CHARLES W. MORGAN
The Last Wooden Whaleship in the World
The Charles W. Morgan is the “crown jewel” of the Mystic Seaport collection and has outlived all others of her kind. During her 80-year whaling career, the Morgan escaped cannibals and Confederate raiders, and avoided entrapment in the frozen Arctic. In 37 whaling voyages between 1841 and 1921 she survived fire, storms, Cape Horn roundings and, after she finished her whaling career, even the Hurricane of 1938.
The Morgan was launched on July 21, 1841 from the yard of Jethro and Zachariah Hillman in New Bedford, Massachusetts. She typically sailed with a crew of about 35, representing sailors from around the world. The whaleship measures 113 feet, with a 27-foot 6-inch beam and depth of hold of 17 feet 6 inches. Her main truck is 110 feet above the deck; fully-rigged, and she is capable of carrying approximately 13,000 square feet of sail. The huge try-pots used for converting blubber into whale oil are forward; below are the cramped quarters in which her officers and men lived.
After her whaling days ended in 1921, the Morgan was preserved by Whaling Enshrined, Inc. and exhibited at Colonel Edward H.R. Green’s estate at Round Hill in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, until 1941. In November of that year, the Morgan came to Mystic Seaport where she has since dominated the waterfront at Chubb’s Wharf.
The whaleship was designated a National Historic Landmark by order of the Secretary of the Interior in 1966, and she is also a recipient of the coveted World Ship Trust Award. Since her arrival at Mystic Seaport more than 20 million visitors have walked her decks.
Restoration and Preservation
At Mystic Seaport the Charles W. Morgan has been given a new lease on life; however, her future vitality depends on continual preservation. A major program of restoration and preservation was begun in 1968 to repair her structurally, and during the course of this work, it was decided to restore her to the rig of a double-topsail bark, which she carried from 1867 through the end of her whaling career. She appears as she was during most of her active career.
In January 1974, after removal from her former sand and mud berth, she was hauled out on the lift dock in the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard for inspection and hull work as needed. Her hull proved to be in remarkably good condition, with only a new false keel, shoe and some planking being required.
In November of 2008, the Morgan returned to the Museum’s shipyard for a multi-year restoration. The project has renewed areas of the vessel from the waterline down to her keel and also addressed the bow and stern. The Morgan was launched July 21, 2013 and in the late spring of 2014 she will embark on her 38th Voyage to historic ports in New England. The decision to embark on this voyage is based on the commitment of Mystic Seaport to make history come alive for today’s audience and to call attention to the value of historic ships and the important role America’s maritime heritage plays in this country’s history. Today, America celebrates the whale and works for its recovery. Where once the Charles W. Morgan’s cargo was oil and bone, today her cargo is knowledge. When the vessel returns to Mystic Seaport in August 2014, she will resume her role as an exhibit and flagship of the Museum.