Charles W. Morgan (ship)
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''Charles W. Morgan'' is 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 for
whale oil Whale oil is oil obtained from the blubber of whales. Oil from the bowhead whale was sometimes known as train-oil, which comes from the Dutch word ''traan'' ("tear drop"). Sperm oil, a special kind of oil used in the cavities of sperm whales, ...
which was commonly used in lamps. ''Charles W. Morgan'' has served as a museum ship since the 1940s and is now an exhibit at the
Mystic Seaport Mystic Seaport Museum (founded as Marine Historical Association) is a maritime museum in Mystic, Connecticut, and the largest in the United States. Its site holds a collection of ships and boats and a re-creation of a 19th-century seaport vill ...
museum in
Mystic, Connecticut Mystic is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Groton and Stonington, Connecticut, United States. Mystic was a significant Connecticut seaport with more than 600 ships built over 135 years starting in 1784. Mystic Seaport, located in ...
. 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), and second to USS ''Constitution'', the oldest seaworthy vessel in the world. ''Charles W. Morgan'' was designated a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in 1966.


Construction

''Charles W. Morgan'' (often referred to simply as "the ''Morgan''") was a whaling ship named for owner Charles Waln Morgan (1796–1861). He was a Philadelphian by birth; he moved to
New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. At the 2020 census, New Bedford had a population of 101,079, making it the state's ninth-l ...
in 1818 and invested in several
whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Jap ...
s over his career. He chose Jethro and Zachariah Hillman's shipyard in New Bedford to construct a new ship. The ''Morgan'' live 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 or hackmatack was used for the hanging knees. Construction proceeded until April 19, 1841, when the workers went on strike, demanding a ten-hour work day. 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. 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. Work resumed on the ship without incident and she was launched on July 21, 1841. ''Morgan'' was registered as in length, inches in
breadth Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Interna ...
, and in depth. She measured 314 gross register tons. ''Charles W. Morgan'' was outfitted at Rotch's Wharf for the next two months while preparations were made for her first voyage. Captain Thomas Norton sailed her into the Atlantic alongside ''Adeline Gibbs'' and ''Nassau'' towards the
Azores The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
. A stop was made at Porto Pim (
Horta, Azores Horta (), officially the Very Loyal Horta City (), is a city in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores encompassing the island of Faial, being coterminous with the Horta Municipality (). The population in 2011 was 15,038 in an area of . The cit ...
) on
Faial Island Faial Island (), also known as Fayal Island, is a Portugal, Portuguese island of the Central Group or ''Grupo Central'' of the Azores, in the Atlantic Ocean. The Capelinhos volcano is the westernmost point of the island and is considered the we ...
to gather supplies before crossing the Atlantic. The ship passed Cape Horn, then charted a course to the north. On December 13, the men launched in their whaleboats and took their first whale. The ''Morgan'' entered the port of
Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists ...
in early February and departed again on the 10th for the Galapagos Islands. In 1844, the ship sailed to the Kodiak Grounds before sailing for home on August 18. She returned to her home port in New Bedford on January 2, 1845. 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.


Service life

''Charles W. Morgan'' made 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. Morgan'' had more than 1,000 whalemen of all races and nationalities in her lifetime. Her crew included sailors from Cape Verde, New Zealand, the
Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...
, Guadeloupe, and
Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...
. The ship's crew averaged around 33 men per voyage. As with other whaleships in the 19th century, the ''Morgan'' was often home to the captain's family. She was owned and managed by the J. & W. R. Wing Company of New Bedford. Experts have calculated the lifetime financial returns from ''Charles W. Morgan'' at over $1.4 Million. 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. Morgan'' was used in several movies, including '' Miss Petticoats'' (1916), '' Down to the Sea in Ships'' (1922), and '' Java Head'' (1923).


Voyage summary


Preservation

''Charles W. Morgan'' was nearly destroyed in 1924 when the steamer ''Sankaty'' caught fire and broke free of her mooring lines. The burning ''Sankaty'' drifted across the river and into ''Morgan''s port quarter, but the Fairhaven firemen managed to save her. This event spurred Harry Neyland and some New Bedford citizens to restore and preserve the ''Morgan'', but the attempts were unsuccessful. Neyland then persuaded Colonel Edward Howland Robinson Green to save the ship. Neyland appealed to Green that the ''Morgan'' was of historical importance and was a family heirloom because she was once co-owned by Green's grandfather and his wife's company. Green had the ship towed to his estate in Round Hill (Dartmouth, Massachusetts) and founded Whaling Enshrined, consisting of himself, Neyland, and John Bullard, the great-grandson of Charles Waln Morgan. The ''Morgan'' underwent restoration by Captain George Fred Tilton and was turned into an exhibition for Green's estate in a berth constructed by Frank Taylor. Green held a dedication ceremony on the 86th anniversary of the ship's launch and gave her to Whaling Enshrined on July 21, 1926. 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. The
1938 New England hurricane The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great Long Island - New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike the United States. The storm formed near th ...
damaged ''Morgan''s hull and tore the sails; Whaling Enshrined attempted to secure funds for the ship but were unable to do so. In 1941, the ''Morgan'' was saved by the Marine Historical Association (later renamed
Mystic Seaport Mystic Seaport Museum (founded as Marine Historical Association) is a maritime museum in Mystic, Connecticut, and the largest in the United States. Its site holds a collection of ships and boats and a re-creation of a 19th-century seaport vill ...
) based on Taylor's word that the ship could be freed and towed to
Mystic, Connecticut Mystic is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Groton and Stonington, Connecticut, United States. Mystic was a significant Connecticut seaport with more than 600 ships built over 135 years starting in 1784. Mystic Seaport, located in ...
. 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 cutter ''General Greene''. She was towed to the old berth in Fairhaven for several days of preparations and repairs prior to the trip to Mystic. On November 5, 1941, ''General Greene'' pulled ''Charles W. Morgan'' from 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. The journey came to an end on November 8 when she passed through the Mystic bridge and was moored in the Mystic Seaport. The Seaport took shape around ''Charles W. Morgan'' with the restoration of its buildings and historic ships that came to reside alongside the ''Morgan''. "Over it all, the ''Morgan'' presided like Old Neptune-the centerpiece, the king seated on a throne of gravel, towering high above the scene."


Restoration

''Charles W. Morgan'' arrived 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.and
In 1971, Melbourne Brindle of
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...
designed four commemorative stamps of historic landmarks including the ''Morgan''. 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 by
Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...
. 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. During the summer of 2014, she sailed her 38th voyage on tour of New England seaports which included
New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...
,
Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...
,
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, and her home town of
New Bedford New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, New Bedford had a ...
, Massachusetts.


See also

* 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: * USS ''Constitution'' * USS ''Niagara'' * USS ''Constellation'' * ''
Cutty Sark ''Cutty Sark'' is a British clipper ship. Built on the River Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869 for the Jock Willis Shipping Line, she was one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest, at the end of a long period of desig ...
'' * ''Effie M. Morrissey'' / ''Ernestina'' * ''Coronet''


References


External links


''Deck prisms on the Charles W. Morgan''
* {{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919) 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