Theodore E. Ferris

Theodore Ernest Ferris (August 17, 1872 – 1953 was a naval architect and engineer responsible for the "Ferris Designs" used by the US Emergency Fleet Corporation, of the United States Shipping Board, during World War I.[1]

Early life

Ferris was born in Stamford, Connecticut the son of Nathaniel Betts and Louise (Keeler) Ferris. He was educated in Stamford and later at the Greenwich Academy, where he took a technical training course.[1] After a period of employment at shipyards on Long Island, he joined the Townsend-Downey Company on Shooters Island and later the firm of Cary Smith & Ferris.[2]

Emergency Fleet Corporation

In 1917, the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) was established by the United States Shipping Board under General Goethals with Ferris as chief architect.[1] His 3,500 deadweight ton "Ferris Design" wooden steamship became the model for the EFC, of which 63 were subsequently built.[3] He also invented a system of steel strapping for fixing the frames of his ships.[4]

Personal life

Ferris married Lois Davis on August 25, 1912. They had two children, Nathaniel James and Theodore Louis Ferris.[2]

Legacy

In his obituary, the New York Times repeated an estimate that US shipyards built over 1,800 ships to his design.[1]

Works
  • Ferris, Theodore E. (1917). Douglas Fir Ship: Specifications for the Construction of a Standard Wood Steamship. United States Government Publishing Office.

References
  1. "THEODORE FERRIS, NAVAL ARCHITECT; Chief Designer for Emergency Fleet Corp. in World War I Dies--Noted for Yachts". New York Times. 1953-06-01. p. 23. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  2. Weiss, George (1920). America's Maritime Progress. New York Marine News Company. pp. 151–152.
  3. Hopkins, Fred (1994). "Emergency Fleet Corporation Ship Construction in World War I in the Pacific Northwest" (PDF). The Northern Mariner. Canadian Nautical Research Society. IV (4): 1–14.
  4. Estep, H. Cole (1918). How Wooden Ships Are Built. Cleveland, Ohio: The Penton Publishing Company. p. 26.



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