Charles W. Morgan
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Charles W. Morgan Restoration

Over the last three decades, the Charles W. Morgan has undergone two regimes of partial restoration along with annual maintenance. Despite these efforts, the inevitable effects of time on the wooden fabric of the vessel's structure demand additional extensive restoration. If left unchecked, these deficiencies will threaten the structural integrity of the Morgan and her use as a primary artifact in Mystic Seaport's interpretive programs.

Restoration Updates

1.29.10

Charles W. Morgan: Feldman has finished scanning the lower part of the hold and is in the process of merging images of the upper and lower portions. Paul Haley, a ship's surveyor, will be visiting the Morgan to review progress to date. The shipwrights have replaced a portion of the scaffolding: and, on Friday they removed two futtocks from the same frame in the starboard bow. This is a major milestone in MORGAN's restoration. Futtock replacement will commence soon. A brief note on technique: while the planking looks pretty good, a final assessment needs to be made. When the futtocks are replaced, planking will be temporarily affixed with galvanized lag bolts. Permanent installation will be done subsequently using trunnels.

Click any image below to enlarge:
A look at the first futtock removed from the vessel. The fasteners will be mapped on each piece before it is removed from the vessel.	Shipwright carefully remove the first futtock in this restoration. Months of planning, preparation and documentation have finally culminated in the shipwrights finally getting their hands on the framing. Using tool-like precision they were able to remove the futtock in one piece with minimal damaged. The sheer joy of finally getting to this point soon changed to an unimaginable dread as the shipwrights looked around at the vast number of futtocks that need replacement.	A close examination of the computer screen shows some of the digital information gathered by the laser scanner.	Feldman Professional Land Surveyors are back to scan the inside of the cargo hold. In previous visits they have scanned the upper futtocks and the lower ceiling planking. With all of the planking removed they will now finish scanning all of the lower futtocks as well. The three scans will be combined and provide the museum with highly detailed, 3-D digital imaged of the vessel. This image shows the laser scanner set up in the vessel.
White oak logs are cut on the shipyards sawmill. The straight logs cut easily on the mill.	Shipwright Sean Kelly uses a chainsaw to rough cut a futtock out of a piece of Live Oak.	The shape of one of the vessel's futtocks can be seen in this piece of Live Oak. Futtocks are rough cut with a chainsaw. The pieces will then be beveled to the shape of the hull and finished with hand tools to provide the appropriate appearance.	Bags of dirt and debris have been collected from the bilges of the vessel and collected in the Main Shop of the Shipyard. Emily Casey, a local archeologist, has volunteered to come in on her spare time to shift through the debris, look for any artifacts that may provide insight to the vessel's past.
Jeff Gold in just one of the people with the enviable task of cleaning out the bilges of the Morgan. Using a vacuum, some trowels and a few hand tools he is carefully excavating in between the frame futtocks. Any artifacts are carefully removed and bagged. The dirt or "Morgan Mulch" is also bagged for future evaluation.	All of the original ceiling planking has been removed from the vessel. Only ceiling planking installed in the 1980's remains. Note the pine batten running aft which was temporarily installed as a footing for the shipwrights.

1.20.10

Charles W. Morgan: Virtually all the old ceiling has been removed. Most of the remainder is newer and is at the ends. The shipwrights are evacuating debris between the frames. Although the items that have been found are new, all the refuse is being bagged and labeled for a later, more thorough evaluation. This coming Thursday Feldman will be on site to complete the laser based documentation of the hold. Once this is finished, frame replacement will commence. Rough cutting of the futtocks continues and live oak flitches are being sawn with the Lucas Mill and white oak is being cut on the circular saw. The utilization of two pieces of equipment is needed because live oak pieces are irregular in shape and the Lucas Mill is best suited for them. The white oak is straight and the circular saw works efficiently with these. The ships saw has been tested. With the addition of some more rollers it should be good to go. Paint scraping continues in a special heated, plastic shed assembled below the north end of the gallery. In anticipation of her sailing, shipyard personnel have commenced meeting with naval architects and engineers to create a stability testing regimen.

Click any image below to enlarge:
All of the original ceiling planking has been removed from the vessel. Only ceiling planking installed in the 1980's remains. Note the pine batten running aft which was temporarily installed as a footing for the shipwrights.	Jeff Gold and Chris Taylor are in the process of moving on of the starboard ceiling planks out of the vessel. They are using the overhead dollies to position the plank out the lumber port previously cut into the hull. With careful planning the shipwrights were able to remove nearly every ceiling plank in one piece. An amazing feat, considering some of these planks are in excess of 35ft in length.

12.19.09

Charles W. Morgan: The parts of the vessel that are being scanned are those areas which will receive the greatest focus during this regime of restoration work. Nearly all of this work is in the lower hold; those elements are frames, ceiling, knees and some planking. Restoration will require much of this historic fabric to be replaced. In our effort to document the original construction details found in the vessel as fully as possible laser scanning is one of the tools we are using. We are also using conventional photography, digital photography, traditional measured drawings, sketches, video and the written word.

Laser Scanning will blend highly accurate measurements with three dimension expression of the space and the relationship among the various structural elements. It not only gives us a record of the vessel but has tremendous value as an educational tool describing the structure to those not familiar with traditional naval architectural drawings.

12.09.09

Charles W. Morgan: The shipwrights' current priority is to complete the documentation of the framing on the starboard side which is the next section we're going to remove. This is being accomplished by photographs and the use of a "laser cloud" technology. Laser cloud devices disperse multiple beams, essentially taking a picture of the hull from which line drawings are then produced.

We are also in documenting the trunnels which fasten the frames. Their location reveals the sequence in which the frames were assembled. Meanwhile the shipwrights are roughing out futtocks with a chain saw. The final cut will be made using a ships saw (large band saw). However, this final cut won't be made until the hog is fully remediated.

Work on the hog is currently on hold pending the installation of an I-beam under the stem to relieve stresses the jacking system places on the hull. The shipwrights believe this design will spread the weight of the vessel more evenly. As previously described the hog is being straightened by a simultaneous jacking up of the stem and stern while gravity works to lower the keel amidships. Once the shipwrights determine that enough of the hog has been repaired, the futtocks will be cut to fit.

Read past restoration updates:

<Aug-Oct 09> | <June - July 09> | <May 09> | <Apr - Mar 09> | <Feb 09 - Nov 08>

Restoration Currently in Phase III

Major structural weakness has been identified in lower portions of the Morgan's underwater hull structure and shipyard workers are now in the early stages of phase III of the vessel's long-term preservation.

When the Morgan was first hauled from the sand in the 1970s, work focused on watertight integrity through bottom caulking and sheathing and little or no framing was done at this time. During the early 1980s, major restoration work focused on fore and aft below waterline framing, sternpost, topside areas, deck and deck structures. Decisions were made at each event not to proceed beyond a certain point in order to maintain historic integrity, knowing that work would inevitably need to continue at a later date.

In 1996, a survey conducted by staff shipwrights indicated framing and planking in a general band around the vessel -- approximately 8 -10 feet in height -- beginning at the wind and waterline and extending to at least below the turn of the bilge would need major work in the next cycle of restoration. An additional survey completed in 2002 by Captain Paul Haley of G. A. Full Associates, Marine Surveyors, confirmed the shipwright's findings.

Over the Next Three Years

As presently conceived, the three-year project will extend beyond the limits of wind and waterline to include lower bottom framing, interior ceiling, partial keelson replacement and stem replacement. Remediation of deformed (hogged) sheer line will also be undertaken. It is anticipated that this work will be sufficient to address the Morgan's major structural needs for the next 20 years.

All work will be completed by using historically appropriate materials and techniques, in accordance with guidelines set forth in the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Vessel Preservation Projects.

Throughout this exciting restoration, visitors are encouraged to observe the process in the shipyard.

Research and Documentation

During the more than 60 years of Mystic Seaport's stewardship of the Morgan, extensive research has been accomplished related to this vessel's history. In 1973, the Museum published The Charles W. Morgan by John F. Leavitt, which chronicles the ships more than 80 years of active service. Mystic Seaport's Watercraft Documentation Office, established during the first phase of vessel restoration in 1973, has maintained excellent work progress logs, photos and architectural drawings of all preservation work undertaken.

As Mystic Seaport begins phase III of the Morgan's restoration, the Museum will continue this high standard of documentation and recordation of the vessel and the work performed.