The HMS Sylph with the HMS Maidstone close behind by B. J. Phillips
The H.M.S. Sylph was constructed in Bermuda in 1812, but was not the first ship to have the name Sylph. Although rated an '18' (based on the number of cannons aboard a traditional sloop-of-war) she was actually armed with sixteen 24-pounder carronades, two long 12-pounders and two 12-pound carronades.
During the months of June and July 1814 the Sylph was extensively active in the interruption of commerce and the capture or destruction of merchant vessels on Long Island Sound. On May 11th the Sylph captured the merchant sloop Grace and took her cargo of iron and dismantled her for fuel. On the 18th the Sylph along with the Frigate H.M.S. Maidstone fired upon a Swedish vessel prior to joining the remainder of the British squadron in blockading the Sound. The blockade, in addition to the Sylph and Maidstone, included the H.M.S. Bulwark and Nimrod. On May 25th the Sylph and Maidstone were engaged in a battle with about a dozen small gunboats under the command of Commodore Lewis. After a three hour battle the American gunboats succeeded in their task of allowing a large contingent of small merchant packets and coasters to pass unmolested past the British warships. At the conclusion of the battle two 74 gun British ships arrived on site and the American forces retreated towards Guilford. The Sylph continued throughout June to make trouble on the Sound. She joined the Maidstone and Belvidera, another frigate, along with the La Hogue, one of the 74 gun ships that had arrived in the Sound in attacking more and more vessels.
In early June the Sloop Nancy was located along near Northville, Long Island when the British arrived, attempting to land marines to destroy the vessel. They were beaten off by the local militia under Capt. John Terry who shot at the marines from the bluffs. Soon after the Sylph arrived and bombarded the cliffs with cannon fire. She was joined by another ship, likely the Maidstone, and together they attempted to drive off the American militia and take the ship, but in the end were unable to capture the Nancy.
The HMS Sylph from a Model—Courtesy of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England
On June 23, 1814 an early submarine, called the "torpedoe boat" was forced ashore near Horton Point, Southold after her line was cut in an effort to save a man who went overboard. The boat arrived on shore and over the course of the next few days her crew tried to get her off the beach. In the meantime, word was received by the Sylph and Maidstone of the boats arrival and they set course for her. On Sunday, June 26th, 1814 the Sylph and Maidstone arrived off of Horton Point and launched several small barges (or skiffs) with armed men intent on destroying the "torpedoe boat." Several members of the Sag Harbor militia who were present fired upon the British, who took at least four men either killed or wounded. The militia was forced to retreat and the British succeeded in landing on the Beach and burning the "torpedoe boat." The boat was one of the earliest forms of submarine to be engaged in naval battles.
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ALBERT EINSTEIN
Noted scientist Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was one of several well-known visitors to stay on the North Fork of Long Island during the 1930s and 1940s, which included author and political activist Helen Keller (1880-1968) and composer and conductor Benjamin Britten (1913-1976). His time would be spent sailing and playing music with those he met and befriended during an important and momentous period of his life.
The summer of 1939 (Einstein summered here during 1937, 1938, & 1939) would become known not only for Einstein's residency, but the creation and the mailing of his famous letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Fellow scientists Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner came to visit Einstein on July 16, 1939 - a visit that would lead to the creation of the now infamous letter. The letter would set the United States on the path to the creation of the first Atomic weapons to ever be used in a military conflict.
Two copies of the letter were actually created, the one sent to FDR now resides in the Roosevelt Presidential Papers at Hyde Park, NY, while the other version was sold by Christie's in 2002 for $2.1 million dollars.
The Einstein House on West Cove Road, photo (c) by SHM.
The house Einstein occupied, located on West Cove Road (originally known as Old Cove Road) on Nassau Point, still stands today - though it is privately owned and not accessible to the public. During Einstein's tenure there he was always wary of curiosity seekers and those trying to snap a photograph of him. Local resident and postman Albert Richmond noted "You let Einstein come to you," not the other way around.
In addition to important visitors like Szilard and Wigner, other members of Einstein's entourage came to visit and enjoy the North Fork. This included Valentine Bargman (1908-1989), Einstein's assistant at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. He would join David Rothman and Einstein in their musical interludes at the Rothman house in Southold.
Southold Historical Museum owns an original Einstein letter as well as copies of many others sent to friends here in Southold. We also have over a dozen images taken during his time here on the North Fork copied from the original negatives held by the Rothman family.