"I must go down to the sea again
For the call of the running tide,
It’s a wild call and a clear call that may not be
denied."
John Masefield
 |
| Charls W. Morgan on the hard |
“The Charles W. Morgan is an exceptional and
truly unique artifact of our shared maritime heritage,” said Mystic Seaport
President Steve White. “She is the last remaining wooden whale ship in the
world and the sole survivor of a fleet of American ships that once numbered
more than 2,700. The Charles W. Morgan is quite simply an American icon
and a living portal into an important chapter of American history.”
Before taking off to the sea in the fall of 2009, Ed
and I attended a family wedding in Connecticut. A side trip delivered us
to Mystic Seaport. We couldn’t miss the massive Morgan propped upright
on the hard with restoration underway. We climbed a platform of wooden steps
and walked newly planked decks of the massive whaling ship.
Ed and I ducked as we walked below decks through the
tryworks where whale oil was once rendered and stored in casks. We
imagined the heat, the smoke, and the peril to crew and ship trying to balance
on the rolling sea. The danger of hot oil splashing from the large iron
cauldrons set into the brick furnace was very real. Tryworks played an
important role in the factory ship. Large sections of sliced blubber
would be tossed into the pots and heated to separate the oil from the
blubber. Cooled oil would be stored in wooden casks of the cargo
hold.
During that summer trip, carpenters busily worked to
make the historic ship tight. Others worked on the rails. The restoration
project, which began in November 2008, repaired areas of the vessel from the
waterline down to her keel and structural work in the bow and stern. During
restoration oak trees destroyed by hurricanes Katrina and Ike were
utilized. Fabric to weave the sails came from India and some rope from
Holland.
The Charles W Morgan is one the most ambitious
restoration projects undertaken at Mystic Seaport, A Museum of America and the
Sea. The newly restored ship joins the other watercraft collection of
living history housed at the museum seaport museum.
During her glory days the Charles W. Morgan was one
of America’s most successful whaling ships. She came back from each trip lower
on her waterline and filled with valuable cargo. Built for durability,
not speed, she made long voyages in the pursuit of whales. When the cry, “There
she blows,” bellowed from the crow’s nest at the top of a mast, crew would
lower small whaleboats chasing their prey with harpoons. After the hunt, the
whale would be towed back to the ship to be processed for its oil, bone, teeth,
baleen, and ambergris. Voyages were long. Long periods of boredom were followed
by a frenzy of terror, death and exhausting work.
The Morgan characterizes a ship type that
played an important part of America’s maritime and economic history. Whale oil
and the profits generated helped fuel the industrial revolution. Capital from
whaling was often invested in new ventures–textile mills, railroads, and
manufacturing. The Morgan brings to life the history that whaling played
in the development of American economic growth. Once could say whale oil
brought light to the world.
The Morgan enjoyed a brief movie career as a
set in the films “Down to the Sea in Ships” and ”Java Head,” after retirement
from whaling in 1921. Later, the ship was displayed at the
waterfront estate of a wealthy investor in Massachusetts. Upon his death, the
ship sat derelict and weathering the elements until 1941.
The Morgan’s lucky streak stayed with her through the
devastating Hurricane of 1938. Winds pounded the coast at 121 mph and
gusts of 186 mph. Wave heights climbed to 50 feet off
Massachusetts. Seven hundred souls died, 600 in New England. An estimated
63,000 were left homeless and 3,300 boats were destroyed. The Morgan survived.
This survival was extended when the historic vessel was moved to Mystic Seaport
in November 1941.
Once again the majestic ship has captured the
attention of Hollywood. Recently movie director Ron Howard toured the
historic whaling ship. According to the Hollywood press, Howard is considering
his next movie based on the Nathaniel Philbrick book “The Heart of the Sea:
The Tragedy of the Whale ship Essex,” another famous whale ship of its time.
After a period of refitting and sea trials based in
New London, Conn., the ship will begin its 38th
voyage, 92 years after her sails were once stowed. The Morgan will sail
to Newport, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, and Boston. In a joint venture with
NOAA, she will sail in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary near the
Massachusetts Bay to study whales before participating in the centennial
celebration of the Cape Cod Canal during 2014.
More than 20 million people have walked the decks of
the Charles W. Morgan. Newly restored, her most valuable cargo in this
era is knowledge of bygone days reminding us of our heritage on the high seas.
“The Charles W. Morgan is an exceptional and
truly unique artifact of our shared maritime heritage,” said Mystic Seaport
President Steve White. “She is the last remaining wooden whale ship in the
world and the sole survivor of a fleet of American ships that once numbered
more than 2,700. The Charles W. Morgan is quite simply an American icon
and a living portal into an important chapter of American history.”
Before taking off to the sea in the fall of 2009, Ed
and I attended a family wedding in Connecticut. A side trip delivered us
to Mystic Seaport. We couldn’t miss the massive Morgan propped upright
on the hard with restoration underway. We climbed a platform of wooden steps
and walked newly planked decks of the massive whaling ship.
Ed and I ducked as we walked below decks through the
tryworks where whale oil was once rendered and stored in casks. We
imagined the heat, the smoke, and the peril to crew and ship trying to balance
on the rolling sea. The danger of hot oil splashing from the large iron
cauldrons set into the brick furnace was very real. Tryworks played an
important role in the factory ship. Large sections of sliced blubber
would be tossed into the pots and heated to separate the oil from the
blubber. Cooled oil would be stored in wooden casks of the cargo
hold.
During that summer trip, carpenters busily worked to
make the historic ship tight. Others worked on the rails. The restoration
project, which began in November 2008, repaired areas of the vessel from the
waterline down to her keel and structural work in the bow and stern. During
restoration oak trees destroyed by hurricanes Katrina and Ike were
utilized. Fabric to weave the sails came from India and some rope from
Holland.
The Charles W Morgan is one the most ambitious
restoration projects undertaken at Mystic Seaport, A Museum of America and the
Sea. The newly restored ship joins the other watercraft collection of
living history housed at the museum seaport museum.
During her glory days the Charles W. Morgan was one
of America’s most successful whaling ships. She came back from each trip lower
on her waterline and filled with valuable cargo. Built for durability,
not speed, she made long voyages in the pursuit of whales. When the cry, “There
she blows,” bellowed from the crow’s nest at the top of a mast, crew would
lower small whaleboats chasing their prey with harpoons. After the hunt, the
whale would be towed back to the ship to be processed for its oil, bone, teeth,
baleen, and ambergris. Voyages were long. Long periods of boredom were followed
by a frenzy of terror, death and exhausting work.
The Morgan characterizes a ship type that
played an important part of America’s maritime and economic history. Whale oil
and the profits generated helped fuel the industrial revolution. Capital from
whaling was often invested in new ventures–textile mills, railroads, and
manufacturing. The Morgan brings to life the history that whaling played
in the development of American economic growth. Once could say whale oil
brought light to the world.
The Morgan enjoyed a brief movie career as a
set in the films “Down to the Sea in Ships” and ”Java Head,” after retirement
from whaling in 1921. Later, the ship was displayed at the
waterfront estate of a wealthy investor in Massachusetts. Upon his death, the
ship sat derelict and weathering the elements until 1941.
The Morgan’s lucky streak stayed with her through the
devastating Hurricane of 1938. Winds pounded the coast at 121 mph and
gusts of 186 mph. Wave heights climbed to 50 feet off
Massachusetts. Seven hundred souls died, 600 in New England. An estimated
63,000 were left homeless and 3,300 boats were destroyed. The Morgan survived.
This survival was extended when the historic vessel was moved to Mystic Seaport
in November 1941.
Once again the majestic ship has captured the
attention of Hollywood. Recently movie director Ron Howard toured the
historic whaling ship. According to the Hollywood press, Howard is considering
his next movie based on the Nathaniel Philbrick book “The Heart of the Sea:
The Tragedy of the Whale ship Essex,” another famous whale ship of its time.
After a period of refitting and sea trials based in
New London, Conn., the ship will begin its 38th
voyage, 92 years after her sails were once stowed. The Morgan will sail
to Newport, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, and Boston. In a joint venture with
NOAA, she will sail in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary near the
Massachusetts Bay to study whales before participating in the centennial
celebration of the Cape Cod Canal during 2014.
More than 20 million people have walked the decks of
the Charles W. Morgan. Newly restored, her most valuable cargo in this
era is knowledge of bygone days reminding us of our heritage on the high seas.
