Inside Mystic Seaport

April 2009
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Wed, 15 April 2009

Following her de-rigging, the Charles W. Morgan is moved ever so carefully from her home on Chubb's Wharf down to the Henry B. DuPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport. Shipyard Director, Quentin Snediker explains the process of safely moving a vessel of this size in such a small body of water.

Direct download: The_Move_to_the_Shipyard.m4v
Category: Charles_W_Morgan -- posted at: 1:13 PM

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Tue, 31 March 2009

The Voyage Begins

The Charles W. Morgan embarks on a voyage of restoration at the Henry B. DuPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport. Shipyard Director, Quentin Snediker explains what is done to prepare the ship for the historic journey.

The Charles W. Morgan is the last surviving wooden whaling ship from the great days of sail. Built in 1841 in New Bedford, MA, the Morgan had a successful 80-year whaling career. She made 37 voyages before retiring in 1921, and was preserved as an exhibit through the efforts of a number of dedicated citizens. After being on display in South Dartmouth, MA, until 1941, she came to Mystic Seaport, where each year thousands of visitors walk her decks and hear the fascinating story of her career as a whaling vessel, historic exhibit, film and media star, and a porthole into America's rich history.

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.

Direct download: 01_The_Voyage_Begins.m4v
Category: Charles_W_Morgan -- posted at: 3:41 PM

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Tue, 31 March 2009

Charles W. Morgan, The Last of Her Kind

Of all the exhibits at Mystic Seaport, the most treasured is the wooden whaleship Charles W. Morgan. Built in 1841 at the yard of Jethro and Zachariah Hillman in New Bedford, Massachusetts, she has outlived all others of her kind.

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 dominates the waterfront at Chubb's Wharf. In overall length 113 feet, with a 27-foot 6-inch beam and depth of 17 feet 6 inches, the Morgan's main truck is 110 feet above the deck; fully-rigged, 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 for years at a time.

At the Museum, the 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 the early 1880s 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. She is now a floating exhibit with her living spaces and hold open for the visitor to see.

The Charles W. Morgan was formally designated a National Historic Landmark by order of the Secretary of the Interior on November 11, 1966.

Direct download: 01_Charles_W._Morgan_The_Last_of_Her_Kind.m4v
Category: Charles_W_Morgan -- posted at: 3:40 PM

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