19th Century Whaling Ship Setting Sail Yet Again
- 10 years ago
An icon 19th century whaling ship is hitting the waters in New England. Called the ‘Charles W. Morgan’, it was built and launched in 1841 at the Hillman brothers’ shipyard in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
An iconic, 19th century whaling ship is hitting the waters in New England.
Called the ‘Charles W. Morgan’, it was built and launched in 1841 at the Hillman brothers’ shipyard in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Fast forward a century later and the ship was beaten up pretty badly, having completed 37 voyages. During those trips, the ship brought back over 54 thousand barrels of whale oil which earned a little under $1.5 million.
In November of 1941, a Coast Guard cutter towed the ‘Charles W. Morgan’ to the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut for a much needed break. For over 70 years, the ship has sat on a makeshift bed of gravel and sand at the museum.
Now, the ‘Charles W. Morgan’ is setting sail yet again. During the past 5 years, the ship, which is the last known wooden whaling ship in existence, has undergone a large scale renovation.
The highly anticipated voyage is the ‘Charles W. Morgan’s’ 38th. The ship is being towed out of Mystic Seaport and will then head to the New London City Pier.
There the ‘Charles W. Morgan’ will take on 50,000 pounds of ballast and be prepared for the rest of the journey. After that, the old beauty will cruise up the New England coast and pay a visit to its’ home port in New Bedford.
An iconic, 19th century whaling ship is hitting the waters in New England.
Called the ‘Charles W. Morgan’, it was built and launched in 1841 at the Hillman brothers’ shipyard in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Fast forward a century later and the ship was beaten up pretty badly, having completed 37 voyages. During those trips, the ship brought back over 54 thousand barrels of whale oil which earned a little under $1.5 million.
In November of 1941, a Coast Guard cutter towed the ‘Charles W. Morgan’ to the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut for a much needed break. For over 70 years, the ship has sat on a makeshift bed of gravel and sand at the museum.
Now, the ‘Charles W. Morgan’ is setting sail yet again. During the past 5 years, the ship, which is the last known wooden whaling ship in existence, has undergone a large scale renovation.
The highly anticipated voyage is the ‘Charles W. Morgan’s’ 38th. The ship is being towed out of Mystic Seaport and will then head to the New London City Pier.
There the ‘Charles W. Morgan’ will take on 50,000 pounds of ballast and be prepared for the rest of the journey. After that, the old beauty will cruise up the New England coast and pay a visit to its’ home port in New Bedford.