From there he moved to New York, where he began work as a naval architect. In 1812 he was contracted by the United States government to supervise the construction of naval vessels during the short war with Great Britain. His knowledge of ship building techniques enabled him to simplify their design, so speeding up construction.
In 1820, Eckford was appointed Naval Constructor based at Brooklyn naval yard with responsibility for the design of all US naval ships. However, a disastrous affair led to his ruin and he was stripped of his post and forced to leave America in disgrace. He ended his life working for the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire in Turkey, where he died in 1832.
