Coast. SS Yale was later scrapped in 1949. Included with this archive is a manuscript Hull Design signed by Mabry. In 1925, he also designs the plan for a Los Angeles Fireboat, with manuscript plan and Mabry’s signature included here dated June 13, 1925. He then contracts with the famed yacht designer John G. Alden in Boston. Specifications for No. 274, the Waterline Auxiliary Ketch “Danai” which was designed and built in 1926, built by Kenneth McAlpine of Shelbourne, N.S., Canada, and was later renamed Wawa, Valdora, Nira, and Polaris. Of significance is the specifications for Hull No. 435 “Puritan” designed by Mabry and commissioned by Edward Brown, and built as a 126 foot gaff-rigged schooner. The Yacht still serves as a charter vessel with the Classic Yacht Experience after extended refit in 2015. Sometime between 1929 and 1930, Mabry partners with noted Southern California Naval Architect, William Lambie, and their partnership would last about two years. The pair would design many power yacht designs, including a fast 88 foot cruiser, a 55 foot schooner, a cruiser for N. Paul Whittier of Hollywood, CA, and 110 foot steel auxiliary schooner for H. Wilhelm Rohl, who also owned at the time the famed Te Vega yacht. They may be best remembered for designing the glass bottomed “Phoenix” the popular sightseeing side-wheeler paddle boat for tourists sightseeing over the undersea gardens of Santa Catalina Island. Lambie (1886-1963) was a Scottish-American Southern California naval architect who had worked with Southwestern Shipbuilding, then with the Seacraft Corporation, and well known as the designer of the popular Lambie propellers whose efficiency was first recognized when installed on the SS Catalina. The letters included in this archive reflect the impact of the Great Depression and the Stock Market Crash on shipbuilding, with the owner of the Philadelphia based Tunnel & Mine Machinery Co. lamenting that “It has been pretty stringent this year, but some of my things are showing signs of coming back . . . which may enable me to complete Sapphire Seas.” While the letter sent by Lambie to W.F. McMahon in Riverside, California explaining how he unwittingly may have offended Mabry his former partner, as well as Mr. McMahon over the proposed design and build of a yacht in 1932. Mabry would remain in Los Angeles until the mid-1930s before moving again to the East Coast to work for the Cramp Shipbuilding Co. in Philadelphia, and then later the EB Company in New London, CT. Worldcat lists no copies, or examples of designs by Curtis Darling Mabry, or for the firm Lambie & Mabrie; See: The Big White Steamer, The Branding Iron, Los Angeles Westerners Corral, No. 101 (1971), pp. 5-7; Martin Cox, Los Angeles Steamship Company (2010); Francis Sweisguth, William Gardner, Yacht Designer; John Valois, The Centennial History of the Woods Hole Yacht Club (1996).