equired to accomplish the repairs and refittings to complete the onstruction of the vessel. Due to the Bay’s consistent rate of production and equally reliable

rate of sale, finding people to finance a particular vessel was never a problem. The total cost of a vessel was usually divided into 64 shares,

hich included the cash, labor, and materials needed for the construction. The number of people investing in a vessel was dependent upon its expected size. Of the 267 vessels built in St. Peter’s shipyards, 246 of them were transferred to new ports. As mentioned, the major market for these vessels was in Newfoundland where 1 17 of them were re—registered. (21)

THE ISABEL

A painting of the Isabel by George Chambers Courtesy of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England

One such vessel built in the shipyards of St. Peters Bay and transported to Great Britain was the Isabel. Constructed by Mr. Hilary McIsaac, The Isabel was the most celebrated vesselever to be built in St. Peters. This 180-ton brigantine was sent to London in 1852 and was plutfitted for Captain Beaston’s expedition to the Arctic in search of Sir

Ohn Franklin. A newspaper that year described it as “one of the

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