# William Fife > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/William_Fife > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/William_Fife.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Fife > Source revision: 1264973152 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Scottish yacht designer (1857–1944)}} {{for|those of a similar name|William Fife (disambiguation)}} {{EngvarB|date=March 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}} {{Infobox person | name =William Fife Jr. | image =File:William_Fife_Portrait.jpg | caption = Fife in 1903 | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1857|6|15}} | birth_place =[Fairlie, North Ayrshire](/source/Fairlie%2C_North_Ayrshire), Scotland | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1944|8|11|1857|6|15}} | death_place = Fairlie, North Ayrshire, Scotland | death_cause = | other_names = William Fife, III | known_for = | education = | occupation = Yacht designer | parents = | relatives = }} thumb|''Moonbeam III'' (1903) pictured in 2008 [[File:Shamrock_I_&_Shamrock_II.jpg|thumb|''Shamrock III'' (1903) launched in [Dumbarton](/source/Dumbarton) ]] [[File:Reliance_&_Shamrock_III.jpg|thumb|''[Reliance](/source/Reliance_(yacht))'' ([Herreshoff](/source/Nathanael_Greene_Herreshoff)) and ''Shamrock III'' (Fife) in the 1903 America's Cup races]] thumb|''Youla'', a 26-foot cutter designed by William Fife, was built by Reuben Harlow in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. '''William Fife Jr.''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|OBE}} (15 June 1857 – 11 August 1944), also known as '''William Fife III''', was the third generation of a family of Scottish [yacht](/source/yacht) designers and builders. In his time, William Fife designed around 600 yachts, including two contenders for the America's Cup. The Royal Yachting Association was formed in 1875 to standardise rules, and Fife and his rival [G.L. Watson](/source/George_Lennox_Watson), were instrumental in these rule changes. Around one third of Fife's yachts still exist. His last designs were built in 1938.{{cite web|title=FIFE'S LEGACY|url=http://www.fairlieyachts.com/2011/06/fife-legac/|accessdate=3 January 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207074633/http://www.fairlieyachts.com/2011/06/fife-legac/|archive-date=7 February 2017|df=dmy-all}} ==Biography== Fife was born in [Fairlie, North Ayrshire](/source/Fairlie%2C_North_Ayrshire) on the [Firth of Clyde](/source/Firth_of_Clyde). His father William Fife Sr. (1821–1902) and grandfather William Fyfe (1785–1865) had also been designers and boat builders in Fairlie. The family business operated from a [shipyard](/source/shipyard) on the beach in the village. Fife began building yachts in 1890 and soon surpassed the achievements of his father and grandfather and became known as one of the premier yacht designers of the day. As the third generation of a venerable Scottish boat building family, William Fife inherited a rich legacy but was quick to establish his own reputation as one of the top designers in the yachting world. Often dominating his chief competitors, Fife was a master of his trade who received commissions from European royalty and from clients as far away as [Australia](/source/Australia). Following on the heels of the success of his design ''Dragon'' (1888), Fife adopted a stylized [Chinese dragon](/source/Chinese_dragon) as his trademark. Thereafter, those yachts that took shape on the shingle at Fairlie were known throughout the yachting world by this distinctive scrollwork. Fife designed two [America's Cup](/source/America's_Cup) yachts for grocery and tea magnate [Sir Thomas Lipton](/source/Thomas_Lipton) who challenged for the cup a total of five times. The Fife-designed challenger ''[Shamrock I](/source/Shamrock_(yacht))'' (1899) lost to ''[Columbia](/source/Columbia_(1899_yacht))'' ([Nathanael Greene Herreshoff](/source/Nathanael_Greene_Herreshoff), 1899) and ''Shamrock III'' (1903) lost to ''[Reliance](/source/Reliance_(yacht))''. After the establishment of the first [International Rule](/source/International_Rule_(sailing)) in 1906, Fife became a prolific designer of metre boats, designing and building several successful [15-Metre](/source/15mR) and 19-Metre yachts in the years leading up to the [Great War](/source/Great_War). Between 1907 and 1913, William Fife Jr. designed eight of the twenty 15mR yachts ever built, but his first 15mR named ''Shimna'' was not built at his famous Fairlie boatyard, but by [Alexander Robertson & Sons](/source/Alexander_Robertson_%26_Sons), because all Fife's principal yacht builders were needed to work on Myles Kennedy's new 23mR, ''White Heather II''. Fife died on 11 August 1944 at the age of 87 in [Fairlie, North Ayrshire](/source/Fairlie%2C_North_Ayrshire).{{cite news |title=William Fife, 88, Yacht Designer. Creator of Racing Shamrocks for Lipton Dies. Drew Up Plans for Clyde Cutters |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B07E0DF153FE33BBC4A52DFBE66838F659EDE |quote= William Fife of Fairlie, Ayrshire, who designed many racing yachts, including several of the famous Shamrocks for the late Sir Thomas Lipton, died today at the age of 88. ...|newspaper=[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times) |date=12 August 1944 |accessdate=2015-09-01 }} He never married or had children. He was buried in [Largs](/source/Largs). The yard was continued for some years after his death by his nephew, but never achieved the renown known under Fife's ownership. In 1951, Fife's sisters arranged for a [weather vane](/source/weather_vane) to be erected in his memory on the tower of Fairlie parish church. It features a model his 1936 [yawl](/source/yawl) ''Latifa'', which he considered one of his finest designs.{{cite news|last1=Corral |first1=Calum |title=Ayrshire - Church weather vane's tribute to Fairlie boatbuilding history |url=https://www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/19891593.ayrshire---church-weather-vanes-tribute-fairlie-boatbuilding-history/ |access-date=23 December 2024 |work=Largs and Millport Weekly News |date=1 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517153944/https://www.largsandmillportnews.com/news/19891593.ayrshire---church-weather-vanes-tribute-fairlie-boatbuilding-history/ |archive-date=17 May 2022}} ==Quotes== French yachtsman [Éric Tabarly](/source/%C3%89ric_Tabarly), two-time winner of the OSTAR and owner of the Fife design ''[Pen Duick](/source/Pen_Duick)'' wrote:{{cquote|''the great designers of the period were [Herreshoff](/source/Nathanael_Greene_Herreshoff), [George Lennox Watson](/source/George_Lennox_Watson), [Charles E. Nicholson](/source/Charles_E._Nicholson) and William Fife. Amongst these, Fife has acquired a particular reputation thanks to the sheer artistry and balance of his designs. Furthermore, those of his designs which took shape in his yard were of unmatched construction.''}} While Fife established a leading reputation on the [yacht racing](/source/yacht_racing) circuit, his work also included a number of fine cruising vessels. Dr. William Collier wrote of Fife's 1920s work:{{cquote|''[Fife] designed and built not only smaller Metre boats but also a series of fine cruisers. This combination typified the inter-war era of the Fairlie yard. Like the [schooner](/source/schooner) Altair (1931), many of the cruisers echo his turn of the century designs such as Cicely (1902) or Susanne (1906); similarly there were few fundamental differences in his [ketch](/source/ketch) designs spanning this era. Perceived by some as [anachronistic](/source/anachronistic), these yachts were considered by many to represent some of the greatest refinements of the auxiliary cruising yacht ever achieved.''}} ==Vessels== The Fife yard also had a reputation for the extremely high quality of the craftsmanship of the yachts built at the yard. Today, it is thought that there are somewhat less than 100 Fife designs still in existence. Of these, there are around fifty still sailing, most notably: *cruiser handicap rater ''Nan'' (1897) *36-rater ''[Pen Duick](/source/Pen_Duick)'' (formerly ''Yum'', 1898) *21-rater ''Mignon'' (1898), sisterships ''Pierette'' and ''Yvette'' (1899)William Collier and part-owner Bob Fisher both suspect that the ''Mignon'', whose lines closely resemble that of the America's Cup challenger ''[Shamrock I](/source/Shamrock_(yacht))'' served as a performance testbed for the larger yacht. *cruiser handicap raters ''Moonbeam III'' (1903) and ''Moonbeam IV'' (1920) *[15mR](/source/15mR)s ''[http://www.mariska1908.com/bienvenue.php Mariska]'' (1908), ''[http://www.hispania1909.com/ Hispania]'' (1909), ''Tuiga'' (1909) and ''The Lady Anne'' (1912) *[12mR](/source/12mR) ''Cintra'' (the oldest 12mR in existence, launched 1909) *[8mR](/source/8mR) ''Lucky Girl'' (launched 1909) and Ierne (launched 1914{{cite web|url=https://www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk/yacht/284/william-fife-iii-8-metre-19142008|title=William Fife III 8-Metre 1914/2008 - Sandeman Yacht Company|publisher=Sandeman Yacht Company|accessdate=13 October 2022|quote=IERNE was designed by Willian Fife III and built at the Fife yard in Farlie in 1914.}}) *19mR ''[http://www.yachtmariquita.co.uk/ Mariquita]'' (1911) *[Ketch](/source/Ketch)es ''Sumurun'' (1914), ''Adventuress'' (1924) and ''Belle Aventure'' (1929) on the Eastern Seaboard *handicap rater ''Hallowe'en'' (1926) *23mR ''Cambria'' (1928) *gaff-rigged schooner ''Altair'' (1931) *ketch ''[Eilean](/source/Eilean_(yacht))'' (1936), which famously featured in the music video for the 1982 [Duran Duran](/source/Duran_Duran) song ''[Rio](/source/Rio_(song))''.{{cn|date=June 2020}} *yawl ''Latifa'' (1936), one of Fife's favourite designs *10.4m canoe stern auxiliary sloop ''Sumarel ''(1973) Fife once said that the secret of a great yacht was that it should be both "fast and bonnie". ==Honours== He was appointed an Officer of the [Order of the British Empire](/source/Order_of_the_British_Empire) in the [1919 New Year Honours](/source/1919_New_Year_Honours).{{London Gazette |issue=31114 |supp=y |page=455|date= 8 January 1919}} In 2004, he was inducted into the [America's Cup Hall of Fame](/source/America's_Cup_Hall_of_Fame). ==Selected historic yachts== *''Torch'' (15-ton cutter, William Fife Sr. design, 1864) *''Kilmeney'' (30-ton cutter, William Fife Sr. design, 1864) *''Fiona'' (80-ton cutter dubbed the ''Fawn of Fairlie'', William Fife Sr. design, 1865) *''Neptune'' (50-ton cutter, later a yawl, William Fife Sr. design, 1875) *''Erycina'' (96-ton cutter, later a yawl, William Fife Sr. design, 1882) *''[Ulidia](/source/%3AFile%3AStebbins-21-Ulidia.jpg)'' (10-tonner, William Fife Jr. design, 1883) *''Thalia'' (40-rater, William Fife Jr. design, 1891) *''[Calluna](/source/%3AFile%3ACutter_Calluna.jpg)'' (first-class rater, William Fife Jr. design, 1893) ==Yachts for Irish owners== *15 ton cutter ''Corsair'' (1860) – designed by William Fife Sr. *3 ton lugger ''Achilla'' (1889)Y.R.A. appeal 1894 *2 ton lugger ''Gew Gaw'' (1891) – built by James E. Doyle Kingston *3 ton 1-rater lugger ''Nansheen'' (1892) – built by James E. Doyle Kingston *5 ton lugger ''Elva'' (1894)Lloyds register of Yachts 1902 *8 ton 1.5-rater lugger ''Vill-u-An'' (1895) – built by [Alexander Robertson & Sons](/source/Alexander_Robertson_%26_Sons) *6-ton Dublin Bay 25 cutters ''Darthula'', ''Nepenthe'' and ''Whisper'' (1898–1899) – built by James E. Doyle KingstonLloyds Register of Ships 1899 == References == {{Reflist}} ==Further reading== *{{cite book|title=William Fife: Master of the Classic Yacht|author=Franco Pace|publisher=Adlard Coles Nautical|date=1998-09-30|isbn=978-0-7136-5030-3}} * {{cite book|title=Fast and Bonnie – A History of William Fife & Son Yachtbuilders|author=May Fife McCallum|publisher=John Donald Publishers Ltd|date=2002-09-29|isbn=978-0-85976-566-4}} == External links == {{Commons category|William Fife}} *[http://www.fairlieyachts.com Fairlie Yachts] *[https://www.fiferegatta.com Fife Regatta] *[https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottishmaritimemuseum/sets/72157624520544513/ flickr archive of the Scottish Maritime Museum] {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Fife, William}} Category:1857 births Category:1944 deaths Category:America's Cup yacht designers Category:Scottish shipbuilders Category:British yacht designers Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:People from Fairlie, North Ayrshire Category:19th-century Scottish businesspeople Category:20th-century Scottish businesspeople --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Fife](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Fife) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Fife?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.