Bernard Doyle

Bernard Doyle was born in April, 1843, in New York City, and acquired his education in the common schools of that metropolis. Soon after leaving school he went down to Philadelphia and entered the employ of Nepie & Levy to learn the machinist's trade, remaining with them five years. In the spring of 1880, after a number of years passed in working at his trade, he went to California, and on arriving at San Francisco entered the employ of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, plying between San Francisco, the Sandwich Islands, New Zealand, and Sydney, N.S. Wales, as first assistant engineer. Later he shipped in the steamer City of Sydney. In 1886 he took passage on a steamer bound for New York, and the following year he entered the employ of the Mallory line, as first assistant on a steamer operating between that port and the Rio Grande. In 1888 he shipped as first assistant in the steamship New Orleans, of the Crombie line, plying between New York and New Orleans.

In the spring of 1889 Mr. Doyle, as chief engineer, took the steamyacht Hindoo from New York City to Detroit for Messrs. Gilchrist & Fletcher, of Alpena, Mich. He next shipped on the steamer Chemung, of the Union line, and in the spring of 1891 went to Cleveland and shipped as chief engineer on the steamer Fred Kelley. In 1892 he was appointed chief engineer of Hawgood & Avery's steamer, the Waldo Avery. At the opening of the World's Fair, in Chicago, Mr. Doyle was appointed Chief Engineer of Machinery Hall, giving entire satisfaction to the management in that incumbency. In 1894 he went to New York City and engaged as first assistant engineer on the steamer Progressive, plying between New York and New Orleans. On reaching the latter port he left the boat and went as chief engineer on the steamer Rover, plying between New Orleans and Nicaragua, until she was laid up, after which he began work for the Thomas Pickands Ferry Company, on the steamer Chicago, continuing in their employ until March, when he again shipped on the Rover to Nicaragua and returned to New York. In 1895 he ran a tug on the North river, between New York and Poughkeepsie. In 1896 he worked for the mercantile exchange until April, when he went to Buffalo, out of which port he made two trips as chief engineer of the steamer Reynolds. During his marine life Mr. Doyle has visited many ports, and, as enumeration is interesting to some, it will be in order to name Yokohama, Tokio[sic] (the capital of Japan), Hong Kong and Foo Chow, China, Rio de Janeiro, Pernambuco, Barheim, Santanzas, Kingston, Santa Marta, Carthagena (on the Spanish main), Cologne, ports in British Columbia, Honolulu and many others. He is a member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association.

In March, 1897, Mr. Doyle went to Cleveland and was united in marriage with Mrs. Ellen Woodworth. They reside at No. 892 Independence street, Cleveland.

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Volume I

This version of Volume II is based, with permission, on the work of the great volunteers at the Marine Captains Biographies site. To them goes the credit for reorganizing the content into some coherent order. The biographies in the original volume are in essentially random order.

Some of the transcription work was also done by Brendon Baillod, who maintains an excellent guide to Great Lakes Shipwreck Research.