page_title: City of New York (1885 ship)
section_title: Ownership by Richard E. Byrd
hierarchical_section_title: City of New York (1885 ship) / Ownership by Richard E. Byrd
caption_attribution_description: English: City of New York on expedition 1929
context_page_description: The City of New York was a steam barquentine best known for being Richard E. Byrd's flagship on his 1928–30 exploration of Antarctica, mistakenly for the rescue of Shackleton in 1915, and most infamously for possibly being the ship that failed to come to the aid of the Titanic in 1912. Her name was changed several times; originally named Samson, she was renamed the Jacobsen, and then the Belsund, and back to Samson, before being finally dubbed the City of New York in 1928.
context_section_description: In 1928 the sealer was bought by Richard E. Byrd sight unseen from his office at the New York Biltmore Hotel by cable from Tromso, in Norway, and he had her promptly sail for New York for any repairs, and making ready for his polar expedition. She was bought solely on the advice of Roald Amundsen.
  She would make an unscheduled stop before tackling the North Atlantic at the Ananias Dekke drydock in Georgernes Verft, Bergen, in April 1928.
  The Samson arrived in a dilapidated state, all her rigging had to be replaced, new sails made, a new boiler installed, and rotten planking in the hull replaced. The opportunity was taken to strengthen her hull. She was designed for the ice pack. Barque rigged, her timbers of the best quality, her hull was made of thick spruce and oak. Her oak ribs were, Byrd tells us, "so thickly set amidships that a man could not thrust his hand between them". The ribs were sheathed with a layer of heavy planking both inside and out. On the outer sheath, another layer of greenheart was laid. Her top-sides were 34 inches (860 mm) thick, increasing to 41 inches (1.0 m) near the keel. The Samson being small had limited cargo space and could not carry the three aircraft Byrd intended to take with him to the pole. This meant he had to also buy the Chelsea, which he renamed the Eleanor Bolling. Purchase of the Chelsea was not without risk as no iron hull had ever been tested in the conditions prevalent at the south pole. In event of a disaster, the Samson would be the only means to safety for the expedition. Byrd had arranged for repairs to be undertaken at the Todd Shipyard. William H. Todd had agreed for the work to be done at cost, and the repairs were done under the supervision of Captain Gustav Brown, the master of the "Bolling". The "City" would ultimately be captained by Frederick C. Melville, after whom Melville Point is named. The ship, was almost entirely refitted, save for the ship's bell, wheel, binnacle, compass, and the auxiliary steam engine. The engine built in 1885 could still run, and funds had been exhausted, so it was felt the tiny engine would have to suffice. Her one great drawback was her small auxiliary steam engine, which was scarcely able to generate 200 horsepower. Byrd also recognized that "with advancing age, her carrying capacity had diminished considerably. Her dead-weight, for example, was greatly increased as a result of water soaking into the old hull." There was no diminishment however in her capability of surviving the pressures of the Arctic ice pack. Byrd had her renamed as the City of New York and her original bell and wheel were engraved with the vessels new name. On completion of the refit, the ship was rated at 515 tons. Her length remained at 170 feet (52 m) and her beam was now 31 feet (9.4 m). Her port of registry was New York. The United States Official Number 227902 and Code Letters MGSH were allocated The bill for the initial purchase of both ships, their refitting, strengthening the bow of the Bolling for the ice, and victualling came to $290,000. The bill for the City alone was $165,000. Had Byrd bought new, he would have required three times the funds.
caption: The City anchored in Antarctica, 1929
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