John Farrell Metten Collection 1969.029

John Farrell Metten collection 1969.029

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on September 14, 2021. Description is written in: English. Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Audiovisual Collections PO Box 3630 Wilmington, Delaware 19807 [email protected] URL: http://www.hagley.org/library John Farrell Metten collection 1969.029

Table of Contents

Summary Information ...... 3 Biographical Note ...... 3 Scope and Content ...... 4 Administrative Information ...... 4 Related Materials ...... 5 Controlled Access Headings ...... 5 Collection Inventory ...... 5 Identification tag ...... 5 Photographs ...... 6 Postcards ...... 7 Documents/ Drawings ...... 8

- Page 2 - John Farrell Metten collection 1969.029

Summary Information

Repository: Audiovisual Collections Creator: Metten, John F. (John Farrell), 1873-1968 Title: John Farrell Metten collection ID: 1969.029 Date [inclusive]: circa 1930s Physical Description: 58 item(s) General Physical 58 items: 1 identification card: color; 2 x 3 in. 32 photographic Description : prints: b&w; 5 x 7 in. 6 photographic prints: b&w; 3.5 x 5.5 in. 11 photographic prints: b&w; 6.5 x 4.5 in. 5 photographic prints: b&w; 5.75 x 3.5 in. 2 documents: b&w; 8.5 x 11 in. 1 envelope: brown; 9.5 x 6.5 in. Physical Location: GL Box 1 Language of the English . Material: Abstract: John Farrell Metten (1873-1968) was a marine engineer and shipbuilding industry executive. This collection contains photographic prints, postcards, documents, drawings, and an identification card pertaining to the career of John Farrell Metten and views of Naval ships built at the New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, New Jersey.

^ Return to Table of Contents

Biographical Note

John Farrell Metten (1873-1968) was a marine engineer and shipbuilding industry executive. He was born in Kent County, Delaware on December 15, 1873. He began work at the age of twenty-one as a draftsman and soon found employment in the engineering department of the William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Company in Philadelphia. Metten rose to be chief engineer at Cramp's (1909-1925) and vice president in charge of engineering (1925-1927). When Cramp's ceased shipbuilding in 1927, Metten became president of the Marine Engineering Corporation in Philadelphia. He spent the worst years of the Depression as a consulting engineer (1931-1935) and then became president of the reorganized New York Shipbuilding Corporation at Camden, New Jersey. He was later elevated to chairman of the board of directors and retired in 1950. Metten received honorary degrees in engineering

- Page 3- John Farrell Metten collection 1969.029 from Lehigh (1928), the University of Delaware (1942) and Stevens Institute of Technology (1949). He died on September 16, 1968.

^ Return to Table of Contents

Scope and Content

This collection contains photographic prints, postcards, documents, drawings, and an identification card pertaining to the career of John Farrell Metten and views of Naval ships built at the New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, New Jersey. Photographs also include scenic views of rugged woodland and streams, log cabin, and fishing and hunting scenes. Excerpts from a letter from Captain Allen W. Moore, U.S.N. Retired, giving verification of identifications of some of the ships featured in the collection.

"The Porter was sunk in October 1942 in the same battle when the 'Hornet' was lost. The 'Hornet' was the Carrier that took the Doolittle raid to the take-off point. The Porter was in a group of destroyers build as Squadron Flagships; others in the Class were 'Selfridge', 'Balch', and 'Phelps'. They were not the most effective of the combatant destroyers."

"The Light Cruiser (Detroit Class) joined the Fleet in the late teens or early 1920s. One of this Class, the 'Memphis', brought Lindbergh home from Europe in 1927 after his historic flight. These ships were practically obsolete when World War II started. View of ship, under way, does not have any specific identification as a particular ship. Ships in this Class were 'Detroit', 'Raleigh', 'Memphis', 'Richmond', 'Omaha', 'Marblehead', and others I can't remember."

"Battleship: There are no identifying marks, but could be U.S.S. 'Texas', 'New York', 'Arkansas', or 'Wyoming'.

^ Return to Table of Contents

Administrative Information

Publication Statement Audiovisual Collections

PO Box 3630 Wilmington, Delaware 19807 [email protected] URL: http://www.hagley.org/library

- Page 4- John Farrell Metten collection 1969.029

Access Restrictions This collection is open for research.

^ Return to Table of Contents

Related Materials

Related Material John Farrell Metten material (Accession 1121), Manuscripts and Archives Department, Hagley Museum and Library

^ Return to Table of Contents

Controlled Access Headings

• Shipbuilding • Ships • Warships • New York Shipbuilding Corporation

Collection Inventory

Identification tag Title/Description Instances John Farrell Metten box GL 1 Scope and Contents

John Farrell Metten (1873-1968); Chairman of Board, New York Shipbuilding Corp, Camden, N.J.; Member, Society of Naval Architects, Retired 1950

^ Return to Table of Contents

- Page 5- John Farrell Metten collection 1969.029

Photographs Title/Description Instances U.S. Battleship Class, undated box GL 1 Scope and Contents

Background: Thomas Clyde, Delaware River Steamboat, built 1878 by Pusey & Jones, Wilmington for the Delaware City, Salem, and Philadelphia Steam Navigation Company (Sister ship of Major Reybold)

Delaware(?) River view from ship, undated box GL 1

View from U.S.S. Porter, DD536; Delaware River, view from box GL 1 shipboard, circa 1936

View from U.S.S. Porter, DD536, during sea trials, Delaware box GL 1 River, circa 1936

U.S.S. Porter, DD536, during sea trials, probably Lower Delaware box GL 1 River or Delaware Bay, circa 1936

U.S.S. Porter, DD356, Destroyer, U.S. Navy, circa 1936 box GL 1 Scope and Contents

Built: 1936; Photograph taken: New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden, N.J.; following sea trials

Probably on board U.S.S. Porter, DD536, during sea trials, circa box GL 1 1936

U.S.S. Porter, DD356, Destroyer, U.S. Navy, circa 1936 box GL 1 Scope and Contents

Built: 1936; Photograph taken: New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden, N.J.; docking after sea trials

U.S.S. (Battleship Class), undated box GL 1

Untitled, undated box GL 1

U.S.S. Battleship Class, Naval Shipbuilding workers (?), undated box GL 1

U.S. Porter, DD536, Built 1936, Destroyer, U.S. Navy, undated box GL 1 - Page 6- John Farrell Metten collection 1969.029

U.S. Porter, DD536, Built 1936, Destroyer, U.S. Navy, undated box GL 1

U.S.S. Porter, DD536, Built 1936, Destroyer, U.S. Navy, undated box GL 1

U.S.S. (?) Detroit Class, Light Cruiser, U.S. Navy, undated box GL 1

Untitled, undated box GL 1

Rt: U.S.S. Porter, DD356, Built 1936, Destroyer, U.S. Navy, box GL 1 undated Scope and Contents

Left: U.S.S. Selfridge, DD356, built 1936, Destroyer, U.S. Navy, Porter Class; Photograph taken: New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden, N.J. (?)

U.S.S. Porter, DD356, Built 1936, Destroyer, U.S. Navy, undated box GL 1

U.S.S. Porter, DD356, Built 1936, Destroyer, U.S. Navy, undated box GL 1 Scope and Contents

Builder: New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden, N.J.; 1805-1850 tons; length: 381 ft.; Beam: 36 ft.. 11 in.; Draft: 17 ft. 9 in.; Speed: 37.5 knots; Armament: 5-5 in./ 38 8-21 in. Torpedo tubes; Complement: 294; History of United States Navel Operations in World War II, XV by Samuel Eliot Morison D773/1786 E19HL Call no.

U.S.S. Porter, DD356, Built 1936, Destroyer, U.S. Navy, undated box GL 1

Untitled, undated box GL 1

^ Return to Table of Contents

Postcards Title/Description Instances Winter, Delaware River, undated - Page 7- John Farrell Metten collection 1969.029

box GL 1

Winter, Delaware River, undated box GL 1 Scope and Contents

5 masted coal stamer, Delaware River (?) Winter 1917-1918 (?) HRG

Masted Coal Steamer, Delaware River (HRG), undated box GL 1

View at sea, undated box GL 1

^ Return to Table of Contents

Documents/ Drawings Title/Description Instances Memorial Resolutions of Society of Naval Architects and Marine box GL 1 Engineers in memory of John Farrell Metten, 1968 November 13

Drawing (ship part) on William Cramp & Sons envelope, undated box GL 1

^ Return to Table of Contents

- Page 8-