Sailing Schooner Thomas W. Lawson,
1902 - 1907
The Thomas W. Lawson was the world’s
largest and only seven-masted sailing schooner ever built.
She is a famous chapter in America’s maritime history
with a rare piece of her heritage surfacing in eastern
North Carolina.
The Lawson was designed by B.B. Crowninshield
for the Fore River Ship & Engine Building Co., of
Quincy, Mass. in 1902. First built to haul coal, she was
refined to deliver oil between Texas ports and Philadelphia.
With a length of 395 ft and a draft of 28 ft when fully
loaded with oil, she only stopped in deep water ports
such as Newport News, Va. The Lawson carried 25 sails
measuring more than 43,000 square ft. Of the 25 sails,
there were seven gaff sails, seven gaff topsails, six
stay sails and five jibs. A crew of about 17, assisted
by deck-mounted steam “donkey” engines, expertly
handled these massive sails.
One of the able-bodied crewmen practiced
the traditional maritime past-time of model making. This
unnamed crewman made a beautiful shadowbox model of his
unique ship., Thomas W. Lawson. Ship models made by their
crews are highly valued by maritime collectors and this
handsome 41" x 21" model is no exception. Exact
in detail, with original paint and hand-carved motifs
of nautical rope and star on it’s frame, it is the
epitome of a maritime folk art collectible. These types
of models were often gifts for girlfriends or personal
souvenirs, but many were sold to supplement a sailor’s
wages. This model was sold to Cape Lookout Life-Saving
Station surfman James W. Fulcher of Stacy, N.C.
According to family legend, a ship had sought
shelter in the lee of Cape Lookout during bad weather.
One of the crew’s members of the detained ship sold
this model to surfman Fulcher. What is unclear in the
family story is if the model maker was a former crew member
of the Lawson serving aboard another ship or did the Lawson
herself, have to seek shelter near Cape Lookout’s
lee? More research is needed to ascertain this part of
the model’s history.
The Thomas W. Lawson met her fate on her
first transatlantic voyage in 1907. She wrecked on the
Western Rocks off of St. Agnes, Isles of Scilly, losing
15 of her 18 crew members.
Surfman Fulcher knew what a wild sea could
do to a ship and sailors, too. In 1905, he was part of
the valiant Cape Lookout Life-Saving Service crew which
spent 28 hours rescuing the sailors of the Sarah D. J.
Rawson. The Cape Lookout crew was recovering from the
flu when the Rawson wreck was discovered, but they did
not hesitate to perform their duty. The unofficial motto
of the service was, “You have to go out, but you
do not have to come back.” and these words were
their honor. They rowed 9 miles to the wreck and after
many failed attempts to get close to the vessel, stayed
by her side overnight until they could get a line to the
six living souls aboard her broken decks. This selfless
act of bravery and devotion to duty gained these Carteret
County men America’s highest recognition the gold
Life-Saving medal. Surfman Fulcher shares this distinctive
honor with these brave men: Keeper William H. Gaskill,
surfman Kilby Guthrie, Walter M. Yeomans, Tyre Moore,
John A. Guthrie, John E. Kirkman, Calupt T. Jarvis and
former surfman Joseph L. Lewis.
Richard Golden Collection
Grandson of USLSS Surfman James W. Fulcher
Text: Connie Mason
N.C. Maritime Heritage Tourism Officer
