Charles W. Morgan(ship)
Charles W. MorganatMystic Seaport,Connecticut
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Owner |
|
Builder | Jethro and Zachariah Hillman,New Bedford, Massachusetts |
Launched | 1841 |
Identification |
|
Status | Museum ship |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | 351.3(Old Tons);313.8(New Tons)[3] |
Length | 113 ft (34 m) LOA |
Beam | 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m) |
Depth | 17.1 feet (5.2 m)[4] |
Sail plan | Double-topsail bark rig; 13,000 sq ft (1,200 m2) of sail[2] |
Charles W. Morgan | |
Location | Mystic, Connecticut |
Coordinates | 41°21′44″N71°57′55″W/ 41.36222°N 71.96518°W |
Built | 1841 |
Part of | Mystic Bridge Historic District(ID79002671) |
NRHP referenceNo. | 66000804 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | 13 November 1966[5] |
Designated NHL | 13 November 1966[6] |
Designated CP | August 31, 1979 |
Charles W. Morganis an American whaling ship built in 1841 that was active during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ships of this type were used to harvest the blubber of whales forwhale oilwhich was commonly used in lamps.Charles W. Morganhas served as a museum ship since the 1940s and is now an exhibit at theMystic Seaportmuseum inMystic, Connecticut.She is the world's oldest surviving (non-wrecked) merchant vessel, the only surviving wooden whaling ship from the 19th century American merchant fleet (of an estimated 2,700 built),[7]and second toUSSConstitution,the oldest seaworthy vessel in the world.Charles W. Morganwas designated aNational Historic Landmarkin 1966.[1]
Construction
[edit]Charles W. Morgan(often referred to simply as "theMorgan") was a whaling ship named for ownerCharles Waln Morgan(1796–1861). He was a Philadelphian by birth; he moved toNew Bedford, Massachusettsin 1818 and invested in severalwhalersover his career.[8]He chose Jethro and Zachariah Hillman's shipyard in New Bedford to construct a new ship.[9]: 23 TheMorgan'slive oak keel was laid down in February 1841 and fastened together with copper bolts. The bow and stern pieces of live oak were secured to the keel by an apron piece. The sturdy stern post was strengthened with hemlock root and white oak. Yellow pine shipped from North Carolina was used for the ship's beams, and hemlock orhackmatackwas used for thehanging knees.[9]: 29
Construction proceeded until April 19, 1841, when the workers went on strike, demanding a ten-hour work day.[9]: 30 The strike gathered support until it encompassed the shipyard, the oil refineries, and the cooper shops; Morgan was appointed chairman of the employers and given the task of resolving it.[9]: 30 He opposed their demands, and a meeting with four master mechanics ended in failure. An agreement was reached on May 6 when the workers accepted a 10½ hour workday.[9]: 32 Work resumed on the ship without incident and she was launched on July 21, 1841.[9]: 32 Morganwas registered as106+1⁄2feet (32.5 m) in length,27 feet2+1⁄2inches (8.293 m) inches inbreadth,and13 feet7+1⁄4inches (4.147 m) in depth.[9]: 33 She measured 314 gross register tons.[10]
Charles W. Morganwas outfitted at Rotch's Wharf for the next two months while preparations were made for her first voyage.[9]: 34–35 Captain Thomas Norton sailed her into the Atlantic alongsideAdeline GibbsandNassautowards theAzores.[9]: 35 A stop was made at Porto Pim (Horta, Azores) onFaial Islandto gather supplies before crossing the Atlantic. The ship passed Cape Horn, then charted a course to the north.[9]: 38 On December 13, the men launched in their whaleboats and took their first whale.[9]: 43 TheMorganentered the port ofCallaoin early February and departed again on the 10th for theGalapagos Islands.In 1844, the ship sailed to the Kodiak Grounds before sailing for home on August 18.[9]: 60 She returned to her home port in New Bedford on January 2, 1845.[9]: 60 The voyage of three years and three months resulted in 59 whales being processed for 1,600 barrels of sperm oil, 800 barrels of right whale oil, and five tons of whale bone.[9]: 61
Service life
[edit]Charles W. Morganmade most of her 37 voyages in her 80 years of service from her home port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, ranging in length from nine months to five years. She brought home a total of 54,483 barrels of sperm and whale oil and 152,934 pounds of whalebone. She sailed in the Indian and South Atlantic Oceans, surviving ice and snow storms. She was based in San Francisco between 1888 and 1904.
Charles W. Morganhad more than 1,000 whalemen of all races and nationalities in her lifetime. Her crew included sailors from Cape Verde, New Zealand, theSeychelles,Guadeloupe, andNorfolk Island.The ship's crew averaged around 33 men per voyage. As with other whaleships in the 19th century, theMorganwas often home to the captain's family. She was owned and managed by theJ. & W. R. Wing Companyof New Bedford.[11]
Experts have calculated the lifetime financial returns fromCharles W. Morganat over $1.4 Million.[12]Voyage #6 had the highest return with a combined value of Sperm oil, Whale oil and Whalebone of over $165,000.
During her years of service,Charles W. Morganwas used in several movies, includingMiss Petticoats(1916),Down to the Sea in Ships(1922), andJava Head(1923).
Voyage summary
[edit]Voyage | Port | Captain | Departure | Arrival | Mainly operated in |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New Bedford | Thomas A. Norton | September 6, 1841 | January 2, 1845 | Pacific |
2 | New Bedford | J.D. Samson | June 10, 1845 | December 9, 1848 | Pacific |
3 | New Bedford | J.D. Samson | June 5, 1849 | May 27, 1853 | Pacific |
4 | New Bedford | Tristram P. Ripley | September 20, 1853 | April 27, 1856 | North Pacific |
5 | New Bedford | Thomas N. Fisher | September 15, 1856 | April 16, 1859 | North Pacific |
6 | New Bedford | James. A. Hamilton | October 4, 1859 | May 12, 1863 | North Pacific |
7 | New Bedford | Thomas C. Landers | December 1, 1863 | June 12, 1867 | North Pacific |
8 | New Bedford | George Athearn | July 17, 1867 | August 16, 1871 | Pacific |
9 | New Bedford | John M. Tinkham | September 26, 1871 | October 31, 1874 | Indian |
10 | New Bedford | John M. Tinkham | April 23, 1875 | May 17, 1878 | Atlantic |
11 | New Bedford | Thomas L. Ellis | July 17, 1878 | May 11, 1881 | Atlantic |
12 | New Bedford | Charles F. Keith | July 13, 1881 | Jun 17, 1886 | Pacific |
13 | New Bedford | George A. Smith | October 6, 1886 | November 4, 1887 | North Pacific |
14 | San Francisco | George A. Smith | December 3, 1887 | November 5, 1888 | North Pacific |
15 | San Francisco | John S. Layton | November 26, 1888 | October 27, 1889 | North Pacific |
16 | San Francisco | John S. Layton | December 5, 1889 | November 8, 1890 | Japan and Okhotsk |
17 | San Francisco | J. A. M. Earle | December 2, 1890 | October 31, 1891 | Japan and Okhotsk |
18 | San Francisco | J. A. M. Earle | November 24, 1891 | November 7, 1892 | Japan and Okhotsk |
19 | San Francisco | J. A. M. Earle | December 8, 1892 | November 9, 1893 | Japan and Okhotsk |
20 | San Francisco | J. A. M. Earle | December 6, 1893 | November 5, 1895 | Japan and Okhotsk |
21 | San Francisco | J. A. M. Earle | December 2, 1895 | November 1, 1896 | Pacific |
22 | San Francisco | John S. Layton | December 3, 1896 | October 25, 1897 | Pacific |
23 | San Francisco | Thomas Scullion | November 11, 1897 | October 28, 1898 | Japan and Okhotsk |
24 | San Francisco | Thomas Scullion | November 26, 1898 | November 2, 1899 | Japan and Okhotsk |
25 | San Francisco | Thomas Scullion | December 7, 1899 | October 29, 1900 | Japan and Okhotsk |
26 | San Francisco | J. A. M. Earle | November 22, 1900 | October 29, 1901 | Japan and Okhotsk |
27 | San Francisco | Thomas Scullion | November 27, 1901 | October 28, 1902 | Japan and Okhotsk |
28 | San Francisco | J. A. M. Earle | November 20, 1902 | October 27, 1903 | Japan and Okhotsk |
29 | San Francisco | J. A. M. Earle | November 18, 1903 | October 31, 1904 | Japan and Okhotsk |
30 | San Francisco | Edwin J. Reed | November 25, 1904 | June 12, 1906 | South Pacific |
31 | New Bedford | J. A. M. Earle, Hiram Nye |
August 11, 1906 | July 4, 1908 | Atlantic |
32 | New Bedford | A. O. Gibbons, Charles S. Church |
September 2, 1908 | September 12, 1910 | Atlantic |
33 | New Bedford | Charles S. Church | May 10, 1911 | August 9, 1913 | Atlantic |
34 | New Bedford | Benjamin D. Cleveland | September 5, 1916 | October 23, 1917 | Atlantic |
35 | New Bedford | James Edwards | July 16, 1918 | September 7, 1919 | Atlantic |
36 | New Bedford | James Edwards | October 18, 1919 | July 16, 1920 | Atlantic |
37 | Provincetown | J. Gonsalves | September 9, 1920 | May 28, 1921 | Atlantic |
38* | New Bedford | George Fred Tilton | May 7, 1925 | May 7, 1925 | |
39* | Fairhaven | William H. Tripp | November 5, 1941 | November 8, 1941 |
Preservation
[edit]Charles W. Morganwas nearly destroyed in 1924 when the steamerSankatycaught fire and broke free of her mooring lines.[9]: 5 [13][14][15]The burningSankatydrifted across the river and intoMorgan's port quarter, but the Fairhaven firemen managed to save her.[9]: 5 This event spurred Harry Neyland and some New Bedford citizens to restore and preserve theMorgan,but the attempts were unsuccessful. Neyland then persuaded ColonelEdward Howland Robinson Greento save the ship.[9]: 5 Neyland appealed to Green that theMorganwas of historical importance and was a family heirloom because she was once co-owned by Green's grandfather and his wife's company.[9]: 5 Green had the ship towed to his estate inRound Hill (Dartmouth, Massachusetts)and founded Whaling Enshrined, consisting of himself, Neyland, and John Bullard, the great-grandson ofCharles Waln Morgan.[9]: 6
TheMorganunderwent restoration by CaptainGeorge Fred Tiltonand was turned into an exhibition for Green's estate in a berth constructed by Frank Taylor.[9]: 6 Green held a dedication ceremony on the 86th anniversary of the ship's launch and gave her to Whaling Enshrined on July 21, 1926.[9]: 6 The ship's fate came into question when Tilton died in 1932 and Green died in 1935, resulting in lengthy court proceedings over Green's estate.[9]: 7–9 The1938 New England hurricanedamagedMorgan's hull and tore the sails; Whaling Enshrined attempted to secure funds for the ship but were unable to do so.[9]: 9
In 1941, theMorganwas saved by the Marine Historical Association (later renamedMystic Seaport) based on Taylor's word that the ship could be freed and towed toMystic, Connecticut.[9]: 10 Taylor's crew dug the ship from her berth and dredged a channel for her to pass through, but the first attempt to pull her free was unsuccessful. More digging and caulking of the ship preceded her successful tugging into the channel, and the century-old hull withstood the move and floated into bay with assistance from the Coast Guard cutterGeneral Greene.[9]: 11 [16]
She was towed to the old berth in Fairhaven for several days of preparations and repairs prior to the trip to Mystic.[9]: 11
On November 5, 1941,General GreenepulledCharles W. Morganfrom the wharf only to have her be caught by the tide and swept downstream, coming to rest on a mud flat and taking two hours to be freed.[9]: 4 The journey came to an end on November 8 when she passed through the Mystic bridge and was moored in the Mystic Seaport.[9]: 17–18 The Seaport took shape aroundCharles W. Morganwith the restoration of its buildings and historic ships that came to reside alongside theMorgan.[9]: 18 "Over it all, theMorganpresided like Old Neptune-the centerpiece, the king seated on a throne of gravel, towering high above the scene. "[9]: 19
Restoration
[edit]Charles W. Morganarrived at Mystic Seaport in December 1941, and she was declared a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.[6][1]In 1971,Melbourne BrindleofBridgeport, Connecticutdesigned four commemorative stamps of historic landmarks including theMorgan.[17]
For the first 30 years at Mystic Seaport, she was surrounded by a bed of sand to prevent her from sinking. Even so, she was open to the public and was the centerpiece of a recreated 19th century maritime village museum inspired byColonial Williamsburg.She is the only preserved 19th century whaling ship in the world.
The Mystic Seaport undertook a restoration and preservation project in 1968 to make her seaworthy, and the sand bed was removed. Prior to the 1968 restoration, she had a wide white stripe painted on her sides with large black squares that resembled gun ports when viewed at a distance. This "camouflage" was often employed by 19th century merchant ships to make them resemble warships so as to deter pirates and hostile navies.
In 2010, Mystic Seaport engaged in a multimillion-dollar project to restore the ship to seaworthy status. She was re-launched into the Mystic River on July 21, 2013, marking the 172nd anniversary of the vessel's initial launch.[18][19][20]During the summer of 2014, she sailed her 38th voyage on tour of New England seaports which includedNew London, Connecticut,Newport, Rhode Island,Boston,and her home town ofNew Bedford,Massachusetts.[21]
See also
[edit]- List of National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut
- National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut
- List of museum ships
Other preserved 19th-century sailing ships:
References
[edit]- ^abcdeSchroer, Blanche Higgins; Bradford, S. Sydney (December 11, 1974)."The Charles W. Morgan"(pdf).National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination.National Park Service.and
"Accompanying 4 photos, from 1974 and undated"(pdf).National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination.National Park Service.December 11, 1974. - ^"Charles W. Morgan– Whaling Ship ".Mystic Seaport.Archived fromthe originalon May 15, 2011.RetrievedFebruary 28,2011.
- ^Davis, Lance E.; Gallman, Robert E.; Gleiter, Karen (1997)."Chapter 6: Capital"(PDF).In Pursuit of Leviathan: Technology, Institutions, Productivity, and Profits in American Whaling, 1816–1906(pdf).Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Table 6.11 at p. 254.ISBN0-226-13789-9.Seep. 215(pdf) & fn. 5 for discussion of the difference in tonnage measurements.
- ^Results for Vessel CHARLES W MORGAN,Port State Information Exchange,United States Coast Guard Maritime Information Exchange. June 14, 2021.
- ^"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.January 23, 2007.
- ^ab"Charles W. Morgan (Bark)".National Historic Landmark summary listing.National Park Service. Archived fromthe originalon July 1, 2010.RetrievedOctober 3,2007.
- ^"Charles W. Morgan - The Last Wooden Whaleship in the World!".Mystic Seaport Museum.RetrievedJune 2,2021.
- ^"Inventory of the Charles Waln Morgan Papers".New Bedford Whaling Museum.RetrievedJuly 3,2018.
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadStackpole, Edouard (1967).The Charles W. Morgan.Meredith Press.
- ^"A Trip on the Whaling Ship Charles W. Morgan | History Under Sail".Yankee Magazine.RetrievedOctober 17,2015.
- ^"Successful whaler returns"(PDF).The New York Times.October 30, 1900.
- ^Mystic Seaport Museum."Statistical and financial results of the 37 voyages of the ship Charles W. Morgan"(PDF).www.bing.com.RetrievedJune 16,2020.
- ^The Dukes County Intelligencer.Vol. 24, no. 4. May 1983.
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(help) - ^"Reminiscences of The Last Voyage of the Bark Wanderer".The American Neptune.Peabody Museum of Salem: 18. 1949.
- ^"Pacific Steam Navigation Company".Sea Breezes.56(443). November 1982.
- ^Charles W. Morgan in tow by Coast Guard Cutter General Greene on her way to Mystic, photo 28 of 57."Charles W. Morgan: Through the Years".SouthCoastToday,June 16, 2014.
- ^"Historic Stamps, Famed Car, Make October Special for Area Artist".The Bridgeport Post (Bridgeport, Connecticut). October 3, 1971. p. 31.RetrievedAugust 6,2014.
- ^Broad, William J. (August 16, 2010)."A Quest to Make the Morgan Seaworthy".Science.The New York Times.
- ^"Charles W Morgan - Mystic Seaport".Mystic Seaport Museum.RetrievedJune 22,2013.
- ^Bond, Michaelle (July 21, 2013)."Museum Relaunches Wooden Whaler Built in 1841".N.Y. / Region.The New York Times.
- ^"The 38th Voyage: Morgan readies to sail again".The Day.May 2014.
External links
[edit]- Deck prisms on the Charles W. Morgan
- Charles W. Morganat the Whaling History Database
- Whaling ships
- Museum ships in Mystic, Connecticut
- Tall ships of the United States
- Ships built in New Bedford, Massachusetts
- National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut
- Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut
- Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut